Security Clearance Insecurity

More companies understand the risks of insider threats, but too many assume that addressing insider risk is a primarily government function. Trusted Workforce 2.0 has created continuous vetting and other solutions to help identify risks, sooner - but they're not the only options companies have today. Given the average insider risk incident will cost a company nearly 10 million, a small investment...

The Homeland Security Experts Group is gearing up for their upcoming Homeland Security Enterprise Forum, a two-day event designed to bring together leaders around the critical topics affecting our nation. ClearanceJobs sat down with William Evanina, former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center and a HSEG expert, and Rob Walker, executive director of HSEG to discuss the u...

It's National Insider Risk Awareness Month, a month where companies and government agencies step out and look to step up their insider risk understanding. ClearanceJobs chatted with Dave Komendat, the former Chief Security Officer at Boeing, currently the president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, and recently named as an advisor for SIMS Software, a leading security information management...

The National Cryptologic Foundation (NCF) is gearing up for their second annual Cocktails and Codebreakers event. This year's event, co-hosted by NCF and the Intelligence and National Security Foundation (INSF), spotlights the Men and Women in Cryptology and will feature a Fireside Chat with guest speakers The Honorable Ronald S. Moultrie, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security...

Reducing stigma around mental health issues has been a major push across the defense industry and cleared community. Changes to the SF-86 have made the form less stressful and more straightforward for many applicants, but for those new to the intelligence community or seasoned professionals, stigma remains a battle worth fighting. The Mission for the Mind is a multi-year campaign launched by Leido...

If you work in national security, you need to stay in the know on the changing government contracting landscape. Enter GovBrew, a free newsletter written by those in the know, to give you the news you need to know. Lindy Kyzer with ClearanceJobs chats with Shane Prosser, co-founder of GovBrew and co-founder and CEO of FalconTek. Prosser is a U.S. Army veteran who leveraged his security clearance t...

Security clearance topics remain in the news - but who are Special Security Officers (SSOs), and what role do they play in keeping classified programs safe? ClearanceJobs is joined by Mitch Lawrence, founder of Lawrence Solutions , and Peter Lapp, owner of PJ Lapp Consulting , to discuss their upcoming Special Security Officer Survival Course, why the role of SSO is important, and why it's critica...

ClearanceJobs chatted with Vince Virga, chairman and co-founder of Skillstorm. Skillstorm trains and deploys developers and tech talent to help assist companies and government agencies with their workforce needs. Skillstorm also works directly with talent to help them upskill or reskill into the most in-demand tech jobs, including working with service members through the Army and Air Force COOL pr...

A new book by Danny Olmes, President at Xcelerate Solutions, spotlights how ordinary moments can be pivotal ones. Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy details many seemingly ordinary moments that led to extraordinary shifts - in mindset, career path, or spiritual journey. Olmes discusses his book, including how a chance encounter in a parking garage led him down a writing path, and how living and working in...

Insider threat topics are in the news today - but the idea of insider threat is nothing new. Policies for insider threat training and how to conform to the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) are well established, but today is a good time to refresh your program and ensure compliance. Jeffrey Bennett, security and risk management consultant and author of a recently relea...

Alisha Jordan, education director at the National Cryptologic Foundation chats with ClearanceJobs about the role of the Foundation and their current efforts to help attract young people into cybersecurity and codebreaking careers. Cyber Saturday is taking place June 10, and will bring together young people, mentors, and cybersecurity pros to help inspire the next generation. Learn more about the f...

Congress began looking into security clearance procedures after classified documents were found in former president Donald Trump's Mar a Lago residence, with new legislation released following the latest alleged leak by Airman Jack Teixeira. Critics argue there are too many people with clearances, and congress is asking agencies to draw their numbers down. ClearanceJobs sat down with Charles Phale...

Lynn Burns, president of NCMS and Sarah Turner, member of the board of directors, NCMS, discuss the upcoming NCMS 2023 Annual Seminar on this episode of Security Clearance Insecurity. NCMS is a professional security organization that has existed for more than 50 years, helping to train, certify, and advance the security profession. Burns and Turner discussed what can be expected at this year's tra...

The security clearance process is in the spotlight. But the reality is the transformative effort to improve the security clearance process has been underway for the past several years, with significant new benchmarks announced just this month at the recent U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill. Jason Miller, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and...

Retired USMC Commander, former USCYBERCOM Commander and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart certainly has more than enough laurels to rest on. But he's not sitting down, or spending too much time looking back - he's still moving forward, with a lot of expertise and insights to give. But he is ready for a bit of celebration - and that's what many in the intelligence community plan...

Cyber hygiene, CMMC, and ransomware - oh my! - we unpack the state of the current cyber threat landscape with Kurtis Minder, CEO and founder of GroupSense , a digital risk protection agency with expertise across a variety of digital risk arenas. A variety of factors contributed to the steep rise in ransomware attacks across the past several years, including the growth in cryptocurrency and a globa...

National security remains a male-dominated field, with a higher percentage of men filling a variety of roles including those in many security offices. But that's changing , and more women aren't just entering security careers but advancing within them, as well. ClearanceJobs spoke with Amy Grossman, security manager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory . Within the Lin...

The Office of Personnel Management recently released a draft version if its new Personnel Vetting Questionnaire , an update to the SF-86, SF-85, and SF-85P forms in one, segmented package. In a period of open comment the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), provided their feedback on everyone's security clearance form. Larry Hanauer, Vice President of Policy for INSA chats about the...

The intersection of counterintelligence, security clearances, and personnel vetting is what the National Counterintelligence and Security Center does. Michael Orlando, current head of NCSC talks about the current state of suitability, personnel vetting, and efforts to protect U.S. technology and advantage. In the second half of the program security clearance attorney Sean Bigley and ClearanceJobs'...

Security cleared recruiting continues to be a challenge, and 2023 is poised to be the toughest year yet. Evan Lesser, founder and president of ClearanceJobs.com unpacks the macro and micro aspects of the security clearance hiring marketplace. While the number of individuals with a clearance is growing, the world of work is changing. Remote work and the great resignation have created market dynamic...

The holidays can be hard. And there are a few particular hang-ups that crank up around the holidays and could certainly cost you your security clearance. DUIs , sexual behavior issues , and money problems can all come up with increasing frequency over the holiday season. Your clearance eligibility is too important to toss away with a couple of bad decisions. The good news is steps toward being pro...

Hon. Ellen McCarthy, chairwoman and CEO of the Truth in Media Cooperative and the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research joins us to discuss the role of information and media and how disinformation and misinformation are affecting the security landscape. She also discusses the need to break down barrier for the IC to both access and disseminate the open sou...

The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) is one of the largest technology councils in the nation and represents the region's technology industry. As the cybersecurity hub of the nation, the Northern Virginia job market is hot, with employers large and small competing for tech talent and thousands of job opportunities available. Jennifer Taylor, president and CEO of NVTC talks with Federal N...

Insider threats are a major risk to all companies, not just those in the national security space. But it's important to know who the threat actors are - and why they're acting. Dr. Eric Lang, director of the DoD Personnel and Security Research Center, or PERSEREC, discusses his work on insider threat, and why non-malicious actors are as concerning as the headline grabbing cases we see. You can rea...

A key focus in the national security space today remains making national security careers more accessible for diverse populations. Lauren Bacon Smith, Chief People Officer at Enabled Intelligence discusses how her company works to make national security careers more accessible to diverse audiences. From improving questions and streamlining the interview process, to providing advice and assistance...