Commerce CIO Mendes Announces Retirement From Federal Government by Madison Alder Mendes announced plans to take on a CIO role for Tarrant County, Texas, following his exit from the federal government after 14-plus years. Department of Commerce Chief Information Officer André Mendes will step down from his position at the end of the month after roughly 14 years in the federal government, according to a post on his LinkedIn page Tuesday. Mendes will take on a new role as CIO for Tarrant County, Texas, starting in January, according to the post. His move comes after roughly four years as Commerce’s CIO and previous leadership roles at the International Trade Administration and the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Read full story at FEDSCOPE…
DOD Releases 2023 Cyber Strategy Summary by Department of Defense The 2023 DOD Cyber Strategy, which DOD transmitted to Congress in May, is the baseline document for how the Department is operationalizing the priorities of the 2022 National Security Strategy, 2022 National Defense Strategy, and the 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy. “This strategy draws on lessons learned from years of conducting cyber operations and our close observation of how cyber has been used in the Russia-Ukraine war,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb said. “It has driven home the need to work closely with our allies, partners, and industry to make sure we have the right cyber capabilities, cyber security, and cyber resilience to help deter conflict, and to fight and win if deterrence fails.” The United States faces diverse, growing threats in cyberspace and the strategy outlines how DOD is maximizing its cyber capabilities in support of integrated deterrence and employing cyberspace operations in concert with other instruments of national power. Read full story at DOD…
U.S., Global Partners, Ask Software Companies to Focus on Memory-Safe Code by Alexandra Kelley New guidance for software developers from Five Eyes countries implores software developers to patch memory safety vulnerabilities and rethink the use of risky programming languages. A cadre of intelligence agencies from the U.S. and its allies unveiled new joint guidance on patching memory safety vulnerabilities in networks, aiming to bring awareness to coding errors that could be exploited. Released jointly by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Security Agency, FBI, and international partners including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom –– the parties to the Five Eyes intelligence cooperation treaty –– the guidance recommends the migration to memory safe programming languages to help prevent vulnerabilities. Read full story at NextGov…
Apple-Backed Study Finds Rise in Data Breaches as iPhone Maker Defends Encryption Stance by Stephen Nellis for Reuters In the first nine months of 2023, U.S. data breaches increased by 20% compared to the full year 2022, according to a new study that was commissioned by Apple AAPL.O. The iPhone maker paid for the study, which was conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Stuart E. Madnick, about a year after it rolled out a new feature to expand end-to-end encryption for data stored in its iCloud service. The study, which does not include any findings of data breaches at Apple itself, argues that breaches are becoming so commonplace that the only feasible way to protect consumer data is wider use of end-to-end encryption. Read full story at Nasdaq…
Facebook and Messenger to Automatically Encrypt Messages by Chris Vallance The Home Secretary James Cleverly says he's "incredibly disappointed" by Meta's decision to automatically encrypt all messages Messages and calls protected by end-to-end-encryption (E2EE) can be read only by the sender and recipient. It has been possible to opt in to encrypted messages for years, but now it will become the default position. Critics, including the UK government and police, claim the move to default encryption will make it harder to detect child sexual abuse on Messenger. The Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said he was "incredibly disappointed" by Meta's decision after working together to tackle other online harms. “We'll continue to work closely with them (Meta) to keep children safe online, but we must be honest that in our view, this is a significant step back”, he said. Read full story at BBC…
FTC Is Reportedly Looking Into Microsoft’s $13 Billion OpenAI Investment by Will Shanklin The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has shared similar sentiments. OpenAI’s recent drama hasn’t only caught UK regulators’ attention. Bloomberg reported Friday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is looking into Microsoft’s investment in the Sam Altman-led company and whether it violates US antitrust laws. FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this year that “the expanding adoption of AI risks further locking in the market dominance of large incumbent technology firms.” Bloomberg’s report stresses that the FTC inquiry is preliminary, and the agency hasn’t opened a formal investigation. But Khan and company are reportedly “analyzing the situation and assessing what its options are.” One complicating factor for regulation is that OpenAI is a non-profit, and transactions involving non-corporate entities aren’t required by law to be reported. Read full story at engadget…
Alabama Power Ranked #1 in the South by J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Study by Austen Shipley The J.D. Power Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study measures satisfaction among business customers of 79 targeted U.S. electric utilities. Alabama power clocked in at number one in the South for 2023. “It is an honor for Alabama Power to be recognized by our customers and J.D. Power,” said Jeff Peoples, Alabama Power President and CEO. “We are committed to providing safe, reliable service to our customers and communities, and this award underlines the importance of that work.” The 2023 study, which was conducted from February through October of this year, is based on responses from more than 17,600 online interviews of business customers who serve in decision-making roles related to their utility company. Read full story at Yellow Hammer News…
Ballot Initiative Wants to Replace SDG&E, Lower Electricity Rates by Perla Shaheen A new ballot initiative wants to replace SDG&E and create a municipal, not-for-profit utility. They claim this will lower electricity rates. Chloe Baird in University Heights keeps a detailed budget. In it, she accounts for her dog, her apartment, and most importantly her electric bills. “It's always a category that I've never been able to budget out for or predict,” Baird said. Baird says her electric bills have recently gotten more expensive. She's avoided using most lights in her apartment, but says it doesn't make a difference. “I've just had no choice then to accept whatever rate they give me,” Baird said. "That's just frustrating not being able to have a choice in anything or have a voice at all." Power San Diego is group that wants to respond to those frustrations. They launched a ballot initiative that ask voters replace the for-profit SDG&E with a municipal not-for-profit utility. The not-for-profit utility would handle electric distribution for people living in San Diego, and create a department to manage it. Read full story at ABC 10 News…
NY Project Produces America's First Utility Scale Wind Power by Debra K. Rubin First installed turbine at the 132-GW South Fork project off the New York coast has now linked wind energy to the state grid, with first power flow also imminent at the 800-MW Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts, an executive said. Despite financial gyrations in the U.S. offshore wind energy market that have caused project delays and cancellations over the past two years, America now has joined other world nations in having energy generated for the first time from a utility-scale facility. That U.S. clean energy milestone was reached with the early December announcement that the 132-MW South Fork project off New York successfully sent power to the state grid, in reaching its onshore connection point in East Hampton, Long Island. The estimated $627-million project is located 35 miles east of Montauk. Read full story at ENR…