Perceptions of Central Asia terrorism run black or white. The five republics -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- are alternately described as disinterested in radical Islam, or as hotbeds of young fundamentalists who would relish the opportunity to align with ISIS and start beheading non-believers. The latter point of view gained momentum … [Read more...]
Speak Up: Voice Biometrics for Cybersecurity
Calling all voice biometrics providers. Emergency in progress at the nation's capital. Following the massive cyberattack on the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data, the White House directed federal agencies to ratchet up security of computer systems. Among the emergency measures called for: priority threat detection systems and patching blatant … [Read more...]
State of Misinformation: A Look Behind U.S. Bulk Metadata Reform
As the debate over U.S. bulk metadata collection heats up just days before the Patriot Act Section 215 sunsets on June 1, confusion abounds on the limits/extent of the current law, what changes proposed reforms would achieve -- and whether key parties to the post-legislative process will even cooperate. In late April, the House Judiciary Committee approved amendments to last … [Read more...]
Exploring the Fuzzy Math of U.S. Cyber Defense
U.S. cyber defense is finally getting its act together. This year the Obama Administration unveiled a new Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center to coordinate intel on cyber threats. The proposed fiscal year budget for 2016 rose to US $14 billion for cyber activities. Included in this budget: US $500 million for 3,000 new cyber experts at Cyber Command and US $227 million … [Read more...]
Is the Clock Really Ticking on NSA Mass Data Collection?
When the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the USA Freedom Act (H.R. 3361) last summer, the future looked grim for the NSA’s mass data collection program. The bill would have gutted Section 215 of the Patriot Act, placing severe restrictions on the terms by which government agencies can use the law to collect evidence. But in the months following the proposed … [Read more...]