Cybersecurity News

$2.7 Million ‘Overstated’ Incident
The U.S Commerce Department spent more than $2.7 million – over half of its 2012 IT budget – responding to an “overstated” cyber attack, according to a report from the department’s Office of Inspector General.

“Despite only finding common malware,” the report said the department destroyed more than $170,000 worth of what it believed to be infected technology, including desktops, printers, TVs, cameras, computer mice and keyboards. Read the inspector general’s report here.

Senate Moves on Cyber
The Senate Commerce Committee appears to be spending its time and money on another cyber measure. On Thursday, the committee released a draft bill to enhance the nation’s cybersecurity through standards, best practices, research and development, and public awareness and preparedness.

Cosponsored by Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), the bipartisan legislation is expected to be marked up in the next few weeks. The Hill has the story.

No Feds Allowed
One place the legislators won’t be leaving their mark is on this year’s DEF CON conference. “Feds, we need some time apart,” organizers of the world’s largest hacker convention wrote on the conference blog.

“When it comes to sharing and socializing with feds, recent revelations have made many in the community uncomfortable about this relationship,” the blog post read. “Therefore, I think it would be best for everyone involved if the feds call a ‘time-out’ and not attend DEF CON this year.” Check out the DEF CON blog post in its entirety here.

Cyber Cooperation
Despite recent tension over the now infamous Snowden leaks, the U.S. and China are making progress on cybersecurity, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.

“The two sides held candid in-depth discussions on cybersecurity, including the mechanism of a bilateral cyber working group, international cyberspace rules, and measures to boost dialogue and cooperation on cyber security,” Xinhua reported. Reuters has the story.

____

Following are some additional cyber headlines you may have missed:

FEDERAL NEWS:

DOD building its own secure 4G wireless network (GCN)

DOD aims to boost cybersecurity spending (ExecutiveGov)

‘Significant deficiencies’ in VA cybersecurity (FierceGovernmentIT)

NIST outlines draft cybersecurity framework for industry (Federal Times)

Cybersecurity incentive proposals still under White House review (Bloomberg)

Army sponsors first-ever cybersecurity awareness week (Washington Business Journal)

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW:

BAE introduces cyber threat detection service (DefenseWorld)

Israeli cyber security firm Seculert raises $10 M in funding (Reuters)

Siemens to roll out industrial control security service (Automation World)

Invincea hopes to add millions of customers with Dell deal (Washington Post)

INTERNATIONAL  OUTLOOK:

South Korea beefs up cybersecurity (AFP)

Iran to hold nationwide cyber maneuver (Press TV)

Bangladeshi hacks into Malaysian websites (The Sun Daily)

EU Parliament OKs stricter penalties for cyber attacks (PCWorld)

India releases National Cyber Security Policy 2013 (Times of India)

Developing nations face security challenges as they enter the cyber age (SC Magazine)

Bulgarian hacker returned to U.S. in massive 2004 stolen credit card ring (The Star-Ledger)

HACKING HIGHLIGHTS:

Snowden trained as ‘ethical hacker’ (Mashable)

AT&T iPad hacker files appeal over conviction, long sentence (PCWorld)

Pro-US hacker ‘The Jester’ takes aim at nations helping Snowden (Fox News)

Popular hacker hopes to enhance jailbreaking with ‘OpenJailbreak’ (AppAdvice)

Hacker holes in server management system allow ‘almost-physical’ access (Wired)

CYBER INSIGHTS:

Will stronger EU penalties deter cybercrime? (GovTech)

Cybersecurity training on the rise for young students (USA Today)

Attack services and databases of personal details are widely available online (SC Magazine)

____

This report is also available on ClearanceJobs.com at: http://news.clearancejobs.com/2013/07/15/commerces-big-cyber-spend-and-def-con-cybersecurity-news-round-up/