SANS Institute

  • The goal is to more accurately evaluate the security of the government's computer networks and systems. These efforts could bring more consistency to the cyber auditing process and engender more confidence in its results.

    February 06, 2014
  • Federal employees are eligible for a free one-day training session in early November on implementing continuous monitoring. The goal is to help agencies make good use of the continuous diagnostics and monitoring contract DHS awarded in August.

    October 18, 2013
  • DHS awards 17 vendors a spot on the continuous diagnostics and mitigation contract. Agencies can now access a common set of tools and services to improve how they monitor and secure their computer networks.

    August 13, 2013
  • The company says both sites have been scrubbed of malware and vulnerabilities have been closed. The "drive-by" attack that affected the sites is a growing type of cyber hack that looks for holes in popular websites. FederalNewsRadio.com and WTOP.com are available again to users of all Internet browsers.

    May 13, 2013
  • The newly issued Executive Order gives NIST, DHS several goals and corresponding deadlines over the next year. NIST will work with industry to create a cybersecurity framework. DHS is expanding the information sharing program so industry can receive classified and unclassified cyber threat data more easily and more quickly.

    February 14, 2013
  • The Defense Department plans to boost the ranks of cybersecurity professionals, increasing cyber staff at U.S. Cyber Command by more than five times to some 4,900 employees. But DoD's plan is daunting in more ways than one. The job qualifications and skills needed for the kinds of positions the Pentagon wants are rare and often require years of training and hands-on experience. And even if DoD looks outside the confines of the Pentagon to fill these roles, it's not entirely clear where the new cyber pros would come from.

    January 29, 2013
  • Alan Paller of the SANS Institute talks about DoD's new initiative to hire 4,000 more people for its Cyber Command. Paul Terry of Blackboard, Inc., discusses how his company is helping GSA with its travel planning. Devon Hewitt, a partner at Protorae Law, weighs in on a recent contract award protest affecting people with disabilities. Capt. Paul Hammer of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, talks about the latest efforts at his center. Robin Lineberger of Deloitte LLP fills us in about the Professional Services Council's new commission that's focusing on efficient and innovative acquisition issues.

    January 29, 2013
  • The Consortium for Cybersecurity Action, a newly-formed international group of government agencies and private organizations from around the world, today will release an updated baseline of the 20 most important cyber controls. The group wants to become a resource to help agencies implement those security checks. DHS already is developing a solicitation to make it easier for agencies to buy tools and services to implement several of the security checks.

    November 05, 2012
  • Six years after the Veterans Affairs data breach, civilian agency networks and computers are more secure. Current and former federal officials and cyber experts say from secretaries on down, the threat of a cyber attack and the impact on mission is well understood.

    October 24, 2012
  • Military's cyber leaders say job satisfaction has so far trumped salary concerns when it comes to building and retaining a workforce of elite cyber warriors. Building the capacity of that training pipeline is the next challenge.

    September 19, 2012
  • On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

    August 28, 2012
  • Homeland Security releases policy and guidance on how departments and vendors will implement continuous monitoring and get away from static reports on the cyber health of their systems. DHS is hoping Congress approves a $200 million funding request to buy five different commercial cyber tools, a dashboard and a security data warehouse in 2013.

    June 28, 2012
  • Alan Paller, the director of research at the SANS Institute, and Larry Allen, of Allen Federal Business Partners, count down the top federal news stories of the week.

    May 18, 2012
  • During his tenure, Schmidt oversaw new, large-scale cyber initiatives, but kept a relatively low profile. Experts debate his mixed legacy — calling it a solid effort with a shortened leash.

    May 17, 2012