White House to Release Proposed Bill to Boost US Cyber Defenses

The White House today is expected to unveil its proposal to boost the nation’s cyber defenses, detailing plans that would require the commercial sector to better protect systems that operate critical infrastructure such as the electrical grid, financial systems and nuclear power plants, The Associated Press reports.

Sources familiar with the plan…

Burke Cox Joins Sevatec as COO

Sevatec, Inc. has announced that Burke Cox has joined the firm as chief operating officer and will oversee day-to-day operations and lead the firm’s long-term strategy to expand its portfolio of mission-critical projects in the government sector.

“I am excited about Burke joining us and look forward to his leadership in…

NSA Certifies General Dynamics C4 Systems Encryptor

The National Security Agency has certified General Dynamics C4 Systems‘ KG-530 SONET OC-768C in-line network encryptor to secure information classified to the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level and below.

The KG-530 significantly reduces network delay or latency commonly experienced when working with large quantities of classified information. The…

Instrumental UK Cybersecurity Advocate Leaves Post

U.K. Security minister Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, who held a key role in promoting cybersecurity as part of Britain’s National Security Strategy, has stepped down from her position.

As minister for security and counterterrorism, Neville-Jones played a crucial role in securing £500 million in funding for cybersecurity at a time of significant government cuts,…

Hackers Hijack Fox Affiliates’ Twitter, LinkedIn Accounts

Hackers have gained access to a database of fox.com email accounts and took over the Twitter accounts of two Fox-affiliates Monday night, Mediabistro’s TVSpy reports.

The hackers, who called themselves Lulz Security, posted tweets under the accounts of WFQX in Michigan and KADN in Louisiana. Using its own Twitter account, Lulz Security yesterday began teasing future attacks.

In addition to hijacking the Fox affiliates’ Twitter feeds, …

Mental Illness No Excuse to Illegally Download Files, Court Says

A Scottish court has rejected mitigating pleas of mental illness by a file-sharer convicted of copyright infringement, The Register reports.

Although Anne Muir, 58, admitted to downloading 30,000 songs from a peer-to-peer network to boost her self-esteem, her defense attorney Lorenzo Alonzi argued his client was suffering from depression.

“Learning this new technology and picking up new skills gave her self-esteem a boost,” Alonzi said. “But to…

Sony PSN Services to be Restored in ‘Few More Days’

Sony has said it will be at least a few more days before it restores the PlayStation Network, which has been offline since it was hacked last month.

“I know you all want to know exactly when the services will be restored,” Patrick Seybold,  Sony’s senior director of corporate communications and social media, wrote on the PlayStation Blog. “At this time, I can’t…

NSA Designates Columbus State Cyber Education Leader

Columbus State University and its Turner College of Business and Computer Science has been recognized as a national standard bearer in both teaching cybersecurity and applying the concept, according to the school.

The National Security Administration has designated CSU as a…

Good Harbor Consulting Hires Harvard Faculty as Cybersecurity Lead

Good Harbor Consulting has tapped Eric Rosenbach to lead its cybersecurity consulting practice and work alongside chairman Richard Clarke to shape the strategic direction of the practice and help clients to understand and manage cybersecurity risks.

Rosenbach brings a unique combination of policy, legal and technology expertise that…

GDIT Snags Deal to Provide IT to USSOCOM

General Dynamics business unit General Dynamics Information Technology has received a five-year contract for $83.6 million to provide IT enterprise network services to the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Under the contract, General Dynamics will provide enterprisewide network support services to manage USSOCOM’s global enterprise IT infrastructure which includes data, voice…