Overnight Cybersecurity: K Street races for cyber business

This is the first issue of The Hill's new OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY memo, which brings you news from the world of hacking and data privacy. If you'd like to receive it regularly, please sign up here:http://goo.gl/KZ0b4A  --- THE HILL'S OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY: K Street races for cyber business February 23, 2015 By Cory Bennett and Elise Viebeck Welcome to the inaugural installment of OVERNIGHT CYBERSECURITY, your daily run-down of today's biggest news and tomorrow's most important stories in the world of hacking and data privacy. We're here to connect the dots as leaders in government, policy and industry begin to wrap their arms around cyberthreats. What lies ahead for Congress, the administration and the latest company under siege? Whether you're a consumer, a techie or a D.C. lifer, we're here to give you ... THE BIG STORIES: --K STREET FIRMS JOCKEY FOR CYBER SUPREMACY: Washington's main lobbying corridor is abuzz with talk of cybersecurity as law firms and influence peddlers compete to gain valuable share in the emerging market. Evidence of the rat race litters legal tabloids, lobbying disclosure forms and job boards, confirming that cyber threats are not only fodder for headlines -- they present a major business opportunity for D.C.'s most powerful firms. "Everyone believes this is going to be the next hot thing," headhunter Ivan Adler, a principal at the Arlington-based McCormick Group, told The Hill. "What I'm telling staffers is: if you have a chance to gain that kind of experience in cyber, you should do it." The competition for clients is only expected to heat up as the 114th Congress gets fully underway. To read our full piece, click here: http://bit.ly/1D55cDd --NSA CHIEF SAYS BACKDOORS 'KIND OF SHADY': National Security Agency (NSA) Director Adm. Michael Rogers doesn't like the term "backdoor," he acknowledged Monday, but he still wants technology companies to provide a way for the government to access user data if it would help solve crimes. Rogers was challenged by Yahoo's chief information security officer, Alex Stamos, in a testy exchange. "It sounds like you [think] ... we should be building defects into the encryption in our products so that the U.S. government can decrypt communications," Stamos said. "That would be your characterization, not mine," retorted Rogers. To read our full piece, click here:http://bit.ly/1LzK5iA --ONE TWITTER TAKE: Christopher Soghoian @csoghoian The toxic exchange between Yahoo CISO @alexstamos and NSA Dir Rogers speaks volumes about the Silicon Valley / US gov relationship. --A GUIDE TO TOP HACKERS: Power ebbs and flows in the shadowy world of hackers, but a handful of groups have managed to build global reputations. Whether it's through media attention, startling cyberattacks or collaborations with industry, hacker collectives use a variety of methods to solidify and expand their influence. Lizard Squad, the Chaos Computer Club and Deep Panda are three groups to know. To read our full piece, click here:http://bit.ly/1zARveb --BECAUSE WE LOVE THE OSCARS: In case you missed it, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences urged Hollywood not to give into fear in the wake of the cyberattack on Sony. The rousing defense of freedom of expression from Cheryl Boone Isaacs was the only reference to the massive hack at Sunday night's Oscar awards, where the documentary film "Citizenfour" about Edward Snowden won in its category. Too bad "Blackhat" didn't get any kudos. To read our full piece, click here: http://bit.ly/1JExHAw --YOUR REGULAR DOSE OF EDWARD SNOWDEN: The world's most famous former NSA contractor received a warm welcome on Reddit Monday -- no surprise there -- as he addressed news that the United States has the ability to access billions of people's cell phone communications. How did the government gain this power? By breaking into the network of a SIM card manufacturer and stealing the keys -- a move that "screwed all of us," according to Snowden. He also said he should have come forward sooner with details of NSA spying. To read full coverage of his "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session, click here: http://bit.ly/1ADN4C3 and here: http://bit.ly/1D51IjU --TURBO TAX SAYS HANDS CLEAN: "These allegations are without merit and are based on these individuals' misunderstanding of the facts and their mischaracterization of our business." That was TurboTax in a blog post Monday, rebutting allegations that it knowingly let cyber crooks file false tax returns and made millions of dollars in the process. To read our full piece, click here: http://bit.ly/1BgMyx4 A LOOK AHEAD: --WEDNESDAY: At a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Department of Homeland Security officials will face lawmakers' questions on the agency's plans to enhance cybersecurity information sharing between the government and private sector. The White House has been pushing to make the DHS the lead agency on government cybersecurity efforts. --THURSDAY: When the White House unveiled its updated cybersecurity legislative agenda in January, the administration said it would release a "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" legislative proposal within 45 days. Thursday is the deadline for the offering, and the administration has been mum on whether it will have a proposal ready by then. --FRIDAY: DHS funding expires at the end of the month and Congress still seems far away from a deal. Although the agency's major cybersecurity functions are deemed "essential" and would continue under a shutdown, former DHS officials have warned that the budget uncertainty is hampering the agency's cyber efforts. AN UPDATE ON CYBER POLICY: The Senate Intelligence Committee this week is expected to release its version of a bill to expand cyber data sharing between the public and private sectors. A markup of the eventual bill (draft here) could come as early as next week. LIGHTER CLICK: Edward Snowden took it in stride when Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris joked that the exiled government leaker "couldn't be here for some treason." "To be honest, I laughed at NPH," Snowden said during a Reddit AMA. "I don't think it was meant as a political statement, but even if it was, that's not so bad. My perspective is if you're not willing to be called a few names to help out your country, you don't care enough. 'If this be treason, then let us make the most of it.'" IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Links from our blog, The Hill, and around the Web. One side effect from normalizing U.S.-Cuban relations? Increased Cuban cybersecurity. (The Hill) The cyberwar between the United States and Iran is heating up against the backdrop of nuclear talks in Geneva. (The Hill) The government is building "psychic" software to predict hacks before they happen. (NextGov) Organizers for the desert camping, artistic fest free-for-all that is Burning Man are tracking down and cancelling the ticket orders of Silicon Valley engineers who hacked the ticket system to guarantee themselves access to the annual event. (Wired) If you're one of the 72 percent of Americans that looks up health-related information online, your searches are being sent to the same companies that monitor your credit score. (Vice) Up to 800,000 LinkedIn premium users are getting money from the professional social networking site after the company settled a class action suit alleging poor security measures caused the breach of 6.5 million passwords. (The New York Times)