- The Department of Homeland Security plans to augment its biometric data collection and social media screening to prevent terrorists from entering the country, DHS chief Jeh Johnson said during his annual "State of Homeland Security" address. Johnson has also directed Customs and Border Protection to deploy "biometric exit" systems -- which would collect data points such as fingerprints from people leaving the country -- at airports by 2018, NextGov reports.

 

- FBI Director James Comey told a Senate panel last week that investigators still have not been able to unlock the encrypted cellphone of one of the terrorists who shot and killed 14 people and wounded more than 20 others in San Bernardino, Calif. in December. "Comey made the comments in response to questions from senators about how encrypted cellphones and other electronic devices can hinder investigations because they cannot be unlocked, even by the companies that made them," writes Erin Kelly for USA Today. "The encryption debate, which often pits security hawks against privacy advocates, has intensified in the wake of the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and Paris."

 

-NPR's Marketplace carried a piece this past week on using hacking competitions to burnish one's resume in the IT field. "Demand is growing for cybersecurity employees, but companies are picky about who they hire," reports Sam Harnett. "Having a computer science degree is helpful, and there are cybersecurity certifications that are supposed to prove your skill. But there's another big resume item out there: winning competitions." Listen to the whole segment here.

 

-The Federal Communications Commission is gearing up to take a more active role in consumer privacy, according to The Hill. "The FCC is expected to craft regulations in the coming months on how broadband providers handle sensitive customer data - and advocates on both sides of the issue are gearing up to make their case," writes David McCabe. Read more here.

 

-The Internal Revenue Service has been battling automated attacks designed to help crooks conduct tax refund fraud, eWeek reports. "On Feb. 9, the IRS confirmed that it was the victim of an automated attack in January that targeted the electronic filing PIN application form on the IRS.gov Website," writes Sean Michael Kerner. "According to the IRS, attackers made use of personal information, including Social Security numbers, that was stolen from other non-IRS Websites. The attackers then used that information in an attempt to generate fraudulent E-File PIN numbers on IRS.gov. With a PIN number, an attacker could have potentially been able to file a tax return or gain access to other taxpayer information. The IRS investigation has found that 464,000 unique Social Security numbers (SSNs) were used in the attack, with 101,000 being successfully able to access the E-File PIN. The IRS is emphasizing that it has halted the attack and is contacting those who are affected."