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China Rebuffs Detailed Report on Its US Hacking Escapades February 19, 2013 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei reportedly said at a briefing on Tuesday that China's military was not involved in any recent cyberhacking. His comments were apparently in response to allegations in a new report by Mandiant. Among many other findings in the report is the existence of a 12-story white office tower said to house a PLA cyberwarrior unit.

Businesses Weigh In as Congress Reboots Cybersecurity Issue February 15, 2013 The current winter of discontent in the U.S. Congress over federal finances does not bode well for cooperation in other areas. Yet legislators push on, and among top Congressional priorities for 2013 is the enactment of legislation regarding the role of the federal government in dealing with national cybersecurity problems.

Obama's Executive Order Renews Cybersecurity Debate February 14, 2013 Too much regulation, not enough protection, too much private sector involvement: President Obama's just-released cybersecurity executive order has sparked concern from several advocacy groups, even as controversial legislation designed to protect the nation's infrastructure made a reappearance Wednesday in Congress.

Anonymous' Hack of Bank System Startling for Its Ease February 07, 2013 The hactivist collective Anonymous announced via a tweet during last Sunday's Super Bowl that it had published a document dump including publishing private data tied to more than 4,000 U.S. bank executives. It included a spreadsheet containing login information and credentials, along with IP addresses and personal contact information.

Immigration Reform Could Open the Door for IT Talent February 06, 2013 The new Congress is now tackling a flurry of general proposals for comprehensive immigration reform, but only one specific, narrowly focused piece of legislation has already been introduced in the Senate: a plan to vastly increase the number of non-citizens who can pursue jobs and education in the U.S. technology sector.

Secret Review Gives Obama License to Cyberkill February 05, 2013 President Obama can order a preemptive strike if there's credible evidence of a pending major cyberattack from abroad, a secret legal review reportedly has found. New policies will dictate how intelligence agencies can monitor remote computer networks elsewhere for signs of potential attacks on the U.S.

Hacking: The New National Pastime? January 31, 2013 What a difference a day makes -- or, in this particular case, eight months or so. Less than a year ago, retailer Barnes & Noble yanked an issue of Linux Format magazine from its U.S. shelves because of a cover story on the topic of "hacking." "A complaint was made," explained the announcement last May on Linux Format's TuxRadar blog.

DoJ Tosses Monkey Wrench Into Sprint-Softbank Merger Plans January 30, 2013 Citing national security concerns, the Justice Department on Tuesday asked the FCC to put the brakes on the pending Sprint-Softbank merger. The DoJ, FBI and DHS are reviewing the buy for national security, law enforcement and public safety concerns, according to a letter Justice sent to the FCC.

Feds Push Single Sign-on for Government Agencies January 30, 2013 The USPS is hosting a pilot project with the goal of simplifying the account ID process for all federal agencies. One possible solution: allowing citizens to use their existing e-commerce accounts to access agency websites. While electronic mechanisms enable federal agencies to provide some online government services, the process is burdensome for citizens and agencies, USPS said.

Google's Transparency Report Serves as Subtle Call to Action January 25, 2013 Governments around the world peppered Google with 21,389 information requests on about 33,634 users from July through December 2012. That represents a 2 percent year-over-year increase, according to Google's latest Transparency Report, released this week. The U.S. led the barrage, with 8,476 requests for information -- a 6 percent year-over-year increase.

Electronic Health Records Performance Lags Behind Potential January 23, 2013 Major programs designed to reduce costs and improve healthcare through the automation of medical records have fallen short of the potential to do either, according to a recent Rand Corp. report. The effort to convert paper health documents to electronic form got a huge boost from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

Dish Meddles With Sprint-Softbank Merger January 18, 2013 Dish Network has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pause its review of Softbank's proposed $20.1 billion acquisition of Sprint while the two companies battle over their bids to buy Clearwire. Dish contended in a filing this week that the FCC's review of Softbank's acquisition is "unripe for consideration" since full ownership of Clearwire has not yet been established.

Opening Doors in Cars and Government January 17, 2013 The dust is finally beginning to settle here in the Linux blogosphere following all the recent brouhaha emanating out of CES. The tents have been packed up, the jugglers have gone home, and bloggers can finally hear themselves think down at the blogosphere's Broken Windows Lounge once again. Spirits are lifting across the land, in other words, and a few choice headlines have done nothing but help.

Cliff-Hanger: Budget Deal's IT Benefits Are Murky January 15, 2013 For IT vendors in the federal market, the saga of the 2011 Budget Control Act presents some slight benefits in the very short run, even though reduced federal spending may have a longer-term impact. The BCA set the stage for a 10-year program to control the rate of federal spending and reduce the national deficit that included a sequestration mechanism of mandatory budget cuts.

The UK's Tangled Antipiracy Web January 12, 2013 In the battle against online piracy, industry and government officials tend to cast a wide net in blocking suspected piracy-enabling websites. Sometimes this process results in the removal of sites that have nothing to do with piracy. Last April, the UK ordered Internet service providers to block file-sharing site The Pirate Bay.

FCC Aims to Expand WiFi Highway January 10, 2013 The FCC plans to open up a new batch of wireless spectrum to bring faster and more reliable access to public WiFi hotspots, its chairman announced Wednesday during a talk at the 2013 CES, although it will have to overcome some obstacles. The commission seeks to free up 195 Mhz of spectrum in the 5 GHz band, the largest block of unlicensed spectrum to be made free for WiFi expansion since 2003.

Schmidt Concludes N. Korea Trip With Plea to End Internet Ban January 10, 2013 Speaking to reporters after a four-day jaunt to North Korea, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt called on North Korea to end its ban on Internet access. North Korea's refusal to allow more Web access "is very much going to affect their physical world," Schmidt said, adding that it's time for the nation's totalitarian authorities to loosen their grasp on the Web.

Schmidt's Visit May Help Open Up North Korea January 10, 2013 The visit to North Korea this week by a team led by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has stirred up controversy. The U.S. State Department has criticized the move, while Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has described Richardson and Schmidt as "useful idiots."

Google's Schmidt Touches Down in North Korea January 08, 2013 Flanked by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Google chairman Eric Schmidt arrived Monday in North Korea. Richardson, who also is a former UN ambassador, has characterized the trip as a "private humanitarian mission" -- a far more hospitable description than ones coming from the U.S. State Department and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who described the delegation as "useful idiots."

Federal Agencies Face Mobile Tech Catch-22 January 08, 2013 The fast pace of mobile technology development can improve the ways we share information almost overnight, with new applications and more powerful devices rolling out on a regular basis. Federal agencies are trying to keep up with the times and have solidly embraced mobile IT but are stymied by having to meet federal operational requirements..