This Week in Critical Infrastructure, we examine recent cybersecurity events, including two recent forums, proposed legislation against internet-connected voting machines, FAA recommendations for cybersecurity, Cyber Command defense efforts, and a massive breach that compromised 500 million Yahoo accounts.
On Thursday, September 15, Invincea, Inc. hosted their Beat the Breach event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. As described by Invincea: “Featuring prominent senior government officials and critical infrastructure CSOs, the panels discussed two topics: Lessons learned from recent high profile attacks on the Government and critical infrastructure, and cyber advice for the incoming Administration.” Videos from the event can be found at the links provided.
On Thursday, September 22, CSM Passcode and The Security Ledger hosted The Security of Things Forum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Another forum is scheduled to be held in Washington, DC, on October 27. While materials from this year’s conference are not currently available, videos from the 2014 and 2015 conferences are available at the event’s website.
Proposed Cybersecurity Bills Would ‘Prohibit’ Internet-Connected Voting Systems
Chris Bing of fedscoop writes about two proposed pieces of cybersecurity legislation from Representative Hank Johnson, “The Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016” and “Election Integrity Act.” These bills would prohibit internet-connected voting systems, offer funding for research, and mandate the use of paper ballots across the U.S. by 2018.
FAA Advisory Body Recommends Cybersecurity Measures
From The Wall Street Journal, Andy Pasztor covers the RTCA Inc. program management committee, an FAA advisory group, and their efforts to ensure that cybersecurity protections are incorporated in planes both in the air and on the ground, a decision that will affect future industry standards.
Cyber Command builds Critical Infrastructure Defense Skills
Mark Rockwell of FCW writes about U.S. Cyber Command plans to extend core skill sets that protect Department of Defense networks and support combat commanders to help DHS strengthen efforts to defend their critical infrastructure networks.
Yahoo Says 500 Million Accounts Stolen
From Seth Fiegerman at CNN: On Thursday, September 22, Yahoo confirmed that at least 500 million user accounts were stolen by a “state-sponsored actor” in 2014. When rumors of a breach first arose in August, Yahoo said that they were “aware of a claim” and investigating the situation. This has raised concerns that Yahoo concealed knowledge of the breach, prompting discussions on transparency to consumers and the public.