Scouting America (formerly known as Boy Scouts) has a new badge in cybersecurity. There’s an image in the article; it looks good. I want one. [...]

Apple has introduced a new hardware/software security feature in the iPhone 17: “ Memory Integrity Enforcement,” targeting the memory safety vulnerabilities that spyware products like Pegasus tend to use to get unauthorized system access. From Wired : In recent years, a movement has been steadily growing across the global tech …

This academic year, I am taking a sabbatical from the Kennedy School and Harvard University. (It’s not a real sabbatical—I’m just an adjunct—but it’s the same idea.) I will be spending the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters at the Munk School at the …

There is a really great series of online events highlighting cool uses of AI in cybersecurity, titled Prompt||GTFO. Videos from the first three events are online. And here’s where to register to attend, or participate, in the fourth. Some really great stuff here. [...]

Reuters is reporting that the White House has banned WhatsApp on all employee devices: The notice said the “Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security …

RSA Conference (RSAC) 2025 drew 730 speakers, 650 exhibitors, and 44,000 attendees from across the globe to the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from April 28 through May 1. The keynote lineup was eclectic, with 37 presentations featuring speakers ranging from NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic …

Customers often tell me that they want a simpler path to meet the compliance and industry regulatory mandates they have in their geographic regions. In our deep engagements with partners and customers, we have learned that one of the greatest challenges for customers is the translation of security and …

Google has extended its Advanced Protection features to Android devices. It’s not for everybody, but something to be considered by high-risk users. Wired article, behind a paywall. [...]

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has successfully renewed its Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS) High certification under the latest framework established by Royal Decree 311/2022. This achievement demonstrates the continued dedication of AWS to meeting the stringent security requirements essential for serving Spanish government entities and public organizations. The …

Government agencies face an unprecedented challenge when designing security against unauthorized access to IT infrastructure and data. Traditional perimeter-based security models—which rely on the assumption of trust within an organization’s network boundaries—are no longer sufficient. The wide adoption of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and cloud-based resources requires adopting …

Wicked6 Cyber Games 2025 brought hundreds of women together worldwide from March 28–30. This dynamic virtual competition, sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS), helped attendees tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges through e-sports experiences. With 72 hours of women talking about cybersecurity, 11 cybersecurity games, and an attack and defense …

Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting idle for three days. iPhones have had this feature for a while; it’s nice to see Google add it to their phones. [...]

Mitre’s CVE’s program—which provides common naming and other informational resources about cybersecurity vulnerabilities—was about to be cancelled, as the US Department of Homeland Security failed to renew the contact. It was funded for eleven more months at the last minute. This is a big deal …

At a Congressional hearing earlier this week, Matt Blaze made the point that CALEA, the 1994 law that forces telecoms to make phone calls wiretappable, is outdated in today’s threat environment and should be rethought: In other words, while the legally-mandated CALEA capability requirements have changed little over …

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is pleased to announce the successful renewal of the United Kingdom Cyber Essentials Plus certification. The Cyber Essentials Plus certificate is valid for one year until March 21, 2026. Cyber Essentials Plus is a UK Government-backed, industry-supported certification scheme intended to help organizations demonstrate organizational …

John Kelsey and I wrote a short paper for the Rossfest Festschrift : “ Rational Astrologies and Security “: There is another non-security way that designers can spend their security budget: on making their own lives easier. Many of these fall into the category of what has been called rational astrology. First …

This is a sad story of someone who downloaded a Trojaned AI tool that resulted in hackers taking over his computer and, ultimately, costing him his job. [...]

Organizations seeking to adhere to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) Protected B High Value Assets (PBHVA) overlay requirements can use the Landing Zone Accelerator (LZA) on AWS solution with the CCCS Medium configuration to accelerate their compliance journey. To further support customers, AWS recently collaborated with Coalfire …

In the span of just weeks, the US government has experienced what may be the most consequential security breach in its history—not through a sophisticated cyberattack or an act of foreign espionage, but through official orders by a billionaire with a poorly defined government role. And the implications …

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is pleased to announce the issuance of the Criteria to Assess the Information Security of Cloud Services (PiTuKri) Type II attestation report with 179 services in scope. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) Cyber Security Centre published PiTuKri, which consists of 52 criteria that …

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is pleased to announce the issuance of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) Type II attestation report with 179 services in scope. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has published several requirements and guidelines about engaging with outsourced services for the regulated financial …

Today, we released an updated version of the Aligning to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) in the AWS Cloud whitepaper to reflect the significant changes introduced in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0, published in February 2024. This comprehensive update helps you …

Jen Easterly is out as the Director of CISA. Read her final interview : There’s a lot of unfinished business. We have made an impact through our ransomware vulnerability warning pilot and our pre-ransomware notification initiative, and I’m really proud of that, because we work on preventing somebody …

The Spanish National Cryptologic Center (CCN) has published a new STIC guide (CCN-STIC-887 Anexo A) that provides a comprehensive template and supporting artifacts for implementing landing zones that comply with Spain's National Security Framework (ENS) Royal Decree 311/2022 using the Landing Zone Accelerator on AWS. [...]

President Biden has signed a new cybersecurity order. It has a bunch of provisions, most notably using the US governments procurement power to improve cybersecurity practices industry-wide. Some details : The core of the executive order is an array of mandates for protecting government networks based on lessons learned from …