Point(s) of Contact
Pamela Hamilton / FSO
843.327.3273
pamela@appliedsecurityknowledge.com
Richard Carmichael / ITPSO
678.221.7834
rcarmichael@laochservices.com
DoD Hotline
dodig.mil/hotline / 800.424.9098
SOURCE: CNN by By Kara Scannell– November 12, 2025
Former aide to two NY governors, accused of being Chinese agent, goes on trial for money laundering and fraud
A high-ranking official at the Chinese consulate in New York shipped over a dozen Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by his personal chef to the parents of a former aide to two New York governors. The aide also received tickets to events including a concert at Carnegie Hall and a ballet at Lincoln Center.
And millions of dollars in kickbacks.
Prosecutors allege, in exchange for those gifts, Linda Sun acted as an undisclosed agent of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, where she covertly promoted their agenda and shaped New York state officials' positions for their benefit.
In at least one instance, authorities allege, Sun blocked representatives from the Taiwanese government from meeting with state officials. Another time, Sun prevented a Lunar New Year message from including any references to the detention of Uyghurs, a minority group, held in state-run camps, the indictment alleges.
SOURCE: DefenseScoop by Mikayla Easley - November 10, 2025
Photo: An aerial view of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., May 15, 2023. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. John Wright)
An amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement went into effect Monday, officially mandating that all Defense Department solicitations and contracts include requirements for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 (CMMC 2.0).
And while the road to get CMMC 2.0 across the finish line has been six years in the making, there are still disparities among the defense industrial base's readiness to validate the cybersecurity controls required by the program.
Experts told DefenseScoop that those gaps are largely fueled by CMMC's controversial history, misconceptions of what the rule change means and challenges in proving compliance.
"You could say a lot of things about CMMC, but you can't say you didn't see it coming," Ryan Heidorn, chief technology officer for C3 Integrated Solutions, told DefenseScoop. "I look out over the next 12 months, and I think we are going to see a lot of scrambling within the defense industrial base and within DOD as we try to get our feet under us in terms of what this phased rollout is actually going to mean."
Let's look at what we know and ask some questions:
SOURCE: ConsumerAffairs by Mark Huffman – December 3, 2025
Image (c) ConsumerAffairs. Beware of holiday scams targeting online shoppers, from misleading ads to fake gift offers.
We've all been conditioned to be wary of imposter scams and those fake job offers that show up as texts on a seemingly daily basis. But as holiday shopping ramps up, so do the holiday-focused scams designed to separate consumers from their money, personal data, and holiday cheer.
ConsumerAffairs is seeing increased reports of misleading ads, phishing attempts, fake gift offers, and even bogus Santa apps — all aimed at exploiting seasonal excitement and stress.
Here are some of the most common schemes emerging this year, along with tips on how to stay safe...
SOURCE: National DEFENSE by Josh Luckenbaugh – November 10, 2025
The Defense Department is undergoing a massive transformation of its weapons buying process, and one group that could benefit is companies with little history of doing business with the military, the Pentagon's acquisition and sustainment chief said Nov. 10.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth outlined a series of reforms to the Pentagon's acquisition system in a Nov. 7 speech at the National War College in Washington, D.C., and in particular emphasized the Defense Department's new "commercial first" buying process.
"We will prioritize the purchase of industry driven solutions — commercial solutions first — that meet our needs faster, even if that means bids do not meet every requirement," Hegseth said. "It means that we will be open to buying the 85 percent solution and iterate together over time to achieve the 100 percent solution."
SOURCE: New York Post by Ryan King – November 13, 2025
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress is concerned about TP-Link.AP
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are warning of risks from Chinese Communist Party-linked networking and smart home products that are quietly being sold at Army, Air Force, and Navy exchanges — online military stores.
Fearing Chinese infiltration, 23 lawmakers from both chambers of Congress are pushing the Trump administration to investigate and consider banning products sold by TP-Link Technologies Co. and its affiliates throughout the entire US.
"Open-source information indicates that TP-Link represents a serious and present danger to U.S. ICTS [Information and communications technology] security," the group of 23 lawmakers led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) wrote in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday.
SOURCE: Fox News by Alexandra Koch – November 13, 2025
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a Russian military vessel off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, Thursday, Nov. 13. (United States Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday it detected a Russian military spy vessel operating near U.S. territorial waters Oct. 29, and personnel are continuing to monitor the ship.
Officials said the Vishnya-class intelligence ship was about 15 nautical miles south of Oahu, prompting a response by the Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Barbers Point and the Coast Guard Cutter William Hart.
The Coast Guard responded to the Russian Federation Navy Auxiliary General Intelligence ship, Kareliya, by conducting a safe and professional overflight and transiting near the vessel, according to a news release.
Acting in accordance with international law, the Coast Guard said personnel are monitoring the vessel's activities near U.S. territorial waters to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area.
SOURCE: ClearanceJobs by Phoebe Wells - November 13, 2025
At ClearanceJobs Connect, Brett Mencin of Xcelerate Solutions led a conversation with Bill Pedersen, Program Manager at OPM, to clarify one of the most confusing elements of federal hiring—suitability and fitness.
Pedersen explained that OPM serves as the Suitability and Credentialing Executive Agent, overseeing government-wide policy that ensures America's workforce can be trusted—even in non-national security roles. While clearance determinations primarily assess risk in the person, suitability adds another layer: risk in the position. That distinction explains why an individual may hold a Top Secret clearance yet still be found unsuitable for certain jobs, such as in law enforcement or financial management, where past behavior directly intersects with mission sensitivity.
SOURCE: Federal Trade Commission by BCP Staff – November 25, 2025
Does it feel like the holidays come around faster and faster every year? If you're looking to save time by avoiding the crowds and doing some holiday shopping online, know that scammers camp out online all year long. So if you're planning to shop online for holiday gifts, how can you avoid accidentally running into a scam?
Scammers are everywhere online — ESPECIALLY on social media. They sometimes impersonate real companies and run ads for brand-name products at unusually low prices. But if you click the link in the ad, it could send you to a scammy website designed to take your money in exchange for a counterfeit item, something that looks completely different from the picture in the ad, or nothing at all.
