Cybersecurity
US agencies assessed Chinese telecom hackers likely hit data center and residential internet providers
Data center giant Digital Realty and mass media titan Comcast were documented as likely victims of the Salt Typhoon cyberespionage group, people familiar say, marking a potentially major expansion of the group’s initial telecom hacking campaign discovered last year.
Gov. Greg Abbott signs law creating Texas Cyber Command
The Texas governor had declared creating a cyber command an emergency item earlier this year. State officials said it will be the largest state-based cyber department in the U.S.
Report warns of agentic AI cyber risks
AI-powered agents are growing in popularity among the public and private sector, but could be exploited at various stages by bad actors, the R Street Institute warned.
‘I do not have confidence’ that US infrastructure is cyber-secure, former NSC official says
At the AI Expo for National Competitiveness, Anne Neuberger told audiences that artificial intelligence tools are an enhancement opportunity for U.S. cyber defenses and intelligence collection.
Schools are ‘strikingly collaborative’ amid cybersecurity threats, K-12 leader says
While it may appear tricky to get schools to share information across state and jurisdictional lines, one observer says there are reasons to be optimistic amid multiplying threats.
Texas Cyber Command will mean ‘expanding’ cybersecurity help, state official says
A bill to create the command is being pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott, and a Texas tech leader said it will help the state better achieve its cyber goals.
US should rethink current views of Russia’s cyber might, new report says
A think tank paper argues that Moscow’s network of hackers is more fragmented than U.S. officials once believed — a dynamic that may have led to exaggerated expectations of Russia’s cyber capabilities during its 2022 Ukraine invasion.
Regional approach could solve water sector’s cyber challenges
The federal government has repeatedly warned of threats to critical infrastructure, which faces budget and staffing challenges. Better collaboration could help ease some of those challenges.
How a community college cyber range is building the next generation of cyber workers
COMMENTARY | A new training program in Maryland is providing students and mid-career professionals with access to simulated cyber threats and can help employers see how they deal with those threats.
Encryption needs balance between privacy and transparency, Virginia tech leader says
The recent “Signalgate” incident highlighted reliance on encrypted messaging apps and tools, even as state and local officials must be cautious to preserve the public’s right to see their communications.
Ken Paxton says Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle privacy suit
The state attorney general sued Google in 2022, alleging it unlawfully tracked and collected users’ private data.
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Building a pipeline of state and local tech workers
States continue to fret about the brain drain from a generation of retirees. But some are thinking hard about how to get the next generation in, whether they be early-career employees or existing ones in need of new skills.
States used cyber grants for ‘hundreds’ of key projects, report finds
The Government Accountability Office found that the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program was wildly popular, but state leaders are worried about sustained funding.
South Dakota CIO to become deputy director at CISA
Madhu Gottumukkala will take over a position that has remained vacant since Nitin Natarajan departed the agency in January.
Cyber info-sharing looks to ‘weather this storm’ of lost federal funding
The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center faces an uncertain future amid cuts in its federal funding. But for now, those involved pledged to keep the work going.
‘Living off the land’ a major cyber threat to critical infrastructure, report finds
A recent report found that 62% of critical infrastructure operators have been attacked, and more than half have had their operations disrupted.
Rhode Island College earns top federal marks for cybersecurity program
Rhode Island College earned federal recognition from the NSA as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, boosting its cybersecurity program's potential access to federal grant funding.
Trump is shifting cybersecurity to the states, but many aren’t prepared
Only 22 of 48 states in a Nationwide Cybersecurity Review met recommended security levels.
How cyber vulnerabilities and workforce cuts threaten the crisis lifeline program
A bipartisan, bicameral measure is hoping to prevent cyber incidents from limiting access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline after a 2022 attack on a system operator disrupted calls to the hotline.
Cyber insecurity: Shields down?
COMMENTARY | Federal funding cuts and the end of the cyber grant program, combined with growing threats from nation-states, has made our cybersecurity posture weaker.
The ‘mutual benefit’ of student-run cyber centers on campus
A number of universities are opening security operations centers to deal with cybersecurity incidents and monitoring, and have students help run them alongside full-time staff.
