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Russians are using undiscovered exploits to hack governments
If you've been wondering how Russian cyberattackers could compromise the White House and other high-profile political targets, the security researchers at FireEye have an answer. They've determined that APT28, a politically-motivated Russian hacking group, used unpatched exploits in Flash Player and Windows in a series of assaults against a "specific foreign government organization" on April 13th. Patches for both flaws are either ready or on the way, but the vulnerabilities reinforce beliefs that APT28 is very skilled -- less experienced groups would use off-the-shelf code.
Russia might have hacked the White House
Russia's military overtures haven't been limited to its recent arctic war games. Cyber operatives reportedly working for Russia have already compromised an unsecured State Department computer system. Now US officials have admitted that the White House's network has been hit as well. While the affected White House's computers were part of an non-classified network serving the executive office, the attackers were still able to access sensitive information like the president's real-time daily schedule. Even more disturbing, a CNN report suggests that the hackers used an account on the State Department network to phish their way into the White House.
President's order lets the US sanction foreign cyberattackers
US authorities can't officially punish hackers in many countries, but they now have a way to hit those digital criminals where it hurts the most: their bank accounts. President Obama has signed an executive order that lets the Secretary of the Treasury impose sanctions on both foreign cyberattackers and those that knowingly support their activities, whether they're individuals or groups. If the Attorney General and Secretary of State deem these intruders to be major economic or security threats, the Treasury can freeze their assets and make it tougher to carry out (or profit from) their operations.
Obama names Twitter, Google alum first Chief Digital Officer
President Barack Obama has been awfully busy shoring up his administration's tech credentials: Former Google exec Megan Smith is the White House's current Chief Technology Officer, while former Facebook engineer David Recordon was recently named its first Director of IT. Now the president (and his voluminous crew of advisors) has plucked another Silicon Valley stalwart -- Jason Goldman -- to serve as the executive branch's very first Chief Digital Officer. Now the question is, well, what does a Chief Digital Officer do?
White House names top Facebook engineer as first director of IT
The White House has gone shopping for talent in Silicon Valley again. This time, it's plucked David Recordon from Facebook to become its first Director of Information Technology. Before accepting the government position, Recordon served as the social network's engineering director for five years, leading teams behind Facebook's internal productivity, HR and video conferencing tools, among many other projects. As the IT director, he's expected to "build on the Administration's Smarter IT Delivery efforts to ensure that the technology utilized by the White House is efficient, effective, and secure." He also has to "[modernize] software used to collaborate, and [bring] use of new technologies in line with private sector best practices."
Proposed privacy bill protects industry more than it does people
If the return of Frank Underwood stoked a thirst for real drama from the nation's capitol, perhaps the White House's late-Friday news dump of the proposed Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights will whet your whistle. Alongside common-sense things like Congress finding that Americans "cherish privacy as an element of their individual freedom" in the draft, are headings pertaining to transparency, individual control, security and accountability. In regards to that first one, the bill states (PDF) that companies make their policies for exactly what they do with your data readable without the need for a legalese translator. In addition to that, companies would need to disclose what they're doing with the reams of data they're collecting on all of us and comply with requests for data deletion, as well. You'd also be able to request a look at the data collected by companies. Sounds good, right? Well, as the Associated Press reports, that isn't quite the case.
The White House officially launches its new cyber warfare agency
One of the reasons that the US has been slow to respond to attacks is because its security agencies don't talk to each other. This lack of communication may make the FBI, CIA etc look very butch, but it's pretty terrible when lives, businesses and second-tier studio comedies are on the line. This is why the White House has sanctioned the creation of a new agency that's designed to remedy the problem. The US Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center has been given the official go-ahead, and will sit between the FBI, NSA and CIA, amongst others, collating that data and offering a cohesive policy to fight off digital attacks. Another thing the CTIIC will be responsible for is informing both lawmakers and US businesses of impending threats and advise upon solutions, maybe starting with "don't make movies about North Korea without making sure your network is full of holes."
The Secret Service will start testing drones near the White House
The Secret Service has just announced that it'll conduct a series of drone tests in typically flight restricted areas in DC. Why? Well, the announcement was pretty vague, but it did come a month after an intelligence officer drunk-crashed a DJI Phantom drone on White House grounds in the middle of the night. If you recall, DJI even issued an update that prevented its products from flying near the White House after that scandal. It was, however, forced to roll that update back after it started causing some unanticipated flight behaviors.
White House appoints first ever chief data scientist
The White House has a new employee: Chief Data Scientist and Chief Technology Officer for Data Policy, DJ Patil. His high-level job description, according to the White House blog, is that he'll help "shape the practices and policies to help the United States remain a leader in technology and innovation." On a more granular note, newly appointed US chief technology officer Megan Smith says that he'll be working on the Precision Medicine Initiative that uses data to help physicians provide better care while protecting their privacy.
DJI's drone safety upgrade rolled back after 'flight behavior' issues
DJI was the unfortunate drone brand of choice to pay an unplanned visit to the White House. The company responded days later with an update that added some new safety features, including GPS geofencing that stops the drone flying about near sensitive places: like the White House. However, it has paused the roll-out of the update after a few reports that "unanticipated flight behavior after updating" to Phantom firmware v3.10. For now, the company advises that Phantom pilots stick to older versions for now until those safety upgrades are completely, well, safe. As Wired recently reported, it's in the best interests of DJI to ensure its drones aren't flying where they shouldn't be...
White House wants its top agencies to have digital task forces
The US's web-based health care portal didn't launch as planned, to put it mildly, but the digital task force created to salvage that mess (and prevent others) showed that it's possible to have modern, responsive government services on the internet. Accordingly, the White House wants more -- as part of its proposed fiscal 2016 budget, the Obama administration is asking for $105 million to give each of its top 25 agencies a digital team of its own. The hope is that these new divisions, along with a bolstered central task force, will both improve your experience dealing with government bureaus online and help fend off malicious hackers.
DJI no longer lets you fly its drones in Washington, DC
' DJI really, really doesn't want to see its drones in the news for the wrong reasons. Just a day after the world learned that one of its robotic vehicles crash-landed at the White House, the company is pushing out a "mandatory" firmware update for its Phantom 2 drones that prevents you from flying anywhere within a 15.5-mile radius of downtown Washington, DC. The move is practically necessary given FAA guidelines barring unmanned vehicles from flying in the area. However, it also means that there's no longer much point to owning a DJI drone in the US capital -- unless you refuse to install any upgrades or regularly head out of the city, you now own a very expensive paperweight. [Image credit: US Secret Service]
A drunk intelligence worker crashed that drone near the White House
When you heard that someone crash-landed a drone on the White House's grounds at 3AM on a Monday morning, did you suspect that the pilot was hammered? Well, you're right. Officials have revealed that the operator was a drunk National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency worker who decided that the middle of a cold night was a great time to fly his friend's drone (a DJI Phantom, shown above) near the President's home turf. He didn't realize what he'd done until his pals told him that his escapades were all over the news. Give credit to this unnamed man for doing the right thing afterwards, though -- he notified both his employer and the Secret Service to set their minds at ease.
Drone landing drags White House security into the modern era (update: details)
The US government just got a real-world lesson about the security risks posed by easily accessible drones. Officials report that they recovered a quadcopter on the White House's grounds in the early morning on January 26th, with no clear indication as to who flew it or why. A spokesperson notes that the drone was never a threat to President Barack Obama (who was visiting India) or his family, but that's not the point. The greater concern is that the Secret Service was apparently unaware of the drone until it was already on their turf. A more sinister pilot could have been using it to conduct espionage, deliver explosives or just to annoy the daylights out of White House staff.
White House releases State of The Union address online ahead of time
As is customary, tonight the President will give his State of the Union address but in a first-time move, the entire speech is available for anyone to read online. It's usually released to reporters early under embargo, but this is the age of the internet and the White House posted it for everyone to read just a few minutes ago. Even if you're watching from home (on network TV, news channels or YouTube), you can know what's coming next. Whatever your political leanings, this seems like a pretty good way to expand access beyond just those with the right connections. [Image credit: Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images]
Cubans can finally buy American phones and PCs
The White House promised warmer relations with Cuba that would provide easier access to US technology (among many other things), and it's delivering in spades. As of January 16th, American companies can legally sell consumer tech to everyday Cubans. That includes cellphones, PCs, TVs and anything else that will "enable the flow of information" for the public. It's not that generous of a gesture however, when you consider that the island's population can't usually afford these gadgets. The average Cuban earned just $20 per month in 2013. It'll expand the selection of items they can afford, however, and it'll boost sales to visitors (who'll also see fewer restrictions on US credit and debit cards).
President's proposals would protect hack victims and student data
President Barack Obama's State of the Union address is going to include at least two proposals that will affect how companies handle your data. One, the Personal Data Notification and Protection Act, would require that firms tell their customers about data breaches within 30 days after discovering that hackers got in. The varying state data laws that exist today both leave people vulnerable and create headaches for businesses, the president argues. The speech will also include a voluntary deal that makes it easier to get your credit score and find out if a data thief wrecked your financial reputation.
President Obama uses Facebook and Vine to preview his free college plan
President Barack Obama is previewing parts of his State of the Union address in a bid to drum up support ahead of the big speech, and his latest effort is breaking some ground -- both in the policy and how he's presenting it. The head of state took to Facebook, Twitter and Vine to unveil a proposal that would give Americans two free years of community college so long as they maintain good grades and graduate. It's a rare move for discussing politics online. While the president regularly makes announcements on social networks, it's not often that you get a peek at the State of the Union while you're catching up on friends' status updates and looping cat videos.
Top stories from 2014, Google talks Title II and other stories you might've missed
Happy New Year, folks! To celebrate the start of 2015, we rounded up all stories that helped make the past 365 days so memorable -- and they're just a click away. Head on down to the gallery below for the stories that defined 2014 and more, including The Interview's aftermath, why sitting will kill you and Google's plan for Fiber under Title II. You know you want to.
Here's how the first 3D-printed presidential portrait was made
One of the highlights of the White House's first-ever Maker Faire was another first: a 3D-printed portrait that recreated the President's head with uncanny detail. But just how did this eerily realistic image come to be? The White House is more than eager to explain, apparently. As you'll see in the clip below, the bust's creators (Autodesk, 3D Systems, the Smithsonian and the University of Southern California) surrounded President Obama with 50 LED lights, 14 cameras and handheld 3D scanners to capture every nuance of his skin. After that, they used high-resolution 3D printers to recreate the hyper-detailed model. It's not clear if this will become a custom for future US presidents. However, it's easy to see this technology becoming a valuable historical tool -- you could always know exactly what heads of state (and celebrities, for that matter) looked like in their prime.
