What is the Federal Data Strategy?
The use of data is transforming the world. The way the Federal Government provides, maintains, and uses data has a unique place in society and maintaining trust in federal data is pivotal to a democratic process. The Federal Government needs a coordinated and integrated approach to using data to deliver on mission, serve the public, and steward resources while respecting privacy and confidentiality.
The Federal Data Strategy will define Principles, Practices, and a Year 1 Action Plan to deliver a more consistent approach to federal data stewardship, use, and access. The Federal Data Strategy development team will also test solutions and assumptions along the way with The Data Incubator Project, which will help identify priority use cases and methods that should be replicated or scaled.
The Facebook – Cambridge Analytica fiasco may have grabbed headlines, but in reality, this is but one example of the data misuse and data privacy issues that are currently impacting nearly every industry sector. Consider for a moment, the potential impact of a cyberattack on a federal government agency. In the face of ever-evolving sophisticated cyber threats, federal agencies require increasingly complex data security solutions. Here are the primary data security concerns we’re currently hearing about from clients in the federal space and our recommendations to address these concerns.
Compromised Communications
Another area in which Washington seeks to outsmart digital criminals is in the prevention of eavesdropping. For example MSI catchers or MDIs (mobile device identifiers), also referred to as stingrays, are rogue mobile cell towers that intercept a phone’s voice and data transmission thereby providing the adversary full access to the individual’s phone conversations and text messages.
Stingray hardware is portable and can easily fit inside a backpack. Any member of Congress or government employee using their cellphone in the street could have their conversation intercepted. Even if the person is in their office, a nearby stingray could capture the call as long as it’s within range. The reality is anyone can easily listen in on official government conversations and messages. The Department of Homeland Security publicly acknowledged this activity in April 2018, but the existence of these devices has been known for years – maybe a decade. The issue has only recently appeared on the public radar, but addressing it is a serious matter of national security.
Standard cell phone service is highly vulnerable to hacking, and even carrier-grade cell services aren’t designed with extensive levels of security. Anytime data is archived with a third party, the chances for a breach increase substantially. For this reason, Silent Circle’s secure communications products use “peer-to-peer” encryption. For phones equipped with our Silent Phone application, any voice or text communication is encrypted from the sender’s device to the other party’s device. End-to-end encryption is truly an ideal defense against stingray interception because even if the conversation gets routed through a cell tower simulator, the communication remains encrypted.
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