Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Ex-NSA Worker Pleads Guilty to Taking Classified Data

    By
    eWEEK Staff
    -
    December 5, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Today’s topics include a former NSA employee pleading guilty to taking classified data home; a new Senate bill proposing prison time for failing to report data breaches; Microsoft modernizing its Redmond, Wash., campus starting in 2018; and a new Windows 10 Timeline feature helping users resume past tasks.

      The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Dec. 1 that former National Security Agency developer Nghia Hoang Pho pleaded guilty to charges that he took classified information to his home, to which Russian operatives allegedly were able to gain access.

      Pho worked for the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations Unit from 2006 until 2016 and had access to data and documents that included classified and top secret national defense information. “According to the plea agreement, beginning in 2010 and continuing through March 2015, Pho removed and retained U.S. government documents and writings that contained national defense information, including information classified as Top Secret and Sensitive Compartmented Information,” the DOJ stated.

      According the New York Times, Pho’s home computer was running antivirus software from Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab. The software in turn was allegedly exploited by Russian hackers, who were able to steal secret NSA information from Pho’s home system.

      If a new Senate bill called the “Data Security and Breach Notification Act” introduced on Nov. 30 is passed, the failure to report a breach in a timely manner could land the people who knew about it in prison for as long as five years.

      Introduced by three Democratic senators, the bill covers a wide range of topics involving the protection and destruction of data containing personal information, and puts the Federal Trade Commission in charge of enforcing penalties for data breaches.

      Besides imposing significant penalties for the failure to report a breach, the bill contains provisions controlling how personal information, including names, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers, must be protected. The bill also exempts organizations from the worst penalties if a data breach occurs if they protected customer data through data encryption.

      In the fall of 2018, Microsoft will embark on a “multi-year campus refresh,” announced Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, on Nov. 28. The ambitious, five- to seven-year project involves replacing 12 existing structures and putting up 18 airy new buildings at the company’s East Redmond, Wash., campus. In an environmentally friendly move, the new construction will feature energy monitoring systems powered by Microsoft’s own Azure cloud-computing platform.

      “Today Microsoft has 125 buildings in the Puget Sound region,” said Smith. “When this project is complete, our main campus will be comprised of 131 buildings of modern workspace for the 47,000 employees who work here every day, plus room to … add up to 8,000 more people,” he added.

      Microsoft is also investing $150 million in transportation infrastructure, green spaces, public areas and athletic fields.

      First demonstrated during the Microsoft Build conference in May, a new Timeline feature will soon be arriving in Windows Insider preview builds of Windows 10 that will allow users to resume tasks they had to shelve earlier.

      Timeline is a visual interface that allows users to jump back into the applications, files and websites they were working on at a given time. It uses Adaptive Cards, a cross-platform format that enables developers to display content in a manner that adapts to the look and feel of the host application, preventing jarring mismatches in the visual styles and behaviors in integrated applications. Selecting a card will allow users to pick up where they left off, even across supported devices.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×