Cybersecurity News

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this morning, FCC commissioner Robert McDowell warned that the United Nations may soon have jurisdiction over parts of the Internet.

According to McDowell, “At two meetings of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society in 2003 and 2005, the US found itself in the lonely position of fending off efforts by other governments to exert UN or other multilateral control over the Internet.”

Noting that several UN member states have backed the idea of controlling Internet governance, Web domain registries and cybersecurity, McDowell went on to advise: “We should continue to rely on the ‘bottom up’ nongovernmental Internet governance bodies that have a perfect record of keeping the Web working. Changing course now could trigger an avalanche of irreversible international regulation.”

Independently aiming to step up its cyber control, eWeek Europe is reporting that the UK this week launched a Cyber Security Challenge program to address its current IT security skill shortage.

“Ninety percent of the industry are telling us they cannot recruit the people they need with the necessary skills. We have a problem here getting the right amount of people and the right caliber of people,” Challenge Director Judy Baker told eWeek Europe.  “The big idea is that we will create interest in IT security by running competitions.”

But the UK may not be alone in seeking a new approach to cybersecurity.  According to Federal News Radio, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is also “getting a cybersecurity facelift.”

“We found out that if we did about four different things in our security program that we could pretty much ensure that there would not be malware on the these machines and that we could adequately protect them,” Jaren Doherty, Deputy Secretary for Information Protection and Risk Management at the VA, told Federal News Radio.

Providing a more intensive network monitoring program, health IT protocol adjustments, new training tools and enhanced wireless capabilities, Doherty said the VA updates will be implemented as early as September 30.

Additional cybersecurity news follows:

Cyber-crime costs enterprises $3.8 million/year, report finds (eWeek)

Biggest national security threat: Cyber attack (FOX Business)

Homeland security bill passes House: Another day, another cyber bill (NextGov)

Security claim: Most home routers vulnerable to hack (PC World)

Case of the disappearing cyber contests (NextGov)

Virus attacks Siemens plant-control systems (Wall Street Journal)

Baidu hacker lawsuit can proceed in US court (AFP)

Mexican man claims responsibility for cyber attack against Vatican on Google (Catholic News Agency)