Short Takes – 12-9-23

U.S. Takes Action to Further Disrupt Russian Cyber Activities. State.gov press release. Pull quote: “Concurrently, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).  Under this reward offer, the RFJ program is seeking information leading to the location or identification of Korinets, Peretyatko, and their fellow conspirators.”

CDC warns of more infectious mpox strain. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Congo has reported 12,569 suspected mpox cases since the start of the year, a substantial increase from the 3,767 cases seen annually in the past, the CDC said. The outbreak is in 22 out of the country’s 26 provinces, including urban areas.”

Cyber Risk Management. Federal Register Farm Credit Administration final rule. Summary: “The Farm Credit Administration (FCA, we, or our) rescinds and revises its regulations to reflect developments in cyber risk and continuously evolving business practices. We rename the regulations “Cyber Risk Management.” The final rule requires each Farm Credit System (System or FCS) institution to implement a comprehensive, written cyber risk management program consistent with the size, risk profile, and complexity of the institution's operations.”