11 Apr 12. A proposal for combating cyberattacks is getting plenty of support in the U.S. Congress and the private sector — and plenty of opposition from critics who say it threatens privacy rights. The proposal by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, would encourage the intelligence community and the private sector to share certain information to better protect computer networks from cyber-threats. Under Rogers’ bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), private companies and the government could share any information “directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to” a computer network. Currently, the government can’t share classified intelligence on cyber-threats with the private sector. The bill is one of several measures being considered by Congress following high-profile attacks targeting Google and the NASDAQ stock exchange. It passed the Intelligence Committee 17-1 in December and likely will be heard on the House floor later this month. (Source: Defense News)
11 Apr 12. Thales UK is has been formally selected as a supplier of connectivity services to the UK Government’s Public Services Network (PSN). As a framework supplier, Thales will provide secure network connections and services to the UK Government, local government and to critical national infrastructure providers. A network-security and cyber-security specialist, Thales’s capabilities have been security-accredited by GCHQ, acknowledging that Thales can provide the highest quality of security protection for networks and data, anywhere in the UK. Thales’s fully operational data storage facility in Doncaster has already gained accreditation for data storage up to IL2 and is already securing data up to IL5 security grading.
10 Apr 12. Bloomberg Convenes Leading Authorities on Cybersecurity. On April 19, 2012, the nation’s leading authorities on cybersecurity, senior information technology professionals and corporate chief security officers will examine the complex network of threats facing public and private enterprises at the Bloomberg Cybersecurity Conference, which will take place at the Bloomberg L.P. Headquarters. As networks become more sophisticated and additional data moves into the cloud, information security is becoming an increasingly complicated challenge for enterprises and government agencies. With this in mind, speakers at the conference will debate new threats to enterprise data security and strategies for overcoming them, as well as explore how to maintain secure systems with the next wave of innovations. In particular, speakers will discuss vulnerabilities in U.S. networks, whether security is a trade-off for privacy, costs associated with investing in protective measures and responding to data breaches, and recent legislation that has been introduced. Key speakers include: Edward G. Amoroso, Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer, AT&T Services, Inc.; Michael B. Benardo, Chief of the Cyber Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, Risk Management Supervision, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); Richard Falkenrath, Principal, Chertoff Group; Former Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism, New York City Police Department; H.E. Marina Kaljurand, Ambassador to the U.S., Republic of Estonia; Colonel Cedric Leighton, Cyberwarfare, Counterterrorism and Foreign Affairs Analyst; Founder and CEO, Leighton Associates; Former Military Intelligence
Officer, U.S. Air Force; John M. (Mike) McConnell, Vice Chairman, Booz Allen Hamilton; Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI); Frank Montoya, National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of the DNI; Marcus H. Sachs, Vice President, National Security Policy, Verizon Communications; Howard A. Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity; Coordinator at the White House; Teresa M. Takai, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Defense Booz Allen Hamilton is the Knowledge Partner for the