Government Information Security Podcast

This week's top news and views: Federal shutdown's impact on IT security, zero percent unemployment for IT security analysts, 'tricked' RSA worker opened backdoor to advanced persistent threat attack and DHS's top infosec executive's quest for a safer Internet. And don't miss our week-in-review podcast by Executive Editor Eric Chabrow.

Philip Reitinger, the top cybersecurity official in the Department of Homeland Security, is on a mission to help create a new, secure computing ecosystem on the Internet.

When it comes to e-marketing and the reliance on third parties such as Epsilon, Nicolas Christin of Carnegie Mellon University says banks and merchants should "come clean" about the information they share with outside entities.

Privacy Attorney Lisa Sotto says the Epsilon e-mail breach is a warning about the state of data security employed by some third-party service providers. Strong contracts related to security practices must be the norm, not the exception.

When it comes to authentication and identity management, state governments face challenges and vulnerabilities of their own making, says Brent Crossland of Entrust.

March's top news and views: DOD officials explain how a WikiLeaks breach will not happen again, RSA chief technology officer discusses the challenges in dealing with advanced persistent threat attacks and how Ohio decided on a NIST framework. And don't miss our month-in-review podcast by Executive Editor Eric Chabrow.

EastNets' Paul Buelens says fraud-fighting is an international concern, as old schemes abound and new threats emerge. Fraud risks are some of the most challenging banks have ever faced.

A comprehensive bill to dramatically change the way the federal government addresses cybersecurity could pass the Senate as early as this summer, Sen. Thomas Carper, who chairs a Senate panel with IT security oversight, says in an interview with GovInfoSecurity.com.

RSA CTO Bret Hartman on advance persistent threats, before the breach; face of federal IT security leadership, putting IT security workforce in perspective, federal cyber incidents up 39 percent; and our special report on the RSA breach and its impact. And don't miss our audio week-in-review podcast by Executive Editor Eric Chabrow

Terrell Herzig, CISO at UAB Medicine, speaks out on steps steps he's taking in the wake of the RSA SecurID attack.

Terrell Herzig, information security officer at UAB Medicine, discusses the steps he's taking in the wake of the attack against RSA's SecurID two-factor authentication products.

Marcus Ranum isn't just a well-regarded information security expert. He's also a customer of the RSA SecurID product, and he's got some strong feelings about the RSA breach and how the industry has responded to it.

PCI Council's Jeremy King says guidance tackles data collected via phone communications.

The announcement by RSA that it had been a victim of an advanced persistent threat shook the global information security industry. Stephen Northcutt of SANS Institute and David Navetta of the Information Law Group offer insight on what happened, what it means and how to respond.

Hackers target RSA's SecurID products, leading federal IT policymakers question America's preparedness for cyberattacks, new House bill would reform federal IT security governance and why Ohio state government decided to standardize on NIST IT security framework.

It's serious news that RSA's SecurID solution has been the target of an advanced persistent threat. But "It's not a game-changer," says Stephen Northcutt, CEO of SANS Institute. "Anybody who says it is [a game-changer] is an alarmist."

ChicagoFIRST's Brian Tishuk says local lessons can be learned from Japan, especially within the financial, government and healthcare sectors.

"Persistent" is the operative word about the advanced persistent threat that has struck RSA and its SecurID products. "If the bad guys out there want to get to someone ... they can," says David Navetta of the Information Law Group.

A roundup of this week's top news: Hackers target RSA's SecurID products. Also, Japan's nuclear crisis: What do you need to know? Plus: New Health Net breach may be biggest ever.

Disaster recovery expert Regina Phelps says Japan's nuclear emergency puts local citizens at risk, but organizations globally can learn from the crisis. "I hope that all of us look at this and ask, 'What can I do to be better prepared?'"