Cybersecurity in the News

Policymakers and the military are continuing their focus on cybersecurity, with the military stepping up hiring, nations acknowledging the threat of cybersecurity and HHS working to strengthen security around online medical records.  Meanwhile, DowJones VentureSource has announced an upswing in VC investments.  The stories below highlight key policy news from the week of July 19.

Military Stepping Up Cybersecurity Hiring – The Air Force has granted hiring officials special authority to use a streamlined hiring process to fill nearly 700 new cybersecurity positions, according to Information Week.

Nations Team Up to Reduce Cyberwarfare Threat – A group of 15 nations have, for the first time, stated they are willing to work together to reduce the threat of attack on each others’ computer networks, according to the Washington Post.  The U.S., China and Russia were all parties to the group, which recommended that the U.N. create norms of accepted behavior in cyberspace, exchange information on national legislation and cybersecurity strategies, and strengthen the capacity of less-developed countries to protect their computer systems.

HHS Tightens the Reigns on Health IT Security – The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT is rolling out an 18-month effort to strengthen security and cybersecurity efforts within health IT.  ExecutiveGov reports that ONC is asking the public to share their experiences with electronic health records.

Tech VC Going Strong in Q2 – Businessweek has reported that the amount of money people are putting into US venture capital investments has nearly returned to pre-recession levels during the second quarter of FY2010.