Cybersecurity News

With Congress preparing to return from recess on Tuesday, much of the public and private sectors agree, there is little chance for cybersecurity legislation to pass in the lame duck. Yet Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is still planning to give it a try.

“I will bring cybersecurity legislation back to the Senate floor when Congress returns in November,” Reid vowed in a pre-election statement. “My colleagues who profess to understand the urgency of the threat will have one more chance to back their words with action.”

According to reports, Reid intends to bring the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 back to the Senate floor by the end of the week. Though many speculate that the bill, which failed to pass the Senate in August, will again face obstacles, barring it from making its way to President Obama’s desk.

“There are things that could be done to get some kind of bill, but no one has decided to do them,” James Lewis, director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ClearanceJobs. “There’s little chance that any cyber bill will pass in the lame duck unless each side compromises, and that is unlikely.”

While suggesting the Senate may stage a “show vote,” Lewis, who has previously provided congressional testimony on the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, indicated that the House and Senate are too “far apart” to pass cybersecurity legislation before the year’s end.

Instead Lewis believes Obama’s impending executive order is more likely. “I think they may move on it by the end of the year, especially if Congress stalls again,” he advised.

However, Thomas Stamulis, a regional director for enterprise security firm Terremark, a company owned by Verizon, which last year lent its support to the House Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), said Obama’s executive order “is months from being ready.”

The president “would have enacted it if he had lost [the election], but will now regroup and attempt something larger in scope and reach,” advised Stamulis.

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Following are some additional cyber headlines you may have missed:

FEDERAL NEWS:

Army adds cyber war to combat training (FCW)

FBI starts new initiative to name hackers (NextGov)

Hopes for federal cybersecurity standards fading (CSO)

DHS awards 34 cybersecurity R&D contracts (Signal Magazine)

US seeks patriotic computer geeks for help in cyber crisis (Reuters)

Sec. Napolitano uses Hurricane Sandy to hype cyber threat (Forbes)

DHS eyes kindergarten for next generation of cybersecurity pros (CSO)

Cybercom chief: Cybersecurity involves federal, industry partners, allies (Defense.gov)

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW:

How a Coca-Cola exec fell for a hacker’s e-mail trick (Bloomberg)

Facebook cancels shortcut over concern for security (New York Times)

Security firm CrowdStrike hires US Air Force info-warfare expert (Reuters)

Symantec to unveil new focus strategy for cybersecurity next quarter (HS Today)

Nation’s largest financial institutions are under constant cyber attack (NetworkWorld)

Apple’s iTunes, QuickTime high on cybersecurity vulnerability list, report finds (Forbes)

INTERNATIONAL  OUTLOOK:

NATO war games set to begin on Nov. 16 (Examiner)

Iran rejects US-made cyber attack allegations (PressTV)

Greek Finance Ministry hit by cyber attack (Global Times)

For Internet safety, Russia most dangerous in world (Forbes)

Israeli govt establishes dual cybersecurity program (Arutz Sheva)

Cybersecurity a top priority in Australia, survey finds (PC Advisor)

Indonesia’s cyber defense strategy and its challenges (The Jakarta Post)

Indian govt to invest $200 million over 4 years on cybersecurity (The Hindu)

HACKING HIGHLIGHTS:

Georgia turns the tables on Russian hacker (ZDNet)

Man arrested over British government cyber attack (AFP)

Hacker leaks VMware ESX kernel source code online (ZDNet)

Increased hacker interest in SQL injection attacks (Press Release)

Malware infects 13 percent of North American home networks (PCWorld)

Cyber attack puts IDs of 3.6M South Carolinians at risk (Charleston Business Journal)

CYBER INSIGHTS:

10 tips to keep data secure (FCW)

Why cyber defense tech is not working (GCN)

Legal fears muffle warnings on cybersecurity threats (Reuters)

Proactive, continuous monitoring key to thwarting cyber crime (GCN)

With millions paid in hacker bug bounties, is the Internet any safer? (Wired)

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This report is also featured on ClearanceJobs.com at: http://www.clearancejobs.com/defense-news/969/cybersecurity-news-round-up-little-hope-for-cybersecurity-in-the-lame-duck