The interconnectivity of global networks has changed the nature of cyber threats. In addition to hactivists intent on mischief, organized criminal groups and nation-state adversaries seek intelligence, financial gain, and government and corporate secrets. Online, the battle rages on with stolen personally identifiable information (PII), ransomware, and the health data from the Internet of Things part of the global landscape. Commercial and gov...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notes that the federal enterprise depends on information technology systems and computer networks for essential operations. These systems face large and diverse cyber threats that range from unsophisticated hackers to technically competent intruders using state-of-the-art intrusion techniques. Many malicious attacks are designed to steal information and disrupt, deny access to, degrade, or destroy criti...

Whether created maliciously or unwittingly, insider threats can result in grave damage to national security interests. Traditional methods of detection rely on monitoring structured data, such as system access logs. However, critical insights that can help thwart an attack lay hidden in massive volumes of unstructured data. Unstructured data represents typically 80% of available information and typically remains unobserved and underutilized. C...

Five years after the launch of the Administration’s cloud first policy, government CIOs still face procurement, management, and security obstacles when moving to the cloud. Some of the challenges involve changes in responsibility between industry partners and application support staff. Others related to clear contracting language that spells out ownership and responsibility for problem resolution in a cloud environment. Lastly, security...

According to market intelligence firm IDC, 91% of IT organizations rely on open hybrid cloud as the de facto enterprise IT architecture. Open source is a key enabler of this rapid innovation and is driving the increased adoption of next generation technology and IT service delivery solutions. As open hybrid cloud becomes widely adopted questions surrounding security in the cloud and of open source hybrid cloud technologies in particular are pr...

Over the next five years, nearly one million servicemen and women will return to civilian life as our military drawdown continues. Most of these veterans will be between the ages of 18 and 24, and on average, 200,000 return to the workforce every year. Technology represents a career field where these veterans are likely to excel. These soldiers have a solid work ethic, exceptional communications skills, and a proven ability to work across cult...

Protecting defense and federal information systems from unauthorized use, criminal, fraudulent, and foreign intelligence activity is critical to successfully executing government’s mission. Areas of concern include the ability to analyze malware to develop mitigation techniques; forensic examinations of log data and network traffic; and systems vulnerability and penetration testing. This discussion will highlight how agencies are taking...

The mission of the Transportation Security Administration is a weighty one: in the wake of September 11, the agency was created to protect the nation’s transportation systems, ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce while providing the most effective transportation security in the most efficient way as a high performing counter-terrorism organization. Since 2014, TSA’s Office of the Chief Risk Officer has been implemen...

The Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon is compelling, with its promise of bringing to government rapid service deployment, responsive citizen experiences, and organizational agility. Leading analysts predict that by the year 2020 the number of devices connected to the internet will exceed 50 billion. Think about public safety where surveillance systems and even public lighting minimize citizen risk and help deter crime. Transportation systems...

Gartner predicts that more than 80 percent of organizations have failed to develop a consolidated data security policy across silos, leading to potential noncompliance, security breaches and financial liabilities. Recent White House cybersecurity policies and congressional legislation mandate that federal agencies implement capabilities to protect high value assets and sensitive information and to encrypt or otherwise render indecipherable to...