October 14 2022

This Week in Washington 

• StateScoop: More than $1.35 billion has been awarded to 94 tribal entities since August. “We are making an historic investment in tribal communities to ensure reliable, affordable high-speed internet for all,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a press release.
• Washington Post: Public officials in Washington for years have sparred along partisan lines over whether social media platforms take down too much or too little hate speech and misinformation. A council launching this week aims to sidestep those disputes by proposing reforms that tackle issues of bipartisan concern, including children’s safety and national security.
• The Hill: As cyberattacks continue to rise, the federal government is contemplating whether it should step in to help private insurance companies cover some of the costs related to severe cyber incidents.
• Ars Technica: The Federal Communications Commission is hoping to solve one of the thorniest problems in the fight against robocalls: how to verify caller ID on older landlines that don’t use Internet Protocol (IP) technology.
• The 74: Just a quarter of eligible households are taking advantage of a federal program to provide students with free or inexpensive internet access, according to a new report released Tuesday. The $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program provides a monthly $30 broadband benefit for low-income families and a one-time $100 voucher for a device.

Article Summary

• Axios: Most states will require local governments to use a new $1 billion pool of cyber grant funding to implement cybersecurity training programs for their employees, according to a new survey.
• NPR: As the midterm election approaches, researchers and private sector firms are racing to track false claims about everything from ballot harvesting to voting machine conspiracies.
• Financial Times: Leading chip equipment suppliers have suspended sales and services to semiconductor manufacturers in China, as new US export controls disrupt the Chinese tech industry and global companies’ operations.
• Washington Post: In a string of recent incidents, members of notorious ransomware gangs have leaked sensitive information. The incidents pose a major question for hacking groups: Who can you trust if you can’t trust your colleagues?
• Boston Globe: Massachusetts is receiving $145 million to bring broadband access to parts of the state that currently lack high-speed Internet connections, officials said Thursday.

Featured Podcast

The Cybrary Podcast

• Podcast on Cybersecurity Skilling
  A skill shortage is pervading the cybersecurity industry. But what is the root cause of the problem, and how can employers fill more job roles? Dave Kennedy, CEO and founder of TrustedSec, and Chloé Messdaghi, Chief Impact Officer at Cybrary, discuss hiring and training best practices in the security world. Learn how you can break into the cybersecurity field from any educational or technical background! (How to Build a Cybersecurity Career with Dave Kennedy – September 28, 2022)