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New Senior DHS Cyber Official Aims to Deliver Better Data to Threat Analysts (Sean Lyngaas, Cyberscoop)
The Department of Homeland Security’s new senior cybersecurity official has his marching orders: Streamline the reams of data collected by analysts at DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency so it’s all more useful for tracking hackers.
“One of my top three priorities” will be “modernizing all of our data systems, tools, AI, and analytics,” Bryan S. Ware, CISA’s assistant director for cybersecurity said Tuesday in some of his first public remarks since being tapped for the role. CISA needs to move away from “legacy programs’ and toward “multi-cloud environments” to support its threat analysts, he said.

The Pentagon Must Replace Some Hackable Computer Chips (Paul Frazier, Defense One)
Last year’s vulnerability revelations, combined with the tardiness of manufacturers’ responses, leave the military with an expensive choice.

Meet the Mad Scientist Who Wrote the Book on How to Hunt Hackers (Andy Greenberg, Wired)
Thirty years ago, Cliff Stoll published The Cuckoo’s Egg, a book about his cat-and-mouse game with a KGB-sponsored hacker. Today, the internet is a far darker place—and Stoll has become a cybersecurity icon.

How Open-Source Code Could Help Us Survive Natural Disasters (Bob Lord, Quartz)
Open source data and technology can help us harness the potential of millions of minds coming together to share experiences and collaborate on solutions in a way that no organization or government can do on their own.
If we apply this same approach to more of our societies’ most complex challenges, imagine what a difference we can make.

U.S Cybercom Prepares for Information Warfare in Advance of 2020 Election (Alicia Hope, CPO)
As the 2020 election draws near and concerns about Russian interference in U.S. elections grows, U.S. military cyber officials are developing information warfare tactics that could be deployed against Russian officials and private entities, the Washington Post reported. U.S. Cyber Command, or Cybercom, is developing information warfare tactics ranging from subtle warnings to more direct attacks on Russia’s information warfare capabilities.

Former California Utility Official Unworried by Cyberthreats (Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union Tribune)
The former director of the California Independent System Operator, which oversees 80 percent of the state’s power system, says cyberthreats against the grid face a number of barriers to success.

State Election Officials Will Get Fresh Intelligence Briefing after Iran Tensions (Sean Lyngaas, Cyberscoop)
In the wake of the U.S.-Iran standoff and just weeks before the first Democratic primary, the intelligence community’s lead official for election security will brief state officials on the top cyberthreats to the U.S. electoral process.
Shelby Pierson, the intelligence community’s election threats executive, said that the briefing this Thursday will cover the full gamut of digital threats to U.S. elections, including those emanating from Iran.

When Both Sides Have Drones, How Do You Know Which Ones to Kill? (Patrick Tucker, Defense One)
The U.S. Army recently tested a system that helps defenders wipe the skies of just the unfriendly aerial robots.