Navy CIO Outlines Strategies

Robert Carey, the Navy’s CIO, outlined some of the key concepts and strategies for Navy cyber/IT on his blog. He believes that these six areas are significant opportunities that the Navy should work to implement.

Carey’s first strategy is to ensure that the Navy embraces new technologies as they become available. Carey said “we must be able to embrace change and ensure that our organizational leaders…

Alexander Picked to Head Cyber Command

The Department of Defense announced that Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, current director of the NSA, was nominated by President Obama to head the DoD’s new Cyber Command. Alexander will be promoted to a four star general and will be responsible for coordinating the new US Cyber Command that will be headquartered at Fort Meade.

Alexander will continue to serve in his present role at NSA and…

Melissa Hathaway Moves To ManTech

ManTech International announced late yesterday that Melissa Hathaway, President of Hathaway Global Strategies, LLC and former Acting Senior Director for Cyberspace for the National and Homeland Security Councils, and former Senior Advisor and Cyber Coordination Executive for the Director of National Intelligence, will provide guidance and input at ManTech in the field of national security, specifically in the field of cybersecurity.

Second Cyber Security Firm Acquired by Alabama’s Camber Corporation In The Last Month

Sterling, Virginia-based cyber security firm Veritas Analytics has been acquired by the Camber Corporation, headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. Terms of the agreement have yet to be released but the news comes just after Camber Corporation recently acquired the intelligence analysis firm i2S from Columbia, Maryland.

Veritas Analytics will aide Camber specifically with cyber terrorism defenses.Camber Corporation provides cyber security, engineering solutions as well as educational and training of defenses world-wide.Veritas Analytics is…

New Fake Anti-Virus Program Forces Users to Download

Researchers at PandaLabs have discovered a new fake anti-virus program that forces users to purchase the software. The program, using a combination of techniques, hijacks the target computer and keeps the computer from functioning until the victim purchases the fake program.

The program forces infected users to pay around $120 for the program. Once users pay the fee, the computer is released and is able to…

Hackers Steal Classified Data from South Korea

South Korean officials reported over the weekend the army’s computer network was hacked and classified data was accessed.

The breach compromised information on dangerous chemicals hosted on the Chemical Accident Response Information System. Close to 600 agencies throughout South Korea use the system, including a number of first-responder units.

The system was compromised using the login credentials of a military officer. The hackers stole his login information after infecting…

Obama the Cyber Educator

In a video released on the White House Blog, President Obama discussed the roles of government, private sector and citizens in securing cyber security. President Obama provided useful guidelines to being “cyber smart” as an individual and highlighted the pivotal role individuals play in cyber security.

NASA Has Been Breached

According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, NASA has experienced more than 1,000 security incidents involving malware in 2007 and 2008.

The malware was installed on NASA systems, putting sensitive data at risk of compromise.

The report cited 1,120 incidents in which malware was installed on systems or unauthorized data breaches occurred. GAO also stated that despite implementing new protocols, the NASA systems are still vulnerable to…

Information on 800,000 Doctors Stolen

An unencrypted laptop with information on around 800,000 physicians was stolen recently from an employee of an insurance firm. A number of the physicians have been warned that the data was stolen.

The laptop contained the personal information on a number of physicians throughout the country. The theft puts them at a significant risk of identity theft and officials have warned the doctors to be aware of this…

Botnets Don’t Pay what They Used To

Botnets used for cyber attacks, particularly distributed denial of service attacks, are becoming cheaper, according to security researchers.

The number of available botnets has grown rapidly, flooding the market and driving prices down.

Botnets are constructed by hackers who infect a series of computers. They then rent out the botnet to other users for pre-set pricing based on how many days the botnet is used. The botnets are offered…