Lohrmann on Cybersecurity

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) held its annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, this past week. So what were the highlights? From the Internet of Things (IoT) to cloud computing to data center consolidation, which projects, technologies and issues rose to the top of the agenda? Most important, what’s on the minds of government CIOs, and what projects are they actually implementing as we move into 2016?

It is October, so National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCAM) is front and center from sea to shining sea. But attention on information security, along with events and helpful publications, have evolved over the years. It’s time to take another look at the new resources along with helpful tools and relationships that can last long after your Halloween candy runs out.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory just established the new Department of Information Technology as the single source of accountability and authority over state government technology projects. State CIO Chris Estes will lead the consolidation effort, along with executive support from his leadership team, including Chief Information Risk Officer Maria Thompson. So who are these leaders? What are their plans and priorities? Where are they heading regarding information security? These are just a few of the questions answered in this exclusive interview.

A new 'understanding' on cybersecurity was announced this past week during Chinese President Xi Jinping's formal state visit. But while this agreement certainly offers a positive step forward for security in cyberspace, many questions remain unanswered.

Elected officials often fail to prioritize cybersecurity until after a data breach when it's too late. So what are the important security issues and actions that are needed by state and local elected officials right now? A new guide by Governing magazine and CGI was just released to answer that question.

On the 14th anniversary of 9/11/01, there are plenty of reasons to be thankful regarding public safety in America. And yet, there is also a growing list of cyberthreats that are grabbing news headlines almost daily. To help understand where we are today and where we are going regarding federal government cybersecurity initiatives, I interviewed Dr. Andy Ozment, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, who is the new point person for the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Lockheed Martin recently released new open source tools to help defend enterprises from cyberattacks. The system, called Laika BOSS, offers a malware detection and analysis framework for security analysts to share intelligence with other cyber defenders worldwide. Here's my interview with leading cyberexperts who are offering cutting-edge insights and workable solutions to emerging battles in cyberspace.

Phishing and spear-phishing are growing problems. The clever enticements to click are getting more sophisticated and more targeted than ever. The data breach costs are mounting. What can your organization do to take phishing awareness and response to the next level?

Many government technology leaders are struggling. From national headlines to local audit findings, the majority of the news has not been good. Meanwhile, public trust in government as a whole is near historic lows. What can be done? Is it time for reinvention? Back to the drawing board? If so, there is a lot to learn from the journey and actions of Tim Tebow.

The technology and security industries are struggling to keep up with an ever-growing list of problems and cyberattack vectors. There has been a consistent call for new solutions to address evolving cyberspace challenges. One popular answer: New innovative startup companies to help. In order to accelerate these companies, the 'Security Startup Challenge' was formed earlier this year by Kaspersky Lab and several partners. And now, we have the winners.

A new survey of top IT executives reconfirms the findings from other recent cybersecurity studies regarding the online defense at utilities and other vitally important public- and private-sector organizations. The report outlines what is good and what needs improvement in our online defense of critical infrastructure facilities.

A series of recent news headlines reveal cybersecurity experts, who were being paid to defend networks, battle malware and fight cybercrime, were actually black hat hackers. What happened and what can be done to address this growing trend? Is your enterprise prepared?