Month: January 2017

DHS Reports Increase in Use of Einstein Cyber Technology

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January 12, 2017–Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said late yesterday that deployments of the agency’s Einstein 3 Accelerated (E3A) network security protection technologies rose in late 2016 to cover 93% of the executive branch’s civilian workforce by the end of the year, including coverage of all civilian cabinet-level departments and a total of 45 federal departments and agencies.

Mr. Johnson has previously set a goal of to have all civilian departments and agencies using “at least some aspects of E3A” for network protection by the end of 2016.

“DHS is working with the remaining departments and agencies to employ E3A protections on their networks within a short period of time,” he said, adding that he was encouraging “these few remaining departments and agencies to work with us to deploy E3A and other cybersecurity protections across their networks as soon as possible.” – John Curran, john.curran@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily

Giuliani Chosen as Cyber Adviser to Trump Administration

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January 12, 2017–Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was named today as a cybersecurity adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump. Mr. Giuliani told reporters he would be performing his new role “as a private citizen . . . on my own time” and would remain chairman of the cybersecurity, privacy, and crisis management practice at Greenberg Traurig and would continue running his own security consultancy, Giuliani Partners.

“My job is going to be to find the corporate leaders, people who are working on real solutions, and from time to time, set up meetings with the president and whomever else he wants, so that they can give him the benefit of what they’re doing,” Mr. Giuliani said. Continue reading →

Commerce Lays Out Proposals for Encouraging Internet of Things

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January 12, 2017–In a “green paper” released today, the Department of Commerce proposes several ways in which the department can foster the development of the Internet of things (IoT), including “fostering the physical and spectrum-related assets needed to support IoT growth and advancement.”

The paper, titled “Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things,” was informed by comments submitted in response to an April 2016 request for comment (TRDaily, April 5, 2016) and a September 2016 workshop (TRDaily, Sept. 1, 2016).

The department said that a notice will appear in tomorrow’s “Federal Register” in which the department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will seek “public input on the green paper’s findings, proposed approach, and next steps.” Continue reading →

FTC Officials Hear from Researchers on Apps, IoT, Online Ads at PrivacyCon

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January 12, 2017–Research presented at the Federal Trade Commission’s second annual PrivacyCon event today looked at consumers’ expectations for privacy, their willingness to accept privacy risks in exchange for content, apps, and IoT (Internet of things) connections, and possible solutions. In opening remarks at the conference, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez recalled some of the consumer technology she saw earlier this month on the show floor at CES: including autonomous vehicle, TVs “as thin as cellphones,” drones that can carry organs for transplant, drones that are outfitted for virtual reality, and smart trash can that can scan bar codes of discarded items to create a shopping list of items that need to be replaced.

All this technology, however means that consumers’ data can be accessed by many players, including device makers, app makers, content publishers, software vendors for IoT devices, and advertising companies. The situation is “exacerbated when non-consumer-facing entities increasingly handle consumer data,” Chairwoman Ramirez added. And not only is consumer privacy at risk, she said; some of these devices, including autonomous vehicles, pose threats to health and safety from the failure of security. Continue reading →

NASPO and NASCIO Develop Plan for State Procurement Efforts and IT Updates

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The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) have developed an action plan for navigating the ever-changing terrain shaping state procurement efforts and information technology (IT) updates. While Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have shared interests in working together to improve IT procurement, they face many challenges as states struggle to reform sometimes decades old procurement systems, and at the same time, keep up with the rapid changes of the technology landscape.

“Leading IT procurement transformation continues to be a priority for state procurement leaders nationally, and NASPO is committed to working with our IT partners to be at the forefront of this effort,” said Larry Maxwell, NASPO President and New Mexico State Purchasing Director. Continue reading →

OEC Outreach Clips: Temporary Trunked Network Planned for Trump Inauguration, Source Mission Critical Communications

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BearCom is planning to deploy a temporary MOTOTRBO Linked Capacity Plus system to cover venues used during the upcoming presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. The network will connect to a wide-area MOTOTRBO Connect Plus network used for transportation. The Presidential Inauguration Committee contracted BearCom for the network, which includes seven locations and more than 1,700 two-way radios and smartphones with push-to-talk (PTT) apps. Temporary Trunked Network Planned for Trump Inauguration

NIST Seeks Comment on Draft Update of Cybersecurity Framework

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January 10, 2017–The National Institute of Standards and Technology said today it issued a draft update of its voluntary cybersecurity framework for critical infrastructure sectors that it originally published in 2014, and is seeking comments on the draft through April 10. According to NIST the draft update includes new details on managing cyber supply chain risks, and measurement methods for cybersecurity improvements, among others.

“We wrote this update to refine and enhance the original document and to make it easier to use,” said Matt Barrett, NIST’s program manager for cyber framework, in a statement. “This update is fully compatible with the original framework, and the framework remains voluntary and flexible to adaptation,” he said. “In the update we introduce the notion of cybersecurity measurement to get the conversation started,” Mr. Barrett said, adding, “Measurements will be critical to ensure that cybersecurity receives proper consideration in a larger enterprise risk management discussion.” – John Curran, john.curran@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily

OEC Outreach Clips: Maine Asks FCC for Help in Text-to-9-1-1 Dispute, Source Mission Critical Communications

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The FCC is seeking comment on a request by the state of Maine Public Utilities Commission for assistance in resolving a conflict related to the implementation of text to 9-1-1 via message session relay protocol (MSRP) service in Maine.  Specifically, Maine asked for clarification as to the point of demarcation for text-to-911 between wireless providers and Maine’s next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) system. Maine seeks the FCC’s assistance “in resolving this conflict regarding the delivery of interim text to 9-1-1 via MSRP by clarifying where the point of demarcation is between wireless providers and Maine’s NG 9-1-1 network to appropriately assess costs.” Maine Asks FCC for Help in Text-to-9-1-1 Dispute

Input Sought on Maine PUC Request Regarding 911 Demarcation Point

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January 9, 2017–The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is seeking comment on a request by the Maine Public Utilities Commission “for assistance in resolving a conflict related to the implementation of text-to-911 via message session relay protocol (MSRP) service,” the bureau said in a public notice released today in PS dockets 11-153 and 10-255.

Specifically, the bureau said, the PUC is seeking clarification regarding the demarcation point for text-to-911 between wireless providers and Maine’s Next Generation 911 (NG911) system.  Maine implemented an interim text-to-911 solution at two of the state’s public safety answering points, relying on TTYs (teletypewriters), and that following statewide deployment of a next-generation 911 system, it received conflicting migration price proposals from text control centers (TCCs).  The PUC told the FCC that “the root cause” of the pricing dispute “appears to be the point of demarcation between carriers and Maine’s Emergency Services Internet Protocol Network (ESInet).”  Whereas Maine believes that “the point of demarcation should be at the ingress designated by the Session Border Controller (SBC) of the State of Maine ESInet,” it told the FCC that the TCCs, “acting on behalf of wireless carriers, argue that the point of demarcation should be the egress side of the SBC used by the TCCs.”

Comments on the PUC’s request for clarification are due Feb. 8, and replies are due March 10. —Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily

Bureaus Urge Neustar to Conclude NDA over LPNA Transition

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January 9, 2017–The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau have told outgoing local number portability administrator (LNPA) Neustar, Inc., that it is “imperative” that the parties to the LNPA transition—Neustar, industry consortium North American Portability Management LLC (NAPM), the transition oversight manager (TOM), and incoming LNPA administrator Telcordia Technologies, Inc. d/b/a iconectiv (iconectiv) — to “reach agreement on what constitutes confidential information, and how to protect it, as quickly as possible,” through the execution of a nondisclosure agreement (NDA).

In a letter Jan. 6, WC Bureau Chief Matt DelNero and PSHS Bureau Chief David Simpson told Neustar President and Chief Executive Officer Lisa Hook that “Negotiations on a reasonable NDA have thus far gone on for approximately a year, a situation we find unacceptable. Every day that the parties fail to reach agreement risks exposure of confidential information about national security and critical infrastructure and may cause delays in the transition. If the transition is delayed, service providers and their customers ultimately may bear the costs of that delay.” Continue reading →