Cities and States Not Prepared for Cyber Attacks, FBI Surveillance Backdoors, and More

Here is today’s federal cybersecurity and information technology news:

The State Department‘s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs plans to provide the Mexican Public Security Secretariat with the Mexico Technical Surveillance System to intercept and analyze communications. More here.
In the National Preparedness Report released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency found that cities and states are least prepared to deal with cyber attacks out of a wide range of crises including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and epidemics. More here.
Federal Bureau of Investigation deputy assistant director Steve Chabinsky stated that simply sharing more information between the private and public sectors will not improve cybersecurity, and that the FBI favors collaboration over information sharing. More here.
The FBI is also pushing to require private companies to include surveillance backdoors on social networks, VoIP, instant messaging, and email. More here.
In a recent survey, federal chief information officers listed cybersecurity as their top concern this year, along with budget cuts and extensive White House policy mandates. More here.
North Korea’s ability to jam GPS signals raises concerns over the Army’s Rifleman Radio, which contains a civilian GPS chip that does not pick up military jam-resistant GPS signals. More here.
Court records show a spike in search warrants issued to federal agents for iPhones and iPads. More here.