ADVERTISEMENT Brought to you by Government Executive Cybersecurity Insider Series: What's New in 2012 Meet top-ranking leaders in the federal government's variegated effort to protect the nation from cyber-attacks on civilian, military and contractor databases. The series will begin with a discussion of new developments in government's efforts to protect civilian federal agencies and private-sector critical infrastructure in the new year. Click here to register!

TOP STORIES

• Hackers manipulated railway computers, TSA memo says
  Hackers, possibly from abroad, executed an attack on a Northwest rail company's computers that disrupted railway signals for two days in December, according to a government memo recapping outreach with the transportation sector during the emergency. ... full article
• Hackers take down Justice.gov, threaten to block WhiteHouse.gov
  Hacker collective Anonymous on Thursday evening apparently took out the Justice Department's website and is trying to knock out WhiteHouse.gov in retaliation for the feds taking out movie-trafficking site Megaupload.com. The action comes in the middle of a global debate over U.S. anti-piracy legislation that critics, including the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, argue would reduce the Internet to a surveillance tool that facilitates the type of content-blocking seen in dictatorships.... full article
• House, Senate postpone piracy bills under pressure
  Capping a dramatic week of protests and legislative maneuvering, leaders in the Senate and the House announced on Friday that they are backing off efforts to pass a pair of controversial bills to crack down on foreign websites that use pirated content. .. full article
• Tech caucus leaders: Parties will collaborate on cloud, cybersecurity, other issues
  The co-chairs of the Congressional High Tech Caucus plan to sit together when President Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday.... full article

• Tech industry hopes for more certainty in 2012
  A year after President Obama called for the United States to "out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build" the rest of the world in his 2011 State of the Union speech, the tech industry sees more to be done to get the economy back on track.... full article
• SOPA blackouts: Free speech or 'abuse of power'?
  The unprecedented wave of "blackouts" and other forms of protest that swept the web on Wednesday was designed to call attention to legislation that critics contend will stifle free speech. But the dramatic move sparked debate over whether the protest itself was appropriate for websites that are often themselves arbiters of free speech online. ... full article
• Spending plus online clout put Google in lobbying class of its own
  When Google blacked out its iconic logo last week in protest against antipiracy legislation, it got noticed. But new lobbying disclosures reveal that the search giant has much more than publicity in its Washington toolbox. ... full article
• Grassley: LightSquared supporters pressured me
  Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, accused backers of LightSquared's proposed wireless network on Monday of seeking to pressure him into giving up an investigation into the company's plans.... full article
• A 2006 cyber breach may have impaired Symantec's government customers
  Revelations this week that hackers stole the master keys to Symantec's antivirus programs in 2006 suggest the firm's former federal customers and current remote access users may be dealing with vulnerable software. .. full article
• Hackers claim responsibility for (temporarily) felling CBS.com, after attacking Justice site
  A group of hackers temporarily wiped clean CBS.com, in what seemed to be further retaliation for the government shutdown last week of file-sharing site Megaupload.com.... full article

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Brought to you by Government Executive

Cybersecurity Insider Series: What's New in 2012

Meet top-ranking leaders in the federal government's variegated effort to protect the nation from cyber-attacks on civilian, military and contractor databases. The series will begin with a discussion of new developments in government's efforts to protect civilian federal agencies and private-sector critical infrastructure in the new year.

Click here to register!

CYBERSECURITY REPORT

• Supreme Court Defers to Congress on Smartphone Tracking
  In a potential quandary for Congress, the Supreme Court ruled that government authorities must obtain a warrant before attaching GPS devices, like car-mounted electronics, to track suspects. But they didn't rule on tracing the location of mobile devices, like smartphones, that officers have never touched.... full article
• President's Challenge Site: Temporarily Hack[y] Sacked?
  Visitors to the President's Challenge Physical Activity, Nutrition and Fitness Awards program website on Thursday were in for a surprise when instead of the fitness page they received the following message:... full article