Homeland Security Is Insecure, House Subcommittee Reports
By Dennis Fisher
December 10, 2003

The Department of Homeland Security was one of several federal agencies to receive a failing grade on information security in a new report released Tuesday by a House subcommittee.

Feds to push new set of security controls
By Ellen Messmer
Network World

To bolster information systems security, the federal government is pushing to have civilian agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, follow new regulations based on practices at the Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency.

White House rewrites core security policy

The Bush administration is rewriting the document that signalled the start of US government efforts to deal with critical-infrastructure protection and cybersecurity to take into account post-11 September homeland security requirements.

Homeland Security Needs High-Tech Help
Private companies should pitch ideas to the government, agency says.
Grant Gross,
IDG News Service

Private companies can play a role in national security by pitching technology projects to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies, agency representatives said Monday.

Cybersecurity Efforts Draw Fire
Critics say the government is too busy pushing paper to protect the Internet.
Grant Gross,
IDG News Service

The U.S. government isn't doing enough to encourage cybersecurity efforts outside of government, and it still needs to get its own cybersecurity house in order, two security experts testified before a U.S. House committee Thursday.

Entrust to provide PKI for FBI
BY Sara Michael

Entrust won a contract from Northrop Grumman IT to provide solutions to authenticate FBI personnel for access to electronic systems and secure information exchange among intelligence agencies. Entrust officials say the software will also let agents encrypt data and digitally sign documents and e-mail messages.

U. S. Web Face Too Public?
By Caron Carlson

WASHINGTON—The Bush administration has made e-government one of its top priorities, encouraging citizens, for example, to file taxes and renew licenses online. But some security experts are questioning whether that initiative, which links federal systems to home and office computers, exacerbates the vulnerabilities of the nation's cyber-infrastructure.

NIST releases security guides
BY Diane Frank
Oct. 14, 2003

The National Institute of Standards and Technology last week released guidelines for federal agencies to address areas such as the basics of choosing security products and developing security training and awareness.

House Panel Says No to Federal P2P File Sharing
By Caron Carlson
September 25, 2003

Further demonstrating that it's not only teenagers who are engaged in unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing, a congressional committee that oversees government reform approved a bill today that would discourage federal bureaucrats from P2P activities.

Oracle, DOE Boost Security
Wired News Report
Sep. 23, 2003

The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday that Oracle will provide its database software with preconfigured secure settings, a move that could greatly decrease the agency's vulnerability to Internet-based attacks.