The United States is facing a significant cybersecurity workforce shortage, with NIST identifying over 500,000 open cyber positions and estimating there are 74 workers for every 100 cyber jobs. This shortage threatens both the nation’s private sector security profile and federal agencies struggling to compete for cybersecurity professionals. As such, the government is working to support cyber education in the United States. In the meantime, departments will also likely need to implement cyber solutions that can aid in accommodating for the workforce shortfall.

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission recently released a groundbreaking report detailing 75 recommendations for improving the cybersecurity of the nation, including both the private and public sectors. The Commission, bipartisan in both name and spirit, conducted over 300 meetings with industry, academia, U.S. government, think tanks and foreign governments. I had the privilege of participating in this effort. The result is a comprehensive report that urges immediate and concrete action on its recommendations, organized into six pillars”:

Although state and local technology leaders are increasingly prioritizing cybersecurity in their operations, government has a long way to go in securing critical information and systems from cyberattacks.

In light of this struggle, Route Fifty, in partnership with CrowdStrike, recently hosted a webcast that showcases the work of state and local governments who have undergone a transformation in cybersecurity protocols – and the challenges they continue to face.

Cybersecurity endures as a top priority for federal agencies, the Trump administration, and Congress. So whatever other budget battles that might lie ahead, cyber will remain an important opportunity. In fact, two recent reports ought to scare the heck out of not just agency managers but pretty much every American.

The “National Cyber Strategy”, released recently by the White House, offers a broad blueprint for America’s approach to cybersecurity.  Let’s look its four “pillars”, and their key elements.

“Cyber Hygiene”:  you know the term, but what does it really mean? Some say it is an ill-defined set of practices for individuals to follow (or ignore). Others say it is a measure of an organization’s overall commitment to security.  Still, others think of “cyber hygiene” as simple, readily available technologies and practices for cybersecurity.

With the mid-term elections looming, protecting the integrity of our most basic democratic right has become a matter of critical importance.  According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties in a digital world, election security remains just as vulnerable as in 2016 and encourages Secretaries of State to be pressed to do their job and increase security before voters cast their ballo

This month, Symantec caught up with Don Maclean, Chief Cyber Security Technologist, DLT, to get his thoughts on today’s top cyber challenges. You can hear more from Don at the Symantec Government Symposium on Oct. 30, as he shares his perspective on the “Aligning Cyber Priorities and Modernization Policies” panel.

Cloud adoption among government agencies is reaching an inflection point. Driven by the cloud’s cost-efficiencies and ability to offer an improved citizen experience, faster delivery of mission capabilities, agile development, and scale applications up and down, much of the initial reticence about cloud models is dissipating.

Last year, we reviewed threat reports from numerous companies and organizations.  At the time, a couple of simple themes emerged: too many systems were unpatched, and phishing was a predominant means of intrusion.  These themes are still present a year later, but some new trends have arisen to keep them company.