Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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DHS Tries Monitoring Social Media For Signs Of Biological Attacks
The Homeland Security Department has commissioned Accenture to test technology that mines open social networks for indications of pandemics, according to the vendor. Read More »
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Electromagnetic Pulse Could Knock Out U.S. Power Grid
U.S. power grids and other civilian infrastructure are not prepared for electromagnetic pulses that could result from weapons or violent space weather, according to testimony at a congressional subcommittee hearing Wednesday. Read More »
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EPA Withholds Information On Dirty Bomb Report
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is declining to release information on a controversial federal report that could lead people living near the site of a radiological “dirty bomb” attack to face greater cancer risks than what the agency would normally allow. Read More »
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FDA Tells Hospitals to Ditch IV Pumps That Can Be Hacked Remotely
The Food and Drug Administration "strongly encourages" hospitals to stop using Hospira's Symbiq Infusion System, because it's vulnerable to cyberattacks that would allow a third party to remotely control dosages delivered via the computerized pumps. Unauthorized users are able to access the Symbiq system through connected hospital networks, according to the FDA and the Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team...
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FEMA Was Overwhelmed by Hurricanes and Wildfires in 2017, GAO Says
The back-to-back devastation of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, followed by catastrophic wildfires in California, overwhelmed federal disaster responders in 2017, according to a government report released Tuesday. The unprecedented sequence of storms and fires forced Federal Emergency Management Agency staff to jump from one disaster to another and in some cases use uncertified workers to fill key roles. “They were 30% understaffed when Harvey hit,” said Chris Currie, director of emergency management issues at the Government Accountability Office, which wrote Tuesday’s report. “By the time Maria hit Puerto Rico, they were down to the bottom of the barrel.”
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Five Critical Cyber Questions For The Next DHS Chief
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's announcement today that she plans to leave the department raises interesting questions for what is next for the government's cybersecurity efforts. Read More »
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Forget The Sony Hack, This Could Be The Biggest Cyber Attack Of 2015
...[A]ccording to cyber-security professionals, the Sony hack may be a prelude to a cyber attack on United States infrastructure that could occur in 2015, as a result of a very different, self-inflicted document dump from the Department of Homeland Security in July...
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Google Tells Feds How To Get Emergency Info To The Top Of Search Results
Offering relevant information in open, machine-readable formats may be the most important thing government can do to keep the public informed during a natural disaster, Google and other technology leaders told members of Congress Tuesday. Read More »
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Government Moves Toward Cloud Computing 'Perfect Storm'
As FedRAMP initiative ramps up, cloud service providers can look forward to clearer guidance from federal clients and a robust market as administration tech chiefs press on toward a 'Perfect Storm' in cloud computing.
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Healthcare Cybersecurity Task Force Seeks Industry Input
The recently appointed Healthcare Cybersecurity Task Force is hoping that a crowdsourcing approach will draw in the necessary advice and insight for how the group can best implement change to keep the healthcare industry secure against evolving threats. The Task Force was created under the Cybersecurity Information Security Act of 2015...
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HHS’ Cyber Threat Center Comes Out of Beta Soon
The Health and Human Services Department’s nascent cybersecurity center will soon reach initial operating capability to help share threat information with a sector constantly under attack and often short of cyber personnel of its own. Based on the Homeland Security Department's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, the Healthcare Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Center will share health-care specific threats information with other agencies and the private sector...
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Homeland Security Wants to More Than Double Its Predator Drone Fleet Inside The US, Despite Safety And Privacy Concerns
Despite renewed criticism from both parties in Congress that domestic drones pose a privacy danger to US citizens—and a report from its own Inspector General recommending to stop buying them—the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has indicated it wants to more than double its fleet of Predator drones used to fly surveillance missions inside the United States. Read More »
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How Open Government Is Helping With Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico
Just weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, two more "unprecedented" hurricanes made their way to the southeastern United States. Although changes in Hurricane Irma's path spared Florida from the bulk of the damage, both Irma and Maria directly hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hurricane Maria was particularly devastating for the more than 3.5 million American citizens living in these U.S. Caribbean territories. The CEO of Puerto Rico's sole electric company indicated that the grid had been "basically destroyed." Without electricity, communications were severely limited. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, embracing open government principles—such as open data, collaboration between citizens and government, and transparency—can save lives.
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How the Government's 2013 Tech Policy Agenda Will Impact IT
From cybersecurity to privacy, mobile broadband to net neutrality, the coming year in Washington promises to be a busy one for the technology sector. Read More »
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IG: Government Has No Digital Cyber Warning System
The departments of Homeland Security and Defense, including the National Security Agency, have no way of sharing current alerts about computer breaches with each other or industry, an inspector general memorandum reveals. Read More »
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