National: Why Federal Agencies Face an Array of Cybersecurity Threats | FedTech
The federal government needs to take “bold” appraoches to increasing the cybersecurity of agencies, according to a report the White House released a report last week, which found serious deficiencies in the government’s risk management abilities. In the “Federal Cybersecurity Risk Determination Report and Action Plan,” the Office of Management and Budget and Department of Homeland Security determined that 71 of 96 agencies (74 percent) participating in a federal risk assessment process “have cybersecurity programs that are either at risk or high risk.” OMB and DHS also found that agencies are “not equipped to determine how threat actors seek to gain access to their information.” … Malicious software, or malware, is perhaps the oldest cybersecurity threat, with viruses and worms tracing their roots back to the 1980s. The authors of malware keep pace with improvements in security technologies, and in an ongoing cat-and-mouse game, go to great lengths to keep a foothold in upgraded operating systems and applications by developing stealthier and more effective malware.