Cybersecurity Update – Tune in weekdays at 30 minutes past the hour for the latest cybersecurity news on The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris (6-10 a.m.) and The DorobekInsider with Chris Dorobek (3-7 p.m.). Listen live at FederalNewsRadio.com or on the radio at 1500 and 820 AM in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

• It’s been said “good fences make for good neighbors.” Now good firewalls make for better neighbors. Barry Ardolf, 45, of Minneapolis has been accused of using his neighbor’s Wi-Fi network to send threatening emails to vice president Joseph Biden. The NewNewInternet reports if that weren’t enough, Ardolf also sent child pornography to his neighbor’s coworkers using a fake email account he set up in his neighbor’s name. Ardolf has turned down a plea deal and now faces a minimum of seven years in federal prison on charges of aggravated identity theft and making threats to the life of the President of the United States and his successors.
• California’s Chief Information Security Officer is stepping down. Mark Weatherford has taken a job as Vice President and Chief Security Officer at the North American Electric Reliability Corp. The not-for-profit’s mission is to ensure the reliability of the bulk power system in North America. Weatherford is expected to leave his job at month’s end. GovInfoSecurity reports that Weatherford is the second senior IT official in California set to leave state government. President Obama tapped California Chief Information Officer Teri Takai to be the CIO at the Department of Defense. Takai is awaiting Senate confirmation.
• Federal authorities are trying to block AOL from selling a popular instant messaging program that experts say has become a haven for criminals. AOL agreed in April to sell the program to a Russian company. But the Financial Times is reporting that federal investigators here in the US are concerned about the pending sale; and they’ve filed a formal objection. Authorities say many criminal groups use ICQ to communicate; and that selling the program to a Russian firm could make it more difficult for US investigators to track down the bad guys.

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