There’s been a lot of buzz about blockchain in 2017. It was only a few months ago in March 2017 that Betanews predicted that blockchain would be the buzzword that would take 2017 by storm. And it did, expanding beyond the financial community where it’s had a home for several years and breaking into other enterprise sectors.

But few foretold that blockchain would have such a hand in government digital transformation in 2017. In fact, the two go hand in hand.

What is Blockchain?

Agencies breathed a sigh of relief at the end of 2016 as they met the Managing Government Records Directive (OMB Memo M-12-18) for managing all email records in an electronic format (a big step in ensuring the accountability and transparency of the federal government).

Identity management, the process of identifying individuals in your system and controlling the access they have to certain resources, is an area of cyber security that state and local government employees have quite a bit of confidence in. Yet data shows there’s room for improvement.

Want a good idea of “what’s coming next” in federal IT? Look no further than the financial services industry.

Consider the similarities between financial firms and government agencies. Both are highly regulated and striving for greater agility and efficiency and better control of their networks and data—not to mention both are highly regulated. Meanwhile, cybersecurity remains a core necessity for organizations in both industries.

Does your organization suffer from security fatigue? They probably do. That’s according to a new study from NIST.

Common symptoms of security fatigue include updating your password with a slight variation on the last one and a “weariness or reluctance to deal with computer security.”  All of which can cause computer users to feel and act recklessly.

Data dissemination and file sharing between agencies and law enforcement authorities is a natural part of government business. But what happens when those files leave the security of domain-controlled network drives and content management systems?

Our very own Chief Cybersecurity Technologist and Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) fellow, Don Maclean, recently joined fellow fellows Robert Lord (Protenus), John Menkahart (Securonix), Dr. Ron Ross (NIST) and ICIT co-founder and senior fellow, Parham Eftekhari on Capitol Hill to discuss the risks and threats associated with cyber attacks on healthcare facilities.

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.

Could user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) be the missing piece of the puzzle that security teams have been waiting for in their bid to outmaneuver threat actors?

The Most Critical Skills Gap: Cybersecurity

Since Target’s hack back in 2013, cybersecurity has been top of mind for organizations, especially those with sensitive information. However, the talent pool of those who are skilled in intrusion detection, secure software development and attack mitigation is not growing at the same rate as the demand. Many reasons contribute to this disconnect, including a lack of training in higher education and a 53% increase in need.