DOJ Unveils New Cybersecurity Task Force

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new cybersecurity task force aimed at improving ways the U.S combats cyber threats and improving cyber threat response.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of the Cyber-Digital Task Force last Tuesday that will probe ways to fight foreign interference in US elections and deter attacks on American infrastructure, information theft, large-scale digital attacks, reduce online terrorist recruiting, and defend against cyber-attacks against businesses and individuals.

The DOJ Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, will appoint a senior department official to lead this new task force, which will include representatives from 10 DOJ bureaus, including the Office of the CIO, Criminal and National Security Divisions, the ATF, FBI, DEA, and more. Rosenstein also has the ability to invite additional members from other bureaus, or even other agencies to contribute to the task force.

In a statement made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he claims, “The internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate, and participate in our economy, but these tools can also be exploited by criminals, terrorists, and enemy governments. That is why today I am ordering the creation of a Cyber-Digital Task Force to advise me on the most effective ways that this department can confront these threats and keep the American people safe.”

Sessions has ordered the task force to provide a report describing the DOJ's current "cyber-related activities" and initial recommendations by June 30, 2018.

In other news, last Tuesday, a group of national security experts and political activists backed a bi-partisan bill aimed at improving voting infrastructure across the US, claiming this is the best way to secure US voting systems before the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election.

The Secure Elections Act, which was originally introduced in the Senate by three Republicans and three Democrats—would provide money to state and local governments to upgrade their voting systems. It would also create new cybersecurity standards and help local election officials obtain security clearances to be better educated about classified threats.

At an organization level, NNT suggests implementing standards such as the NIST 800-171 compliance controls or CIS Controls at a minimum to help improve your security hygiene. These controls are essential to a successful security foundational and outline prioritized, highly focused sets of actions to achieve compliance with government security requirements.