Hacker’s Don’t Vacation
Summer is officially here. But don’t think the hackers have packed up and gone on vacation. A new study from research firm Intelligize reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission has seen a 106 percent increase in the number of regulatory filings referencing cybersecurity issues.
According to the study, over the past six months, 800 companies have filed detailed information about the cyber risks and attacks their organizations have faced. “Costs associated with individual cyber attacks can easily total millions of dollars when factoring in the impact to customer perceptions,” Intelligize chief executive Gurinder Sangha wrote in the study. The Wall Street Journal has the story.
Veterans Find New Mission as Cyber Warriors
Some of the nation’s veterans may also be hard at work on cybersecurity this summer. The (ISC)2 Foundation and Booz Allen Hamilton announced late last week the launch of the U.S.A. Cyber Warrior Scholarship program. The program will offer scholarships to veterans who are interested in receiving training and certifications in the field of cybersecurity. Nextgov has the story.
Russia and U.S. Agree on Cyber…Not Snowden
When it comes to cybersecurity, communication is key. Despite recent reports that Edward Snowden, the former Booz Allen contractor accused of espionage, has made his way to Moscow, the U.S. and Russia moved forward last week on an important cyber pact. The two countries have agreed to provide real-time communications on cyber risks and alerts on attacks coming in from inside each other’s borders. The Washington Post has the story.
Energy Department Moves on Cyber Initiative
Back in the States, the Energy Department is moving on its own cyber initiative. Recently appointed Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the formation a new council to create cybersecurity collaboration among the DOE’s various channels. “What we are trying to do is to make sure that we bring all these assets together to look at everything from grid reliability and resilience to, frankly, protecting our own national security secrets,” Sec. Moniz told the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday. The Hill has the story.
Summer Reading: NIST glossAry
And finally, if you can’t keep track of all of the latest cyber terminology being tossed around, perhaps the “Glossary of Key Information Security Terms” will help you out. Provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the 202-page document defines everything from a traditional Trojan horse to steganography, “the art and science of communicating in a way that hides the existence of the communication.” Check out NIST’s unhidden glossary here.
