MyDoom variant starting to spread

The first variant of the virulent MyDoom worm has been discovered, just 48 hours after the worm first appeared in the wild.

Security analysts recommend scrapping online voting plans

A group of security analysts who have evaluated Defense Department plans for an online voting pilot have recommended that the plan be scrapped because its security cannot be ensured. But DoD plans to move ahead anyway.

New mass-mailing worm on the creep

Some administrators returning to work today after a three-day weekend are finding an unwelcome bagel waiting for them.

Team building tools to help sniff out spies

A team of companies led by a Lockheed Martin Corp. subsidiary is building a tool to help the intelligence community keep tabs on the spooks behind its firewalls.

GSA extends WorldCom telecom contract

The General Services Administration has exercised the second one-year option for WorldCom Inc. in the FTS2001 telecommunications contract.

DOD prepares for credentialing pilot

The Defense Department is preparing for a pilot of an identity management system that will allow authentication of credentials across multiple agencies and vendors.

Verizon expands federal offerings in the region

The General Services Administration has placed Verizon Federal Inc. of Washington on two contracts that let the company compete for $330 million worth of federal telecommunications business from Philadelphia to Richmond, Va.

GAO: Universal E911 for cell phones years away

A lack of money and coordination at the state and local levels is delaying implementation of Enhanced 911 emergency service for cellular phones, according to a new report.

Microsoft puts a bounty on virus writers

Microsoft Corp. today announced rewards of $250,000 each for the arrest of the writers of the SoBig and Blaster worms that attacked millions of computers running the company's Windows operating systems earlier this year.

Information sharing still tough, even within departments

The exchange of information between the Defense and Homeland Security departments is essential to national security, but the departments still are struggling to share information within their organizations, government officials said Oct. 22 at the Federal Information Assurance Conference at the University of Maryland in College Park.

Worm, virus makers pick up speed

New worms are becoming more efficient and the window between exposure of a vulnerability and the appearance of an exploit is shrinking, according a new Internet security report.

Report condemns Microsoft "monopoly" as insecure

A report released today by a team of cybersecurity professionals condemns the ubiquity of Microsoft Corp. software as inherently insecure and called for government to break the software giant's dominant grip on the market.

Lawmakers aim to get tough on malicious code

House subcommittee members were frustrated Wednesday in their efforts to find out just who is releasing all of these computer worms and viruses.

The Sobig worm war continues

Last-minute efforts apparently blocked the execution of a scheduled update of the Sobig worm, but the code continues to pose a threat.

3 IT projects among NIST grants

Computer security, intelligent data searching and a personal wireless service were among 16 projects that received funding recently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program.

IT security to be added to FAR

The General Services Administration is drafting a new acquisition regulation to integrate security into IT buys.

Wireless provider demos high-speed cellular Internet

Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm today demonstrated a new high-speed wireless Internet service set to be rolled out in Washington and San Diego this fall.

Cybersecurity laws coming, Putnam says

Cybersecurity regulation that will affect the private sector is on the way this year, a congressman said today. And the Business Software Alliance opposes mandates.

Web defacement contest set for July 6

The first Defacers Challenge, complete with prizes for the hacker or hackers who can first deface 6,000 Web sites, is scheduled for July 6.

WorldCom gets new heat from Hill, GSA

The referral of a negative report by the General Services Administration's inspector general earlier this month has initiated suspension proceedings against troubled telecom company WorldCom Inc.