March 18, 2013
The security researcher and self-proclaimed internet troll earned 41 months behind bars Monday for his role in using a script to retrieve data on roughly 120,000 Apple iPad users from a public web server.
Two weeks ago, Rep. Lofgren took to Reddit to announce her plans to revise the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act so that people like Aaron Swartz, the computer programmer and freedom-of-information activist who committed suicide in January, are not punishable by decades in prison.
The Cybersecurity and American Cyber Competitiveness Act of 2013 comes after a bill with similar aims failed to pass last year.
The suicide of Aaron Swartz may prompt changes to a federal anti-hacking statute that many view as overly broad, heavy-handed and outdated.
Last month, President Obama signed the "secret" measure, called the "Presidential Policy Directive 20," which will allow the military to more aggressively fight cyber threats.
Just skimming the headlines last week, one would think cyber space blew up. But it was just a few DDoS attacks. And with a White House cyber security executive order looming, it's critical that all stakeholders act with reason.
October 01, 2012
We must resolve issues around data sovereignty, says Capgemini's Joe Coyle.
September 04, 2012
President Obama now is considering an executive order to breathe some life back into the Cyber Security Act of 2012 with the goal in mind to protect the country's critical infrastructure.
India's government claims it has found a way to monitor email sent via BlackBerry, something even manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) claims it can't do.
The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) offered the agency's assistance to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to make the government's controversial internet surveillance bill more palatable.
The Canadian government enacted a national security exception to bar foreign IT companies from bidding on the construction of its new telecommunications system.
Although it appeared as if another year would go by without any action on cyber security legislation, President Obama may turn to an executive order to implement new policy.
Senate Republicans on Thursday defeated a bill that would have asked critical infrastructure operators to meet voluntary cyber security standards. Some Democrats also disagreed with the measure, saying it didn't go far enough to protect privacy.
Sensing that the now-revised Cybersecurity Act of 2012 has a chance at passing in the Senate, a number of senators are rushing to include amendments, which includes added privacy provisions and a federal breach notification clause.
The incentive-driven Cyber Security Act of 2012 is expected to be discussed as early as this week, and supporters hope to fast-track its approval before the August Congress recess. Count President Obama as one of those people.
A re-introduction of the SECURE IT Act seeks to answer concerns from privacy advocates, while enlisting information sharing provisions deplete of U.S. government oversight.
If you don't succeed, try, try again. Four senators are pushing for a federal data breach notification law, despite a number of previous failed attempts by their colleagues.
May 18, 2012
Howard Schmidt, who began as White House cyber security coordinator in January 2010, announced Thursday that he is retiring and returning to private life. He will be replaced by a White House intelligence chief.
CISPA has passed the U.S. House, despite vocal opposition contending that the proposal would hurt Americans' civil liberties far worse than it would aid organizations in fighting cyber attackers.
Private and public sectors must take seriously the need to share threat data to prevent cyber attacks, but a heavy-handed approach like CISPA places us at far greater risk as a country.
A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling has said employees who violate their organization's user policies do not violate the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).
A group of Republican senators on Thursday introduced a competing bill to the bipartisan Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which was unveiled two weeks ago.
A new version of a federal law designed to protect the nation's critical assets is toned-down from previous cyber security proposals, but business and privacy leaders have concerns.
David Kernell, who hacked into Sarah Palin's email account, has lost an appeal against his obstruction of justice charge.
Facebook and the state of Washington have filed separate lawsuits against Adscend Media, alleging the company was responsible for spreading malware and for stealing personal information from Facebook users.
In a reprisal for the government's takedown of MegaUpload.com, the hacker group Anonymous has apparently shuttered recording and movie industry websites, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice.
Several senators today abandoned their support of two highly controversial anti-web piracy bills making their way through Congress.
Hacktivist group Anonymous and the popular news-sharing site Reddit both have pledged to go offline on Wednesday in protest of the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), an anti-piracy measure that critics believe amounts to an internet censorship bill.
Representatives from the Pirate Party of Canada highlighted the irony of Canadian government officials using file-sharing sites to infringe on copyright.
Canadian lawyers may have opened a legal can of worms by requesting the public release of heavily censored photographs.
