$2.7 Million ‘Overstated’ Incident
The U.S Commerce Department spent more than $2.7 million – over half of its 2012 IT budget – responding to an “overstated” cyber attack, according to a report from the department’s Office of Inspector General.
“Despite only finding common malware,” the report said the department destroyed more than $170,000 worth of what it believed to be infected technology, including desktops, printers, TVs, cameras, computer mice and keyboards. Read the inspector general’s report here.
Senate Moves on Cyber
The Senate Commerce Committee appears to be spending its time and money on another cyber measure. On Thursday, the committee released a draft bill to enhance the nation’s cybersecurity through standards, best practices, research and development, and public awareness and preparedness.
Cosponsored by Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), the bipartisan legislation is expected to be marked up in the next few weeks. The Hill has the story.
No Feds Allowed
One place the legislators won’t be leaving their mark is on this year’s DEF CON conference. “Feds, we need some time apart,” organizers of the world’s largest hacker convention wrote on the conference blog.
“When it comes to sharing and socializing with feds, recent revelations have made many in the community uncomfortable about this relationship,” the blog post read. “Therefore, I think it would be best for everyone involved if the feds call a ‘time-out’ and not attend DEF CON this year.”
Cyber Cooperation
Despite recent tension over the now infamous Snowden leaks, the U.S. and China are making progress on cybersecurity, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.
“The two sides held candid in-depth discussions on cybersecurity, including the mechanism of a bilateral cyber working group, international cyberspace rules, and measures to boost dialogue and cooperation on cyber security,” Xinhua reported. Reuters has the story.
