Response to federal courts data breach hailed

CyberScoop reports that U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security Adam Hickey has praised the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security's collaboration in responding to a data breach that impacted the federal courts' public records management system in 2020. "I think it was a model, not only for the DOJ and DHS working together to respond to a system owners needs, but we were able to work through some very complex issues that arise, as you might imagine, when you're dealing with a separate branch of government. The courts are, understandably, cautious working with the executive branch given the sensitivity in there," said Hickey at the CyberTalks event. Response to the cyber incident was previously criticized by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to be "disappointing" following court administrators' refusal to uphold public transparency, but Hickey noted that transparency had to be balanced with the investigation and the system owner's rights and privacy.