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As the status of the dual-hat leadership structure of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command remains under review, the Government Accountability Office teamed up with Pentagon officials to identify the advantages and disadvantages of such a change in a new report.

The benefits of the current arrangement, as identified by officials from the Department of Defense, involve collaboration, faster decision making and resource efficiency.

But the big downside is that wider access to NSA's toolkit of exploits increases the risk that destructive bugs will get loose as has been seen recently.

GAO was directed to conduct the review in the report language of a recent defense bill.

Auditors found that because one officer calls the shots for two organizations, senior leaders from each organization have visibility into the procedures of the other, allowing for natural coordination on capability development, testing and business processes.

"In the absence of the dual-hat, [NSA] and CyberCom would need to formalize these internal processes in order to maintain them," auditors write.

Another advantage is that the single leader for both organizations allows for faster decision-making because it doesn't require building consensus across commands.

Officials from several DOD components, including NSA and CyberCom, told GAO that the structure allows the two organizations to make efficient use of their resources by sharing digital and physical infrastructure and by combining employee training sessions.

DOD officials also detailed the disadvantages of the dual-hat approach.

Officials reported concerns about preferential prioritization of one organization's requests for support over the other's, concerns that may only be exacerbated as CyberCom is set to receive the authorities of a unified combatant command.

And, as previously noted, CyberCom's use of NSA's tools and infrastructure increases the risk those tools being leaked or exposed.

Because of the wide range of responsibilities of the two organizations, and as CyberCom is elevated to become a full combatant command, DOD officials expressed concerns that the duties may be too broad for a single officer to realistically handle.

Although they both operate in cyberspace, the missions of CyberCom and NSA also have an inherent tension. CyberCom focuses primarily on conducting military operations, while NSA's mission is primarily intelligence-based.

DOD officials also told auditors that while the sharing of resources is efficient, the resource allocation between the two entities is sometimes unclear. They stated that DOD does not have an official position on the advantages and disadvantages of the dual-hat structure.

The report also includes actions that could limit potential risks of splitting the leadership.

While there is broad support from current and former officials, including former President Barack Obama, for elevating Cyber Command to the level of an independent combatant command, the idea of splitting the agencies has received some pushback.

Legislatively, 2017 National Defense Authorization Act stated that the dual-hat role, which dates back to CyberCom's creation in 2009, will remain in place until an assessment is conducted about the potential security risks of splitting the current structure.

The 2018 bill submitted by the House Armed Services Committee includes a $647 million boost to support the elevation of U.S. Cyber Command to a full combatant command level, but omits new language about an eventual split of the NSA and CyberCom.

About the Author

Chase Gunter is a staff writer covering civilian agencies, workforce issues, health IT, open data and innovation.

Prior to joining FCW, Gunter reported for the C-Ville Weekly in Charlottesville, Va., and served as a college sports beat writer for the South Boston (Va.) News and Record. He started at FCW as an editorial fellow before joining the team full-time as a reporter.

Gunter is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where his emphases were English, history and media studies.

Click here for previous articles by Gunter, or connect with him on Twitter: @WChaseGunter

Original post:
Should NSA and CyberCom split? A watchdog weighs in - FCW.com

Speaker Showcase

Saturday, September 9th, 2017

COMING TO DC FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

We are proud to announce our First Speaker Showcase.

Location of video shoot, Saturday program:

Gaithersburg High School Auditorium 101 Education Blvd. Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Who is Chris? The darling of the video industry. He has helped countless numbers of NSA members to create their brand through video, including Laurie Guest, Liz Weber, Gregg Gregory, Susan Fitzell, and Manley Feinberg. His work is so good that he was invited to NSAs last Winter Conference!

Click HERE to view a special video from Chris West!

Videographer: Chris West, Video Narrative

ONLY 21 Spaces available!

Your prepayment is required to reserve your spot.

Once 21 spaces are sold out, the event is sold out.

When you are assigned a morning - or afternoon time slot - you agree to arrive at the start and stay for the entire day.

You will receive raw footage, 3-4 camera shots, including audience shots. You will be onstage for 12-15 minutes.

Cost to participate as a speaker/presenter: $350 (NSA-DC or SA member); contact info@nsadc.org for non-member pricing

Observer:Free, so invite your friends and family to see you in action!*

*This includes the opportunity to see your colleagues, and our video team in action; become the live audience and learn simply by being present!Top videos are produced with a combination of top speaking talent and top of the line video productioncome for the experience and stay for the education!

To secure a slot as a speaker/presenter, click HERE.

To register as an observer, click HERE.

WHO CAN SIGN UP WHEN:

**Call for pricing for your chapter!

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL TERMS:No refunds for any reason, unless the event does not take place.If you are unable to attend, your registration and time slot is transferable (membership requirements apply - depending on when you signed up). If we sell out, we will keep a wait list. If you need to cancel, we will attempt to sell your space and process a refund for you (less $50 processing fee).

See the article here:
NSA-DC - Speaker Showcase with Chris West

Kim Dotcom has been of interest to the US government and law enforcement agencies for some time, and it was ruled that the Mega and Megaupload founder could be extracted to the US. But now it seems that the NSA was spying on the internet entrepreneur after surveillance was supposed to have stopped.

New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) had been working with the NSA on a joint surveillance operation called Operation Debut. While surveillance was supposed to have stopped in January 2012, it has emerged that the NSA continued to use GCSB's technology without its knowledge.

According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, GCSB "lost control of its surveillance technology" and later discovered that it had been used to continue to spy on Dotcom for at least an additional two months. The information has come to light in new documents released by the GCSB to the High Court.

The admission is being used as evidence that the NSA was illegally spying on Dotcom while he was resident in New Zealand, using GCSB equipment. It is not clear how this surveillance operation could have been continued by the NSA without GCSB's knowledge, but Dotcom has issued a warning:

New Zealanders must know how much power a foreign state holds over their private information. The NSA has unrestricted access to GCSB surveillance systems. In fact, most of the technology the GCSB uses was supplied by the NSA. If the GCSB was aiding and abetting the NSA to spy directly on New Zealanders then the seriousness of the situation has changed dramatically and a truly independent inquiry and a new criminal investigation will be unavoidable.

The documents show that GCSB systems were also used to illegally spy on an additional 88 people.

Photo credit: Kim Dotcom

Read the original:
NSA illegally spied on Kim Dotcom in New Zealand - BetaNews

For the past few years, there has been much discussion regarding the separation of these two agencies as CYBERCOM was co-located with NSA at its standing up to help get the organization on its feet. As their capabilities and capacities mature, there has arisen a heated argument between some in the executive branch and in Congress to split the two, something that was always envisioned with no clear timeline indicated.

According to officials, DoD does not have an official position on the advantages and disadvantages of the dual-hat leadership arrangement of NSA/CSS and CYBERCOM, GAOs report said. As of March 2017, DoD officials informed us that DoD had not determined whether it would end the dual-hat leadership arrangement and was reviewing the steps and funding necessary to meet the requirements established in the law.

Advantages include more in-depth coordination and collaboration, faster decision-making and more efficient use of resources.

Disadvantages, meanwhile, citing comments from officials canvased, include:

Congress has stipulated a series of measures the government must meet prior to severing the dual-hat, one of which is the cyber mission force must reach full operational capability, something that is not slated to occur until September 2018.

The GAO report also outlined, based on conversations with DoD officials, efforts to mitigate risks associated with ending the dual-hat. They include:

View original post here:
What do DoD officials think of splitting NSA/CYBERCOM dual hat? - Federal Times

NSA awards $174000 grant to CSU to help develop cybersecurity tool Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Further cementing its ambitions as a national powerhouse in cybersecurity education, Columbus State University announced Tuesday that it received a $174,000 grant from the National Security Agency to develop a new tool for rapid cybersecurity training ...

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NSA awards $174000 grant to CSU to help develop cybersecurity tool - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer