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: Barrons by AFP - Agence France Presse - April 27, 2025
Iraqi authorities have arrested a suspected member of the Islamic State group for inciting a January truck-ramming attack that killed 14 people in the US city of New Orleans, Iraq's judiciary said Sunday.
The city in the southern state of Louisiana was plunged into a panic early on New Year's Day when a US army veteran, who the FBI said had pledged loyalty to IS, ploughed a pickup truck into revellers in the crowded French Quarter, famed for its nightlife.
Police killed the suspect in an exchange of fire.
Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said that an IS member "was arrested for inciting the January 2025 truck attack in the United States" after Iraq received a request from Washington to assist in the investigation.
SOURCE: ClearanceJobs by Lindy Kyzer - April 24, 2025
Personnel vetting isn't just a background process—it's the backbone of national security. And at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), that backbone is getting an upgrade.
In a world where threat vectors evolve daily and cleared talent is tougher to recruit than ever, the Trusted Workforce 2.0 personnel vetting overhaul and it's follow-on reforms is one of the most impactful—yet underappreciated—developments in the national security community. And versus previous years where issues were addressed and often reared back, in what seems like continually cyclical reform efforts, an announcement from DCSA this week hopes to ensure that mitigating reforms became continual process improvements.
Late last year, DCSA Director David Cattler greenlit a suite of solutions proposed by the agency's Personnel Vetting Tiger Team. Branded as "quick wins and immediate actions," these aren't just bureaucratic buzzwords—they're measurable changes that are already decreasing case backlogs, improving communication, and bringing a much-needed dose of velocity to the clearance process.
SOURCE: ClearanceJobs by Peter Suciu - May 2, 2025
The first quarter of 2025 saw a marked increase in ransomware hacks, cybersecurity consultancy firm NCC Group warned in a new study. Ransomware attacks and leaks were at an all-time high. That was the bad news. The even worse news is that it could get worse as attackers are employing evermore convincing attacks, tricking users by making it look like emails and texts are coming from HR and IT departments.
According to NCC Group, Q1 2025 saw a 28% increase in cyber attacks over the previous quarter. The cybercriminal group Cl0p, believed to have ties to Russia, was responsible for the most ransomware attacks during the quarter, at 19%. Second was Akira, with a 52% increase in attacks over the previous quarter, and third most active was RansomHub.
This year has seen a marked increase in "malvertising," which exploits online advertisements to disseminate malware. The number of malvertising attacks heavily increased throughout 2024 and is likely to remain a pervasive threat in 2025.
SOURCE: Justice.gov – April 23, 2025
Dale Britt Bendler, 68, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty today to, while being a public official at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), acting as a foreign agent required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and removing classified material, classified up to the SECRET//NOFORN level, from authorized locations without authority and with the intent to retain such material at an unauthorized location.
As described in the plea agreement, starting in 2014, Bendler began working as a full-time contractor at the CIA with a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. Before he was a CIA contractor, Bendler spent over 30 years working for the CIA as an intelligence officer and retired as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service in 2014. Beginning in July 2017 and continuing through at least July 2020, while a full-time CIA contractor and TS/SCI clearance holder, Bendler worked with a U.S. lobbying firm and engaged in unauthorized and hidden lobbying and public relations activities on behalf of foreign national clients. As described in the plea agreement, Bendler's undisclosed lobbying activities included an attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence a foreign government's embezzlement investigation of one of Bendler's foreign national clients and a separate attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence the U.S. government's decision as to whether to grant a U.S. visa to another of Bendler's clients, who was alleged to be associated with terrorism financing. In exchange for his unauthorized outside activities, Bendler was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars.
SOURCE: SecurityInfowatch.com by Eran Barak – May 13, 2025
In an era of economic uncertainty, workforce turnover is higher than ever. Companies frequently restructure, lay off staff or see employees transition to competitors. Yet, many organizations fail to recognize a critical security risk: former employees who retain access to sensitive data.
Recent events highlight how insider threats — from disgruntled former employees to corporate espionage — can lead to data breaches and national security concerns. Workforce reductions across federal agencies have created new security challenges, particularly as reports indicate that China has been actively recruiting former U.S. federal employees. These developments serve as stark reminders that data security doesn't end when an employee leaves an organization.
SOURCE: Breaking Defense by Theresa Hitchens – May 12, 2025
WASHINGTON — When the Space Force recently put out a forward-leaning "warfighting" framework, it included an unusually blunt warning for military commanders: ensure the rules of engagement for space operations aren't too restrictive, or the US will be at a severe disadvantage in the heavens.
That warning was public, but Breaking Defense has learned it comes amid a parallel push by the Space Force and US Space Command (SPACECOM) over the last several years to gain more military decision-making control over the use of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons — decision-making authority that has historically been closely held by the president and/or the secretary of defense.
While delegation of presidential authority with regard to space weapons is obscured by deep secrecy and classification, discussions by Breaking Defense with more than a dozen sources — including former Pentagon and US government civilian officials, retired and current military officials and outside space experts — have revealed that gradual but ground-breaking shifts in military freedom to prosecute war in the heavens have begun to take place in response to growing threats from Russia and, in particular China.
SOURCE: Nextgov/FCW by David DiMolfetta – April 9, 2025
Chinese intelligence entities are deploying online efforts to recruit unwitting current and former federal employees, according to a document from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center released Tuesday amid sweeping layoffs that have impacted much of the federal workforce.
China and other groups are "targeting current and former U.S. government (USG) employees for recruitment by posing as consulting firms, corporate headhunters, think tanks, and other entities on social and professional networking sites," said the document, which also contains seals from the Justice Department and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.
"Their deceptive online job offers, and other virtual approaches, have become more sophisticated in targeting unwitting individuals with USG backgrounds seeking new employment," it said, adding that workers with security clearances must remember their obligation to protect classified information, even after leaving government service.
SOURCE: justice.gov by Office of Public Affairs – May 29, 2025
An IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested today for attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government.
Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, of Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested today in northern Virginia, and will make his initial court appearance in the Eastern District of Virginia tomorrow.
"The conduct alleged in this case is a profound betrayal of the American people and a direct threat to our national security," said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division. "When someone entrusted with access to classified information attempts to provide it to a foreign government, it jeopardizes our intelligence capabilities, our military advantage, and the safety of our nation. The National Security Division is committed to using every tool available to uncover, disrupt, and hold accountable those who seek to harm the United States."
SOURCE: CDSE
This course reviews the Triple Threat in a variety of areas from Advesaries' Goals though Protecting Yourself and Reporting.