Dutchess County Government has been named a recipient of the 31st annual CIO 100 Awards for ParcelAccess, Dutchess County’s web-based property information database application, announced Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro today.
International Data Group’s (IDG) CIO, a global content and community resource for the information technology (IT) industry, hosts the awards to recognize organizations around the world that exemplify operational and strategic excellence in IT.
Dutchess County Executive Molinaro said, “Dutchess County strives to offer innovative ways to make retrieving information easier and more efficient. We are grateful for this recognition of the dedicated work of our County’s Office of Central and Information Services (OCIS) and their commitment to providing accessible tools to our residents and visitors.”
Read full story at Hudson Valley News Network…
first published week of: 05/14/2018
Poor management of government resources and personnel can have devastating consequences on the environment, economy, and -- most importantly -- human life. Recent incidents underscore the need for enterprise asset management (EAM), a suite of software that can help raise visibility and prevent disruption before it takes place.
Read full story at Government Executive…
first published week of: 11/26/2018
An analysis by Cisco ... found that hundreds of thousands of routers, ... were infected by the malware linked to the hacking group Fancy Bear.
( Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)
Hoping to thwart a sophisticated malware system linked to Russia that has infected hundreds of thousands of internet routers, the F.B.I. has made an urgent request to anybody with one of the devices: Turn it off, and then turn it back on.
The malware is capable of blocking web traffic, collecting information that passes through home and office routers, and disabling the devices entirely, the bureau announced on Friday.
A global network of hundreds of thousands of routers is already under the control of the Sofacy Group, the Justice Department said last week. That group, which is also known as A.P.T. 28 and Fancy Bear and believed to be directed by Russia’s military intelligence agency, hacked the Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to American and European intelligence agencies.
Read full story at New York Times…
first published week of: 05/28/2018
One mandate in the wide-ranging Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 signed last week by President Donald Trump gives three agencies barely nine months to figure out what spectrum drones should use to communicate.
The legislation points to the L-band and C-band as potential options for drones communications. It also asks the agencies to determine what spectrum would be appropriate for beyond visual line of sight operations.
Today, hobbyist drones mostly use unlicensed bands of spectrum, according to Jennifer Richter, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who also sat on an FAA rulemaking committee.
Using unlicensed bands can be fine in some cases, but it might not be ideal for flights over people or critical assets.
Read full story at GCN…
first published week of: 10/15/2018
FBI Director Christopher Wray, on Aug. 14, named a number of new top and mid-level directors for cybersecurity and IT positions at the agency.
Wray appointed Amy Hess, former special agent in charge of the FBI's Louisville Division and executive assistant director for the Science and Technology Branch, as executive director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch. Hess is a 27-year FBI veteran, having begun serving in 1991 at the agency's Kansas City field office where she worked violent crime, gangs and drug trafficking investigations, according to the FBI.
Matt Gorham, who was a special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division at the Washington field office, was named assistant director of the Cyber Division. Gorham also came up through FBI ranks from its Pittsburgh field office, which has led a number of high-profile cybersecurity probes.
Along with the new cybersecurity executives, Wray also named some key IT personnel.
Read full story at Government Cyber Insider…
first published week of: 09/10/2018
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released an article on building a digital defense against a fraud that uses Facebook’s texting app—Facebook Messenger. Scammers send messages that appear to be from trusted sources or trick users into clicking on malicious links or sharing personal information. Before clicking on links, users should verify the validity of the message with the sender outside of the app.
NCCIC encourages users to review the FBI Article and NCCIC Tip on Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information. If you believe you have been a victim of these scams, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov
first published week of: 08/13/2018
( Getty Images | Boonrit Panyaphinitnugoon)
"Apple is pretty good at evil genius stuff," FBI official laments at conference.
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials are continuing to voice their displeasure with Apple's approach to iPhone security, with one FBI official reportedly calling the company "jerks" and an "evil genius" this week.
Apple has repeatedly made it more difficult to access data on encrypted iPhones, making Apple customers safer from hackers but also preventing the FBI from breaking into phones used by suspected criminals.
"At what point is it just trying to one-up things and at what point is it to thwart law enforcement?" FBI forensic expert Stephen Flatley said yesterday while speaking at the International Conference on Cyber Security in Manhattan, according to a report by Motherboard. "Apple is pretty good at evil genius stuff."
Flatley also used the word "jerks" to describe Apple and its approach to iPhone security, according to Motherboard. The story also says:
For example, Flatley complained that Apple recently made password guesses slower, changing the hash iterations from 10,000 to 10,000,000.
Read full story at arsTechnica…
first published week of: 01/15/2018
( Yves Herman / Reuters)
The order also restricts how much they can charge for deployment.
The FCC is enacting an order that limits how long cities have to review the rollout of 5G and how much they can charge carriers for deploying the technology. Cities will have a 90-day "shot clock" to approve or deny carriers' applications to install small wireless facilities (cell sites that connect your devices to their networks) or 60 days if the companies want to attach 5G equipment to existing infrastructure. If cities can't meet those deadlines, the carriers have grounds to sue.
Small wireless facilities are far more compact than typical cell towers, and the FCC suggested that the rules need to be rethought with that in mind. The space-saving hardware means that carriers will need to install the small cells in more locations, for one thing. Verizon has estimated that "the upgrade to 5G will require 10 to 100 times more antenna locations than currently exist," the ruling notes.
The FCC wants to speed up the deployment of 5G and ensure that the US is a leader in the use of the technology. "Today, we address regulatory barriers at the local level that are inconsistent with federal law," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. "For instance, big-city taxes on 5G slow down deployment there and also jeopardize the construction of 5G networks in suburbs and rural America. So today, we find that all fees must be non-discriminatory and cost-based."
Read full story at Engadget…
first published week of: 09/24/2018
The Federal Communications Commission has taken preliminary steps to examine the actions of LocationSmart, a southern California company that has suddenly found itself under intense public and government scrutiny for allowing most American cell phones’ locations to be easily accessed.
As Ars reported Thursday, LocationSmart identifies the locations of phones connected to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon, often to an accuracy of a few hundred yards, reporter Brian Krebs said. While the firm claims it provides the location-lookup service only for legitimate and authorized purposes, Krebs reported that a demo tool on the LocationSmart website could be used by just about anyone to surreptitiously track the real-time whereabouts of just about anyone else.
"I can confirm the matter has been referred to the Enforcement Bureau," wrote FCC spokesman Neil Grace in a Friday afternoon email to Ars.
Read full story at ArsTechnica…
first published week of: 05/21/2018
Huawei and ZTE gear would be banned in FCC-funded broadband projects.
Chinese technology vendors Huawei and ZTE could soon be prevented from selling products to US companies and organizations that receive broadband funding from the Federal Communications Commission.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's new proposal would prevent Universal Service Fund money from being used "to purchase equipment or services from any communications equipment or service providers identified as posing a national security risk to communications networks or the communications supply chain."
Pai's proposal comes as President Donald Trump imposes new tariffs and other penalties on Chinese goods. But the proposed FCC policy has its roots in a 2012 Congressional report, which said that Huawei and ZTE equipment should not be used by US government systems because of the companies' alleged ties to the Chinese government. The report also encouraged private US companies to "consider the long-term security risks associated with doing business with either ZTE or Huawei for equipment or services" and to seek other vendors.
Read full story at arsTechnica…
first published week of: 04/02/2018