Marcel Brown:  September 14th, 2000. Microsoft launches Windows Millennium, otherwise known as Windows ME, or as Microsoft wanted you to pronounce it, Windows Me. Windows ME would be known for its many problems and is a footnote in history as Windows XP was released just over a year later.

Edwin Kwan: The Australian federal government is now mandating that non -corporate Commonwealth entities appoint a CISO to be responsible for cybersecurity leadership in the entity. The CISO role is expected to complement that of the existing CSO, and in some cases, the same officer may be appointed to both roles.

Katy Craig: The Department of Defense just released an unclassified summary of its 2023 Cyber Strategy, and it’s a must-know for anyone interested in national security and cyber defense. This strategy isn’t just a bunch of buzzwords; it’s grounded in real-world experience.

Mark Miller: As a nine-year-old, I read the original story of a couple who were abducted, examined, and then returned to Earth to tell their stories. Imagine my shock when 60 years later, I personally witnessed my first true UFO sighting last week in White Rock, New Mexico.

 

The Stories Behind the Cybersecurity Headlines

 

Edwin Kwan
Aussie Feds Mandate Entities Have Dedicated CISO

The Australian federal government is now mandating that non -corporate Commonwealth entities appoint a CISO to be responsible for cybersecurity leadership in the entity.

This is Edwin Kwan from Sydney, Australia.

The government recently approved amendments to the Protective Security Policy Framework, the PSPF, which now requires agencies to have a dedicated CISO, as well as a CSO. The CISO role is expected to complement that of the existing CSO, and in some cases, the same officer may be appointed to both roles.

According to the policy framework, The CISO must be appointed and empowered to provide leadership and make decisions about cybersecurity across the entity. The core requirement states that the CISO is responsible for cybersecurity and is empowered to make decisions about the entity’s cyber strategy and associated implementation program. This change is part of the Australian cybersecurity strategy to make Australia the most cyber-secure nation in the world by 2030.

Resources
– gov.AU https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/system/files/2023-08/policy-02-management-structures-and-responsibilities.pdf
– CSO Online https://www-csoonline-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.csoonline.com/article/650982/australian-government-mandates-agencies-appoint-cisos.html/amp/

 

Katy Craig
DoD’s 2023 Cyber Playbook

The Department of Defense just released an unclassified summary of its 2023 Cyber Strategy, and it’s a must-know for anyone interested in national security and cyber defense.

This is Katy Craig in San Diego, California.

This strategy isn’t just a bunch of buzzwords; it’s grounded in real-world experience. Since 2018, the DoD has been, “defending forward,” disrupting malicious cyber activity before it can hit home soil. The strategy is also informed by Russia’s 2022 war on Ukraine, which showcased the role of cyber capabilities in modern warfare.

There are four key takeaways from the cyber strategy.

1) Defend the Nation. The DoD is going proactive, aiming to disrupt cyber threats before they hit home. Think of it as your digital neighborhood watch on steroids.

2) Prepare to Win. The DoD is armoring up its own networks. They’re not just defending, they’re preparing to dominate in the cyber arena.

3) Global Team-Up. Cybersecurity is a team sport, and the U.S. is recruiting allies. The goal? A global defense network against cyber threats.

4) The Long Game. The DoD is investing in the future, focusing on training and emerging tech to stay ahead in the cyber game.

China and Russia? They’re on the radar as evolving cyber threats, especially China, with its ongoing long-term cyber campaigns against the U.S.

There you have it. The DoD’s 2023 Cyber Strategy is the new playbook for digital defense, focusing on proactive measures, global alliances, and future-proofing our cyber capabilities.

This is Katy Craig. Stay safe out there.

Resources
– defense.GOV https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3523199/dod-releases-2023-cyber-strategy-summary/
– defense.GOV https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/12/2003299076/-1/-1/1/2023_DOD_Cyber_Strategy_Summary.PDF

 

Mark Miller
UFOs Seen Flying over New Mexico

I have always been interested in UFOs, dating back to the Barney and Betty Hill incident in the early 60’s. As a nine-year-old, I read the original story of a couple who were abducted, examined, and then returned to Earth to tell their stories. I was hooked.

Imagine my shock when 60 years later, I personally witnessed my first true UFO sighting last week in White Rock, New Mexico.

I was standing in the backyard at 9 PM. The sun had gone down, the Moon hadn’t come up yet, a perfect night for watching stars, when about three inches above the western horizon, what I thought was a small jet trail appeared. As Steve, Dana, and I stood and watched, the trail expanded, got brighter and broke off into smaller spherical segments, trailing each other in the shape of an earthworm’s body. The train of dozens of spheres arched through the sky, headed east, until they reached a point about a third of the way above the eastern horizon. One-by-one, the train seemed to disappear into a black hole, or a wormhole, is what I was thinking.

We were so awestruck, all we could say was, “What the hell was that?” We were stunned enough to have to confirm with each other, “Did you see that? Did you see it?” The sight was that unbelievable.

I immediately came inside to search live news sources. There was no way that the rest of New Mexico would not have seen this. There was nothing. Nada. No mention at all of anything even remotely similar to what we had seen.

When I woke up the next morning, there was a text from Dana. Her husband knew exactly what it was. It was StarLink launching a new set of satellites for their globe encompassing grid. The site we saw was the release of dozens of satellites from a single launch that fly in formation around the Earth for a couple days before they are deployed to their programmed location.

While not as thrilling as seeing my first UFO, this was a remarkable sight. It sent me down the rabbit hole of StarLink, which is fascinating in itself. I’ve got a couple links for you in the resources section of this episode on 505updates. com.

I still haven’t given up my desire to see a real UFO, but what I did see gave me such a thrill, I’ve gone out each evening since, hoping to get a glimpse of the next formation flying overhead.

This is Mark Miller, standing outside, gazing upward at the night sky in White Rock, New Mexico.

Resources
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_and_Betty_Hill_incident
– https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/64136/how-are-starlink-satellites-deployed
– https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.html
– https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/how-do-spacexs-starlink-satellites-actually-work/
– https://www.starlink.com/

 

Marcel Brown
This Day in Tech History

This is Marcel Brown serving up some technology history for September 14th.

September 14th, 1956. The IBM 350 Disk Storage Unit Model 1 was announced, which was the first commercial storage unit to use magnetic disk storage, the technology behind hard drives. About the size of 2 refrigerators and weighing in at one ton, the 350 could store about 4-5 megabytes, depending on how it was calculated.

The IBM 350 Disk Storage Unit Model 1 was an integral part of the IBM RAMAC 305 computer, which was introduced at the same time. Together, they were designed to replace the punch-card “tub file” system that was the primary means of storing repeatedly accessed data at the time.

September 14th, 2000. Microsoft launches Windows Millennium, otherwise known as Windows ME, or as Microsoft wanted you to pronounce it, Windows Me. Incidentally, this was also the release of the final version of Microsoft DOS, MS DOS 8.0. Windows ME would be known for its many problems and is a footnote in history as Windows XP was released just over a year later.

That’s your technology history for today. For more, tune in tomorrow and visit my website, thisdayintechhistory.com.

 

Resources
– https://thisdayintechhistory.com/09/14/