NIST issues final draft of IT security controls

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released the final public draft of recommended security controls for federal systems, a fine-tuned version of a document that will become a mandatory Federal Information Processing Standard by the end of the year.

Encryption device planned for legacy SCADA installations

Thales e-Security Inc. is finishing work on an encryption appliance to secure legacy process control systems that regulate much of the nation's critical infrastructure.

With IPv6, DOD is again an Internet leader

The Defense Department's decision to transition to IP Version 6 is helping to move the United States ahead in deploying next-generation Internet protocols, said Alex Lightman, chairman of the U.S. IPv6 Summit.

Industry gives Bush cybersecurity to-do list

An IT industry association has offered 12 recommendations it said President Bush should take on in his second term to improve the nation's cybersecurity.

Secure Flight program faces slow takeoff

Despite ambitious plans to begin rolling out the Secure Flight passenger-screening program early next year, the Transportation Security Administration has not yet finalized how the system will work or what information it will use, according to a TSA official.

9/11 commissioner: Don't wait on intelligence backbone

The government should move ahead on developing an infrastructure for information sharing across the intelligence community, 9/11 Commission Member Jamie Gorelick said today.

GAO to investigate voting irregularities

The Government Accountability Office will investigate irregularities in the 2004 general election, including an examination of the security and accuracy of electronic voting machines.

Trojan trips up some smart phones

A Trojan program called Skulls has appeared, disabling many of the functions of Internet-enabled cell phones that use the operating system from the Symbian Ltd. consortium.

Tech Success: Worms, be gone

Robert Taylor needs eyes in the back of his head to manage network security for Fulton County, Ga., home of the state capital Atlanta. The sprawling, 530-square-mile county, which includes an airport and a jail that rank among the busiest in the nation, has a similarly sprawling IT infrastructure.

Anonymous data sharing debuts

Sharing data among government agencies is easier said than done. Many groups want or need to protect the confidentiality of their information.

Yoran: DHS has made progress, but hurdles remain

Amit Yoran said he had successes in his year as DHS cybersecurity chief, but that "the government really doesn't know what its IT assets are."

Contractors struggle with federal security demands

As the Federal Information Security Management Act is pushed out to government contractors, standards for compliance are a mystery to many, said Todd Fitzgerald, systems security officer for United Government Services LLC of Milwaukee.

MCI to offer secure two-way messaging with strong encryption

MCI Inc. will offer secure two-way messaging through its SkyTel Communications subsidiary next month, encrypting wireless text with the Advanced Encryption Algorithm.

Integrated tools support sharing of GIS data

Two companies have meshed their products and provided the integrated tools to the government for tests sharing sensitive geospatial data. ESRI is contributing its ArcGIS software for geospatial information systems and Swan Island Networks Inc. will provide security and digital rights management.

NSF announces latest round of cyber-research funding

Two research centers that will apply the techniques of life sciences to Internet security are among 33 new projects the National Science Foundation will fund in its latest round of grants under the Cyber Trust Program.

SEC to make online authentication more stringent

The Securities and Exchange Commission wants to be sure of who is using its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system. So it's looking to implement a new authentication system to prevent fraudulently filed documents, according to the agency's security chief.

DARPA funds further work on nighttime surveillance tech

ObjectVideo Inc. has snagged another round of funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to continue developing of nighttime video surveillance technology.

Internet threats take on new hue

The daily volume of Internet attacks dropped off in the first half of this year, and the rate at which new vulnerabilities are being reported appears to have hit a plateau, but new problems are on the rise.

New WiFi security adds strong encryption

Products from six companies were certified following six months of interoperability testing.

E-voting security will be a long-term effort

A House panel today struggled with the questions of how to set standards for acceptable error rates in voting technology.