Cyber experts are urging Congress to ensure that a planned reorganization of the State Department continues to integrate cyber diplomacy at the highest levels of decision-making, while providing the resources, staffing and structure necessary to project American digital security policy abroad with both allies and adversaries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s reorganization plan would split…
Category: State Department
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Global Security News, Government, Morgan Adamski, State Department
AI speeds up analysis work for humans, two federal cyber officials say
Two federal cybersecurity officials said Thursday that they’re using — or contemplating using — artificial intelligence to conduct tasks that speed up the work of human analysts. AI is an important current and future contributor to a variety of security-related administrative jobs like accreditation and compliance, and for the Department of the Air Force as…
budget, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Executive order, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Global Security News, Government, grants, National Risk Management Center, North America, office of management and budget, Policy, State Department, Trump Administration
Trump pauses on grants, aid leaves federal cyber programs in state of confusion
A series of Trump administration maneuvers to freeze federal aid has thrown cybersecurity grant programs into doubt for recipients ranging from state governments to small businesses to foreign allies. An Office of Management and Budget memo sent Monday and that went into effect Tuesday directs federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligations…
Asia Pacific, china, fbi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Financial, Flax Typhoon, Geopolitics, Global Security News, Integrity Technology Group, internet of things, Internet of Things (IoT), State Department, Technology, Treasury Department
U.S. sanctions take aim at Chinese company said to aid hackers’ massive botnet
The U.S. government on Friday sanctioned a Chinese company that Western nations had connected to a Beijing-sponsored hacking group’s botnet, which had compromised hundreds of thousands of devices before a joint takedown operation last year. Flax Typhoon hackers made use of infrastructure at Integrity Technology Group to exploit victims, according to the Treasury Department’s Office…
Cybercrime, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Geopolitics, Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, Global Security News, human rights, North America, Policy, privacy, Russia, State Department, treaties, United Nations
After UN adoption, controversial cybercrime treaty’s next steps could prove vital
A divisive United Nations cybercrime treaty — one that critics say is a huge danger to human rights and that the United States cautiously agreed to advance — is now in the hands of member nations. The U.N. General Assembly adopted the treaty without a vote last week, leaving ratification to individual states. If the…
china, Congress, disinformation, Global Security News, Government, NDAA, Russia, State Department
State Department’s disinformation office to close after funding nixed in NDAA
The State Department’s center for fighting global disinformation received a lump of coal in its Christmas stocking this week as congressional lawmakers excluded new funding and authorization for the office beyond this year. The Global Engagement Center, which tracks foreign disinformation, will lose its authority on Dec. 24. Despite a concerted push by State officials…
china, Cybercrime, Department of Justice, Department of Justice (DOJ), Geopolitics, Global Security News, Justice Department, Mandiant, North America, North Korea, North Korean IT workers, Russia, State Department, U.S. courts, U.S. Department of Justice
Court indicts 14 North Korean IT workers tied to $88 million in illicit gains
A federal court has indicted 14 more North Korean IT workers as part of an ongoing U.S. government campaign to crack down on Pyongyang’s use of tech professionals to swindle American companies and nonprofits. The Justice Department said the 14 indicted workers generated at least $88 million throughout a conspiracy that stretched over approximately six…