Government
The National Security Council’s release of a new charter for the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP) drew praise from U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) on Wednesday for bolstering transparency and for bringing diverse stakeholders into the conversation.
Cybersecurity Advisor Rob Joyce... Read More »
Companies would be required to take minimum steps to prevent data breaches that expose the personal information of customers and to make timely notifications when breaches occur, under a bill introduced in the Senate on Tuesday.
The Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 would establish... Read More »
In a move that would head-off the potential closure of the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) at Fort Detrick, the House of Representatives approved a mandatory study of the facility and the nation’s biodefense vulnerabilities on Tuesday.
The House approved the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released Tuesday a pair of Joint Technical Alerts detailing tools and infrastructure used by the North Korean government to conduct malicious cyber activity.
The activity noted in the alerts is part of a... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is collaborating with first responders to prevent, detect, and mitigate illegal jamming of communications systems through exercises, data collection, outreach and education campaigns and proposed new tools.
In... Read More »
During a visit to Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) headquarters in Glynco, Georgia, on Tuesday, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke received an operation briefing, observed training programs, and toured a port of entry training simulator.
FLETC trains most of the... Read More »
Questions were raised by members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday about reports that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discontinued funding for research on gun violence under the Trump Administration.
In a letter to NIH Director Francis Collins, U.S. Reps. Frank... Read More »
A group of 15 Democratic senators urged the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) on Monday to subject online political ads to the same requirements as political ads aired on television, radio and satellite.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) submitted... Read More »
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories recently successfully conducted a critical experiment using plutonium in order to enhance nuclear safety.
The test was the first successfully conducted critical experiment designed by Livermore Lawrence National Laboratory... Read More »
Steven Walker will lead the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s efforts to target investments in emerging technologies to advance national security as the 21st director of DARPA, the agency recently announced.
Prior to his appointment as director, Walker had been serving as the deputy... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that it agreed with the findings of recent covert testing conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and said it would implement the OIG’s recommendations.
Members of the Office of Inspector... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recovered 424 pounds of cocaine inside a tractor-trailer hauling paper towels across World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas, on Nov. 6.
The cocaine, which has an estimated street value of $3.2 million, was discovered after a CBP officer referred the... Read More »
Following a job fair called “Continue Your Service to America” held in August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that job offers had been extended to 207 veterans.
Approximately 2,500 veterans attended the two-day job fair. Onsite job interviews were given to... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently announced that it would hold a series of Biometric Technology Rallies to support technological advancement relevant to DHS and Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) operations.
The first rally will... Read More »
Following the recent church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left 26 people dead, Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would make it illegal to sell, transfer, manufacture or import military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The bill, titled the... Read More »
Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested a review on Thursday to gauge how federal agencies are using predictive modeling and simulations to prepare for and respond to Zika, Ebola and other infectious disease outbreaks.
A recent Government Accountability (GAO) report found... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report last week examining the deployment strategy of U.S. Border Patrol agents and activities at immigration checkpoints in the Southwest region of the United States.
U.S. Border Patrol deploys agents along the southwest border in areas both... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) seeking answers and reforms related to the reporting system failure that enabled the gunman in Sunday’s mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, to obtain firearms.
Under the National Instant Criminal... Read More »
A new bill from the Democrat side of the aisle in Washington, D.C. seeks to ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The push is coming from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and ranking member of the Senate... Read More »
Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Progreso/Donna Port of Entry recently confiscated over 69 pounds of alleged heroin valued at over $1.5 million.
“This weekend’s seizure is a vast illustration of the dedication and commitment... Read More »
Although terrorist groups like ISIS have al-Qaeda have recently been plotting small-scale attacks, intelligence indicates that terrorists want to bring down an aircraft and create a “big explosion” on the scale of 9/11, according to a threat assessment released on Tuesday.
The House... Read More »
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee pressed David Pekoske, the newly confirmed administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), on how quickly the country could integrate computed tomography (CT) scanners into every airport in the country to thwart threats at a... Read More »
The House Homeland Security Committee majority staff released a new report reviewing the nation’s network of fusion centers, hubs for sharing information related to security between federal, state and local government entities.
The new report, Advancing the Homeland Security Information... Read More »
As Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands continue to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, a group of Democratic U.S. Senators recently sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Brenda Fitzgerald requesting information on the... Read More »
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently announced its Digital and Cyberspace Policy program is launching a Cyber Operations Tracker, a database of all publicly-known state-sponsored incidents that have occurred since 2005, in order to gain a better understanding of the current cyber threat... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at various ports of entry in California recently intercepted 314 pounds of illicit narcotics and arrested 14 fugitives over multiple incidents.
From Friday, Nov. 3 through Sunday, Nov. 5, California CBP officers seized more than 181... Read More »
The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force will continue its efforts help state and local police departments and prosecutors prevent, investigate and respond to technology-enabled crimes against children under a bill signed into law on Friday.
Established in 2008, the ICAC Task... Read More »
The labs working to protect the United States from hazardous pathogens are themselves in need of oversight updates, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), owing to several lapses in safety.
The labs in question--overseen by the Federal Select Agent Program--amount to more... Read More »
A vulnerability recently identified in the Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) protocol that secures most wireless network traffic highlights the critical nature of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) information sharing, according to a recent DHS release.
Jeanette Manfra, the assistant... Read More »
State and local law enforcers will continue to receive specialized training to incorporate cyber and digital tools into criminal investigations following the President’s signed a bill last week that formally authorizes the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI).
The NCFI has trained... Read More »
In a recent report and testimony, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the Department of Energy (DOE) take a leading role in a collaborative interagency effort on research into low-dose radiation’s health effects.
GAO identified seven federal agencies that obligated... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this week intercepted $509,700 in counterfeit U.S. $100 bills that a 62-year-old U.S. Citizen arriving from Peru attempted to hide in his luggage.
“This seizure demonstrates how U.S. Customs... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents helped rescue two people on Tuesday who were injured while hiding in El Paso’s storm drain system after reportedly entering the United States illegally.
CBP’s Confined Space Entry Team (CSET) was deployed following a report on Monday that five... Read More »
The first nationwide public safety broadband network, known as FirstNet, secured partnership commitments from about half of the states and two U.S. territories by the end of October, according to testimony before a congressional panel on Wednesday.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce... Read More »
Thirty private sector and government stakeholders would reimburse U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for providing additional cross-border trade and travel inspection services under tentative partnership agreements announced on Tuesday.
The Reimbursable Services Program (RSP) was launched... Read More »
