A wide-ranging ransomware attack has hit 23 government entities in Texas, most of them “smaller, local governments,” the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) confirmed Saturday. While the government won’t reveal the names of the organizations affected by the attack, which began Friday morning, the DIR said that state of Texas networks and systems weren’t…
First American Financial Corp. is reportedly the subject of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, following the discovery of a website defect that left 885 million documents exposed to the public. Earlier this year, the financial services company’s website was found to have allowed anyone with a web browser and a URL for a…
Despite having some policies in place, the U.S. government is largely unprepared for a large-scale cyberattack, though the white hat hacker community could help it identify weak points and harden security. “No,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., when asked during the Def Con “Hacking Congress” panel whether the government was well-positioned to fend off attackers.…
When Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats takes his leave August 15, Principal Deputy DNI Susan M. Gordon will go with him, and Joseph Maguire will step in as acting director. “Know that our people are our strength, and they will never fail you or the Nation. You are in good hands,” Gordon said…
The National Security Agency (NSA) is tapping high school students, as part of a work study program, to polish their cyber skills and lure them into careers in intelligence. “Once they’re here they get that sense of purpose from what they’re doing every day and they see that they can do things here that they…
Just a few days after President Trump nominated Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence (DNI), he withdrew the nomination, citing likely brutal scrutiny. “Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal…
When Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, exits Congress next year, there will be one fewer lawmaker on Capitol Hill who has a firm grasp on cybersecurity issues. Hurd, a former CIA undercover agent, said in a statement announcing his decision not to run for reelection in 2020 that he was still going to brandish his security…
Republican members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Reform this week sent open letters to both Capital One and Amazon, requesting that both companies arrange a briefing with Congressional staff members regarding Capital One’s recently announced data breach. Last Monday, McLean, Va.-based Capital One Financial Corporation publicly acknowledged that an unauthorized individual…
U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced federal legislation designed to protect critical technologies from supply chain attacks by China and other foreign threat actors. The bill, known as S. 2316 or the The Manufacturing, Investment, and Controls Review for Computer Hardware, Intellectual Property and Supply (MICROCHIPS) Act, would require U.S.…
The Georgia State Patrol was reportedly the target of a July 26 ransomware attack that has necessitated the precautionary shutdown of its servers and network. Per local news affiliate WHNT, the GSP has confirmed that the incidence could slightly impact response times; however, members of the force still have other channels of communication such as…
