Cyber security standards are security standards which enable organizations to practice safe security techniques in order to minimize the number of successful cyber security attacks. These guides provide general outlines as well as specific techniques for implementing cyber security.

Computer Virus

They are back online now, but it was a tough week for the U.S. Marshals Service. A good old fashioned computer virus infected the agencies' PCs. That forced officials to disconnect them from the Internet for a few days while the tech staff performed a clean out and upgrade. Turns out that for the Marshals, only 140 machines were affected. But the incident reinforced the basic cyber security advice: Keep your anti-virus software updated. I'm Tom Temin.

Missing- terabyte of personally identifiable information.

Uh oh. It's happened again. A hard drive containing a terabyte of personally identifiable information has gone missing. It disappeared from a lab desk inside the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The disk housed social security numbers of Clinton White House visitors and of the Gore family. Once again proving that the insider threat is as potent as any attack launched from overseas. I'm Tom Temin.

Cyber security

Cyber security has received a thorough debate within the Obama administration. Now it looks like the Homeland Security Department will retain at least some role in setting standards and policy - even as a new White House office is established for cyber security. It's taken a month for the administration to get its final report out after the 60-day review. Why? Because lots of agencies and panels were fighting for a piece of the action. But Congress has yet to weigh in. I'm Tom Temin.

Link between usability and security

If the lock to your house required special training to work, you'd be more likely to take your chances and leave the place unlocked. That's how it is with cyber security. If security procedures and systems are too complicated, users tend to skip them. But research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is establishing a link between usability and security and will make the results available this summer to federal agencies.

The National Security Agency

The National Security Agency is the big question mark for the Obama administration's new cyber security strategy. Specifically, what should NSA's role be? The spy agency, by all accounts, has the best technology and know-how for monitoring cyber space. But critics fear its ability to conduct domestic surveillance. Even as the administration releases its new strategy, expect this debate to continue. I'm Tom Temin.

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