Authentication

Hackers declare open season on government websites

Two notorious hacker groups have teamed up in an effort to attack federal sites, steal data and vandalize pages.

  • By Kevin McCaney

More bad passwords revealed in Gawker hack

The recent hack of Gawker's sites has provided a new list of passwords for analysis.

  • By Michael Hardy

National strategy for identity management nearly done

The administration’s National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is expected to be finalized this winter, and the standards-making process to support it already is under way.

  • By William Jackson

For continuity, build telework into operations

The technology is available to enable secure, efficient access for remote working emergencies and day-to-day operations, but planning ahead is critical. Two agencies show that it can be done.

  • By William Jackson

Big telework savings trumps butts in the seats

Telework remains a goal of most agencies. But a combination of technology, employee expectations and legislation can help make it a reality.

  • By William Jackson

Emergency access granted in test of interoperable ID system

An emergency preparedness event involving federal, state and private-sector officials demonstrated ID verification technology to scan and clear first responders from federal, state, local and commercial organizations.

  • By Henry Kenyon

Scrambling the message: AT&T launches encrypted voice service for feds

New encryption technology offers secure calls for government, law enforcement users.

  • By Henry Kenyon

Telework tool: A DOD innovation goes wide

As legislation requiring agencies to move more aggressively to allow telework comes closer to passage, managers worry about security. A tool the Air Force developed could ease their minds.

  • By William Jackson

NIH builds a bridge to paperless processes

The National Cancer Institute and Bristol-Myers Squibb are using digital certificates to eliminate paper in a cancer therapy evaluation program, a trend that advocates hope will become more widespread in government.

  • By William Jackson

TSA may have a solution for virtual-striptease body scans

Privacy concerns regarding full-body scanners in airports may be put to rest, if a new technology now being tested proves effective.

  • By Kathleen Hickey

Public-private effort on cybersecurity needs a push from Congress

The cooperation of government and the private sector is necessary for security in cyberspace, but it might not be feasible without some regulatory muscle.

  • By William Jackson

The 7 people who can restart the Internet

Call them this era's Magnificent Seven. Seven people around the world hold the keys to the Internet, uniquely charged to restart the global network should a terrorist attack, hacking event or other calamity put it out of commission.

  • By Michael Hardy

States' IT needs clash with federal policies

NASCIO President Stephen Fletcher, a former fed, discusses the need for better state/federal coordination, the unintended costs of data center consolidation, and the need to protect personal identities at the state level.

  • By Rutrell Yasin

White House just getting started on cybersecurity

A report on progress made on cybersecurity in the 14 months after last year’s release of the Cyberspace Policy Review highlights steps taken to secure cyberspace, but much work remains to be done.

  • By William Jackson
Featured eBooks

Need to crack someone else's password?

Tool lets investigators harness the power of distributed computing to search for and crack passwords and crypto keys.

  • By William Jackson

Will digital certificates replace passwords?

Passwords have long been the standard for identity authentication. But there are limits to memory and scalability with every technique for generating and managing them, and eventually convenience and security clash. Is it time to move to digital certificates?

  • By William Jackson

How safe will you be with Obama's 'trusted' identity solution?

Readers aren't sold on the administration's plan to abandon passwords for trusted digital identities, citing fears of identity theft or government snooping.

  • By Kevin McCaney

Military, other fed iPad users compromised in AT&T hack

Military and civilian agency iPad users were among the thousands whose data was exposed in a recent successful hack of AT&T's Web site.

  • By Kevin McCaney

Revealed: Our picks for the best password strategies

Our readers offer hundreds -- literally -- of good ideas for building and managing strong passwords. Who's idea comes closest to covering all the bases?

  • By Kevin McCaney

Password management's secret ingredient

Password management pits convenience against security, and organizations must decide where to strike the balance. There's a key to resolving the tension, even if no solution is perfect.

  • By William Jackson

Are password rules just bad magic?

We still want your ideas for creating and remembering strong passwords, but at least one security consultant thinks it's the wrong approach. Here's why.

  • By Michael Hardy