Pentagon Releases First-ever Cyberspace Strategy

The Defense Department today released its strategy for operating in cyberspace, its first unified plan that aims to address the multitude of cyber threats the nation faces on a daily basis.

“It is critical to strengthen our cyber capabilities to address the cyber threats we’re facing,” said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta…

Defector Claims North Korea Grooms Cyber Terrorists

North Korea is expanding its force of future cyber warriors, and is even sending young hacker prodigies abroad to enhance their skills, according to a representative from a group of North Korean defectors, Korea Joongang Daily reports.

Kim Heung-kwang of the North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity said yesterday North Korea has upped its number of cyber terrorists from 500 to 3,000.

When talented young hackers are identified,…

Maryland Preps to Train Cyber Workforce

With an estimated 41 percent growth of the cybersecurity industry over the next eight years, Maryland is using a new federal grant to train thousands of cyber warriors.

The $4.9 million grant has funded “Pathways to Cybersecurity Careers Consortium” program, which aims to provide 1,000 new, dislocated or underemployed workers and recently separated…

DHS Seeks Cyber Warrior Interns

Every summer, high school and college students flock to the nation’s capital to advance their forthcoming careers by interning at nonprofits, federal agencies and news outlets. For aspiring cyber warriors desiring a career in government, the options have been few — until now.

The National Protection and Programs Directorate, part of the Department of Homeland…

Aaron Barr: Adding More Resources, Cyber Warriors Not the Answer to Secure Cyberspace

Many industry and government insiders have stressed what they say is an urgent need to add more cyber warriors to protect the digital infrastructure. But some experts are now taking an opposite view, claiming additional resources funneled into cybersecurity won’t begin to solve some of the significant problems the United States…

New UMD Cyber Center to Strengthen Public-Private Partnerships

The University of Maryland is launching a new cybersecurity initiative that aims to stimulate public-private partnerships and address national vulnerabilities, including those facing industry.

The focal point of the initiative, the new Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC-squared, or MC2), will implement a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity education, research and technology…

US Air Force Recruits Train to Become Cyber Warriors

For the first time ever, U.S. Air Force recruits are receiving cybersecurity instruction as part of their basic training.

The Air Force said the first trainees attended the four-hour course on basic operating fundamentals on a computer network and the importance of protecting the network this month at Lackland Air Force …

Alion’s Mark Ives: Our Cyber Warriors Understand the Threat Across the Enterprise

In an effort to enhance cybersecurity at Alion Science and Technology Corporation, Chief Information Officer Mark Ives instituted a cyber training program to build a trained cyber workforce that understands the threat across the enterprise, rather than only for individual sections of the company.

The program, called Alion Cyber Warrior Training, approaches cybersecurity from an end-to-end…

Air Force Begins Training Officers in Cyber War

The United States Air Force is moving to rapidly increase its cyber capabilities by training cyber warriors to provide defensive and offensive cyber capabilities. Airmen in training as cyber warfare officers are learning to provide dynamic defense against cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. Once the art of defense has been mastered, the training…

Australia Seeks to Hire Cybersecurity Professionals

Cyber experts in the United States consistently bemoan the dearth of skilled cyber professionals to fill the ranks as ‘cyber warriors.’ The Department of Homeland Security has advertised positions for cyber professionals via their website since the end of last year.

The Australian government is experiencing a similar shortage of skilled cyber professionals. The Australian Department of Defence has advertised…