Not surprisingly, the Russians have made cyber-headlines with week, starting with the Department of Justice’s announcement on Monday that it had charged six officers of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) with “worldwide deployment of destructive malware and other disruptive actions in cyberspace.” By Tuesday, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) announced that Russian hackers were targeting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games organizers, logistics services and sponsors, according to ZDNet. By the week’s end, we saw more news of the European Union imposing sanctions on Russian military officials for a 2015 cyberattack on the German parliament.

There’s also been lots of news about ransomware, but IoT Business News warned that ransomware is not the only threat to be wary of. Botnets have seen significant growth, which is particularly concerning for IoT devices. A new HEH botnet is reportedly able to launch attacks on IoT devices and systems, though the success of the attacks depends on the strength of passwords and exposed ports. Also, according to Mobile World Live, Nokia has seen “an alarming rise in the number of IoT devices infected by…

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A global pandemic, record unemployment and college campuses shifting to virtual classrooms have created the “perfect storm” for cybercrime in higher education, according to Information Technology Services officials.

An email sent out on April 10 by Student Information Services said the COVID-19 pandemic has increased cybercrime and phishing attacks by around 670%.

After campus shut-downs began, El Camino’s IT Services had to process requests for remote access for all the endpoints. That meant every device on and off campus, used by every student, faculty and staff members at El Camino College could be a potential breach-point for cybercriminals.

According to the Department of Justice, the Secret Service, and World Health Organization, cybercriminals have been using COVID-19 as a tool for worldwide exploitation.

“Cybercriminals, in general, take advantage of crises,” Loic Audusseau, El Camino College’s Chief Technology Officer, said.

Audusseau heads up all IT operations and strategic initiatives on campus.

“The whole pandemic changed dramatically how we operate, specifically when it comes to technology,” Audusseau said.

Audusseau was hired by El Camino College as…

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• The Defense Department is steadily lifting the travel restrictions it imposed in response to COVID-19. This week’s update from the Pentagon shows just over half of the military’s worldwide installations are now in the “green” category — meaning servicemembers can move to and from those bases without special permission. Four bases were added to the unrestricted list in the past week. DoD considers several factors in deciding whether to change an installation’s status, including whether adequate health care services are available at the base and conditions in the local community.

• Inspectors general on the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee warn a job well done tracking about $3 trillion in coronavirus spending still means billions in fraud. The committee’s acting chairman Michael Horowitz says only 1% of fraudulent spending would rival the Justice Department’s annual budget. He says current indicators suggest that the actual level of misspent funds…

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The Office of Management and Budget has tried at least two other times to get agencies to consolidate and optimize their security operations centers (SOC).

At some departments, there are eight or 10 SOCs, meaning there is no single pane of glass for the chief information security officer, the Department of Homeland Security, or OMB to understand what’s really going on.

Grant Schneider, the federal chief information security officer (CISO), said the latest attempt to improve the value and reduce the number of security operations centers is well underway.

“We have been looking for all agencies to raise the bar. One of the ways we know we want to do that is the focus on shared services,” Schneider said in recent interview on Ask the CIO. “With SOC-as-a-service, DHS is in the process now, as the management office, of setting the standards for what would any service provider in this space need to deliver, and what would they need to be able to achieve. This doesn’t mean DHS will be the only service provider in this space. The Department of Justice is already working to be a service provider in this space as…

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Companies need to be aware of updated guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminal Division governing how the agency will evaluate corporate compliance programs. Released on June 1, 2020, the “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs” (“2020 Revisions”) aids prosecutors in assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of compliance programs when deliberating whether to prosecute or resolve a matter, whether to seek monetary penalties and/or whether to impose corporate monitoring or reporting obligations.

The DOJ has set forth that “in assessing whether a company’s compliance program was effective at the time of the misconduct, prosecutors should consider whether and how the misconduct was detected, what investigation resources were in place to investigate suspected misconduct and the nature and thoroughness of the company’s remedial efforts.” The 2020 Revisions set forth 20 pages of guidance and highlight the substantial benefits for corporations to be proactive about compliance.

Relying on the DOJ’s Justice Manual and its “Principals of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations,” the…

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