Latest Government news

Hacker Rasputin Breaches Over 60 Universities and Government Agencies

A financially-motivated, Russian-speaking hacker known as Rasputin, has breached and stolen data from universities in the US and the UK, and federal, state, and local US government agencies.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- February 15, 2017
- 11:00 AM
- 0
Former NSA Contractor Indicted for Stealing Secret Files for 20 Years

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) filed official charges today against Harold Thomas Martin III, 52, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, for stealing over 50TB of documents from several US government agencies, including documents labeled as Top Secret.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- February 09, 2017
- 10:13 AM
- 1
US Embassies Could Ask Visa Applicants for Social Media Passwords

The US is considering a measure that would ask visa applications to give up passwords for social media accounts if they want to receive passage to the United States, according to statements made by Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly at a DHS committee meeting on Tuesday.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- February 08, 2017
- 11:30 AM
- 10
Ransomware Incident Shuts Down County's Government Infrastructure

A ransomware infection that took root on late Tuesday night, January 31, affected several services provided by the local Licking County (Ohio) government infrastructure.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- February 03, 2017
- 04:30 AM
- 1
Federal Reserve Employee Admits to Installing Bitcoin Miner on Government Server

Nicholas Berthaume, a former employee of the US Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months probation for installing Bitcoin mining software on one of the government servers he was supposed to manage.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 31, 2017
- 04:30 AM
- 0
US States Considering Legislation to Introduce 'Right to Repair' for Electronics

Several US states have introduced bills aimed at establishing a user's "right to repair" for electronic devices, in the spirit of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act that was passed by the US Congress in late 2013.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 29, 2017
- 05:30 PM
- 1
Labor Department Sues Oracle for Paying White Males More, Favoring Indian Hires

Oracle risks to lose all current and future contracts with the US government after the US Department of Labor (DoL) has filed a lawsuit against the company's US Division, Oracle America., Inc..
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 19, 2017
- 06:40 AM
- 0
Over 1.1 Million People Signed New 'Pardon Snowden' Petition

1,101,252 people signed a petition that asks President Barack Obama to pardon and exonerate NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden of all charges. The petition was set in motion in September 2016, just before the premiere of the Snowden movie, directed by Oliver Stone, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Snowden.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 16, 2017
- 04:10 AM
- 3
Trump's New Cyber-Security Advisor Runs a Very, Very Insecure Website

Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump announced the appointment of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani as his cyber security advisor concerning the US private sector.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 13, 2017
- 06:06 AM
- 20
Operation EyePyramid: Two Siblings Spied on Italy's Elite

Italian authorities have arrested and charged two siblings for carrying out a cyber-espionage campaign against Italy's elite, with targets that varied from famous businessmen to high-ranking politicians, including Matteo Renzi, former Italian prime minister.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 11, 2017
- 12:40 PM
- 0
DHS Designates US Voting System as "Critical Infrastructure"

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has upgraded the US voting and election infrastructure as a subsector of the nation's critical infrastructure.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- January 09, 2017
- 05:15 PM
- 2
US Ejects 35 Russian Diplomats in Response to Election Hacks

In a statement issued yesterday by the White House, President Barack Obama has ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats in response to multiple hacking incidents that took place during the recent US Presidential Election.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 30, 2016
- 10:10 AM
- 12
Turkey Wants to Build Army of Hackers

Turkish officials announced plans to hire computer experts to serve as white-hat hackers and help protect the country's infrastructure against cyber-security threats.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 30, 2016
- 06:30 AM
- 1
US Customs Starts Collecting Social Media Details from Foreigners Entering the US

Starting last week, foreign travelers entering the US without a visa are now asked to provide details about their social media presence.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 27, 2016
- 01:22 PM
- 2
Turkey Partially Blocks Access to Tor and Some VPNs

Direct access to the Tor network and some high-profile VPN services have been blocked in Turkey, reports TurkeyBlocks, a service that keeps track of websites and services banned in the country.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 19, 2016
- 04:51 AM
- 4
Hacker Selling Access to US Election Assistance Commission Accounts

A Russian-speaking hacker has breached the servers of the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and is now selling access to these accounts.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 16, 2016
- 03:40 PM
- 4
Hackers Attacking Russia Will Face up to 10 Years in Prison According to New Bill

The Russian Parliament is working on a new law that would introduce criminal liability for hackers creating tools and participating in cyber-attacks against Russian infrastructure.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 08, 2016
- 06:00 AM
- 1
Canadian Government Is Asking Citizens If They Want Encryption Backdoors

The Canadian government is asking citizens for their feedback on several privacy and cyber-security topics, as part of a public consultation period for upcoming changes to Canada's national security framework.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 06, 2016
- 05:45 AM
- 1
As of Today, US Law Enforcement Has New Hacking Powers

As of December 1, 2016, US law enforcement has gained new hacking powers thanks to changes to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure that now simplify the process of getting warrants to hack into devices of US citizens and the citizens of other countries.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- December 01, 2016
- 08:35 AM
- 3
UK Passes the Most Extreme Surveillance Law in the History of Western Democracy

The UK government passed yesterday a new sweeping cyber-surveillance that grants authorities the legal power to collect web traffic and telephony data on all UK citizens in bulk, even on people that have never committed a crime or aren't the subjects of an official investigation.
- Catalin Cimpanu
- November 18, 2016
- 08:15 AM
- 1