NASA Estimates $4 Billion For 2010 IT Contracts

NASA is revamping its IT and data services through 5 projects for its Information Technology Infracture Integration Program (I3P). The 5 contracts are worth an estimated $4.28 billion total, according to one analyst from the market research firm INPUT. The contracts will be awarded by May and June of next year. The projects will combine current NASA contracts, including the Outsourcing Desktop Initiative (ODIN) and Unified NASA Information Technology Services (UNITeS). 

The five NASA contracts…

Cybersecurity Leaders Must Be Flexible

Lt. Gen. William Lord, chief of warfighting integration and CIO of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, recently highlighted the need for a flexible command model for cybersecurity.

At a meeting of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association chapter in Northern Virginia, Lord pointed to the difficulties of fighting in cyberspace.

The command model should include portions of the traditional command model employed…

MI5 Use Teens for Cyber Defense

According to Daily Express, MI5 has hired approximately 50 individuals, some of whom are still teens, to help combat cyber attacks.

The new employees have already traced cyber attacks to Pakistan, China, and Russia and messages from terrorists serving sentences in a maximum security prison in Britain.

Most of the new hires are of Asian descent and are subject to the same security protocols as other intelligence professionals employed…

No Privacy Issue with Government-Monitoring Program

The Department of Justice recently determined the use of Einstein 2, the government program that monitors communications on government servers, does not violate rights of private citizens or government employees.

The program allows the government to monitor all communications in and out of government networks in an effort to combat potential cyber attacks.

According to the DOJ memo, government employees are informed when using government networks that…

Malicious Hacker Site Shut Down by ‘Good Hackers’

A group of white hat hackers calling themselves War Against Cyber Crime recently attacked a site for malicious hackers.

The group hacked into the website and stole information on login information and email addresses of site users, publishing the information on the Internet according to The Register.

The site was used by hackers to trade information and new techniques along with stolen information like credit-card numbers.

War Against Cyber Crime…

DNI Blair’s Take on Cyber Issues

DNI Dennis Blair recently spoke at the Commonwealth Club in California on cybersecurity issues and their central role to national security planning.

According to govinfosecurity.com, Blair highlighted the roles of various intelligence organizations, including DHS and NSA, in the effort to better secure cyberspace.

During his speech, Blair pointed that ensuring privacy and civil liberties for private citizens is central to the cybersecurity effort, according to the transcripts available

Government Suggests Caution for Professionals Visiting China

As one of the central hubs for cyber attacks launched against the United States, Chinese attempts at cyber espionage against U.S. industry is of increasing concern. Government officials have suggested a number of somewhat strange protocols in an effort to defeat Chinese cyber-attack efforts.

Some of the suggestions include weighing a computer brought on business trips to China before and after to determine if any new…

Firefox Helps Secure Rival Software

When software providers point out the flaws of competing technologies, it is often in an attempt to demonstrate the superior security of their own products. Mozilla Firefox has taken a more community-based common security approach.

When users update Mozilla Firefox, a security reminder appears if the user is running an older version of Adobe flash software. Users can use the opportunity to update their Flash software to ensure…

Phishers Add Sophisticated Chat Options to Scams

RSA Security recently detected an advanced phishing scam that uses a chat option to make the scam appear more legitimate.

The phishers use the chat option to solicit information from clients who arrive at the website.

The scam begins with an invitation to a banking website, which requires minimal login information. After that information is received, the phishers send a chat box to the client claiming to be part…

NIST Publishes Updated Report on Government Cybersecurity

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a report updated from its 2005 version on recommended standards on security controls for federal organizations.

The report is meant to create a centralized set of requirements and controls that cover both the national security communities and civilian agencies.

The report sought security protocol information from Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and other civilian agencies to format…