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Barney changed USCIS’s cyber culture by putting the user first

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Shane Barney knew he had successfully changed the culture at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service when it was time to debate the next year’s budget.

Barney, who left USCIS in May after serving the last almost seven years as the agency’s chief information security officer, said when the agency program offices fully funded his request for zero trust capabilities, he knew a transformation had occurred.

Shane Barney was the chief information security officer at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department until May.

“When the zero trust executive order first hit under the previous administration, it was a huge cost to federal agencies. The day that they were discussing the funding needs that we had for zero trust, and they were significant. I mean, they were tens of millions of dollars, I couldn’t be there. I couldn’t advocate for it. I was out of the office, and I was really worried about it,” said Barney, who now is the CISO for Keeper Security, for an exit interview on Ask the CIO. “Well, the directorate heads decided ahead of time that zero trust was the most important thing for the agency to be doing. They had all allocated all the money I had asked for without me even being present or even defending it. That’s when I knew we had done something right.”

Barney called his boss, then USCIS chief information officer Bill McElhaney, and asked what happened at the meeting.

“He said, ‘You got all the money.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean? I got all the money?’ We weren’t even there. He goes, ‘No, it was actually decided before the meeting even started. In fact, it was never even discussed. It was assumed,’” he said. “That told me everything I needed to know about where the culture of the agency was. They valued security so much that they understand the connection between what the business is trying to accomplish, and the importance of securing that at the same time, and it sold itself. I think part of me actually knew at that point that maybe my time at USCIS was probably coming to an end.”

Barney said he believes the program offices understood the value of security because USCIS was both an early adopter of zero trust concepts and because the agency survived a potentially catastrophic cyber incident.

A cyber incident wake-up

In 2015, a USCIS developer turned on one of its Amazon Web Services storage buckets in the cloud and made the data inside the bucket public instead of private. Barney said this mistake can be a common issue among security incidents, but in USCIS’s case, it meant potentially exposing 500 million to 600 million records.

“We just had to prove that yes, it was made public, but no one accessed it during the time that it was public. That was difficult because we actually hadn’t really turned on the logging necessary for us to do that. So lesson one was to get better about logging then. Then we started looking at it in detail, and I’ll never forget it, it’s 2:30 in the morning and I get a phone call from one of my security analysts and he goes, ‘Shane, listen, we didn’t really look at this as careful as we should have and yes, they made the bucket public, but they never changed the record settings themselves.’ So yes, you could go to the public record, and look at it, but the records themselves were still marked private, so you couldn’t see them. You couldn’t even know they were there,” he said. “We were actually secure without realizing we were secure. So it was a really important lesson for us in as we were pushing into the cloud.”

In the after-action report, Barney said USCIS realized how this potential incident happened and started applying automation to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

“We just started developing in Python, and basically it was a simple script that scanned our enterprise at lightning speeds. If it found we had 20 public records, we had 20 buckets that were supposed to be public. If it wasn’t listed as one of those, it would automatically shut it off,” he said. “It was the first sort of a-ha moment for security automation for us. It dawned on us that the power of the cloud was automation. If your infrastructure is code, then your security is code too, and I literally changed the contract for my security operations center (SOC) made them all go out and become programmers, and we started building automation. We would automate it to the point where, yeah, we got an alert that something happened, but it’s already been taken care of and  we  moved on because if we know that something is a risk, and in this case making data public, I can automate against that risk, then I have an obligation to do that. If I do that, that means that my analysts and my SOC no longer have to watch for that, and they can move on to something else, and that became our driving force.”

Around the same time, USCIS was moving systems and applications into the cloud and Barney said the use of zero trust principles just made sense, including single sign-on as the foundation of identity management for the cloud services.

“You have to carefully align what you do as a cybersecurity program to what the end user goals are because if you create an environment that’s so restrictive and so difficult for them to do their jobs, they’re going to find workarounds, and those workarounds are going to introduce risk that you’re not even aware of, and it creates problems,” he said. “You’re better aligning those two, and even if you have to meet in the middle somewhere and give a little bit of a compromise on the security side, so you can meet the end users’ goals, that’s okay. That actually is going to get you further and give you more benefit back into the organization than you would have if you just forced your heavy handed security approach.”

Next challenge: Network segmentation

As for USCIS’s zero trust progress, Barney said the biggest remaining challenges remain around securing the network and the data.

The goal, he said, is to get the network under control through proper segmentation and proper transactional monitoring and controls.

“It is very, very, very, very difficult to do, and even more difficult, and if not bordering on impossible, but coming darn close is getting your data under control,” he said. “Now at USCIS we’re not unique with the data the hallmark of what they did, the organization that handles all the administrative side of immigration, on any given day, they’re interacting with 16 million or 17 million people around the world, and all their information was electronic at that point. All that information had to be correlated and brought under sort of an umbrella of zero trust, and in the zero trust world, and that means you’ve got to create meta tags around everything that you’re doing, and then those meta tags have to be correlated with sort of a central dictionary. That dictionary has to be maintained and updated, and if you make changes, those changes have to be able to ripple across your entire data verse and that’s very, very, very difficult stuff to do. So when we put forth our budget, the vast majority of the money that we were asking for at the time was to fix the networking piece and to fix the data piece.”

Barney said while USCIS still has a ways to go to meet all the requirements of zero trust, he’s leaving the agency in a good place.

One of the things he did before he left was changing the USCIS’s focus from managing risk to being intelligent about risk.

“Not all risks are created equal, and you need to understand when something is far more important for you to focus on, even if it’s not a higher or critical but it’s a bigger threat to your organization. That’s being intelligent about risk, and that’s the one thing we were just starting to try to drive forward,” Barney said. “It’s very, very difficult to do because it’s a data intensive activity. You need good cyber threat intelligence to make sure that you’re making good decisions corporately. Something we started doing, and we’re doing better at, was more of a threat hunt based culture. Part of our drive for automation was to get rid of the screen people watch for something to go red and alert then, and driving more of an automated approach to not just the alerting and monitoring piece, but also the entire incident response process.”

The post Barney changed USCIS’s cyber culture by putting the user first first appeared on Federal News Network.

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Judge Subramanian DENIES Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Bail for the Fifth Time – Disgraced Rapper Will Remain in Prison Pending His October 3rd Sentencing

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August 5, 2025

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Judge Subramanian: no “exceptional reasons” to release Diddy before sentencing.

Recent Judge Subramanian’s decisions may indicate hard times for Diddy come sentencing.

We have been following the pre-sentencing motions in the high-profile criminal trial of rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

The defense: ‘Sean Diddy’s Combs’ Conviction Is Racist and Sexist’, Say Disgraced Rapper’s Lawyers on Yet Another Legal Filing Trying to Release Him on Bail Pending Sentencing

The Prosecution: Prosecutors Oppose Sean Diddy Combs’ 50M Bail Package, Ask for ‘Substantially Higher’ Sentence Than Before

Look who appeared: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial: Ex-girlfirend Who Disappeared and Did Not Testify Against Rapper as ‘Victim 3’ Now Writes Letter to Judge to Grant Him Pre-sentencing Bail

Diddy has had his request for bail denied for the 5th time.

Today, we learn that federal judge Subramanian has yet again declined to grant Sean “Diddy” Combs bail, saying he found no ‘exceptional reasons’ to release him pending his October sentencing.

ABC News reported:

“Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution, which the judge said mandates incarceration. His sentencing is set for Oct. 3.

Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs remains a risk of flight and a danger to the community, pointing to the violence exhibited on 2016 hotel surveillance footage that shows him kicking and dragging Cassie Ventura.”

Combs remains a risk of flight and a danger to the community: Judge.

The judge ruled that the ‘swinger lifestyle’ argument does not fly in a case that includes ‘evidence of violence, coercion or subjugation in connection with the prostitution’. And the record, he wrote, contains evidence of all three.

Subramanian: “’While Combs may contend at sentencing that this evidence should be discounted and that what happened was nothing more than a case of willing ‘swingers’ utilizing the voluntary services of escorts for their mutual pleasure, the Government takes the opposite view: that Cassie Ventura and Jane were beaten, coerced, threatened, lied to, and victimized by Combs as part of their participation in these’.”

Read more:

As He Awaits Sentencing in Prison, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Joins ‘Self-Improvement’ Program To Curb Drug Use and Violence Against Women

The post Judge Subramanian DENIES Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Bail for the Fifth Time – Disgraced Rapper Will Remain in Prison Pending His October 3rd Sentencing appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Nearly 78,000 New Applicants Flood ICE Recruitment to Help Crack Down on Illegal Immigration (VIDEO)

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August 5, 2025

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In a scorching new development under the Trump-backed ICE reign, Acting Director Todd Lyons confidently announced that “we have almost 78,000 applicants since we opened up,” referring to the agency’s massive recruitment surge launched just one week prior.

This seismic surge in interest aligns with ICE’s newly launched “Defend the Homeland” recruitment blitz, unveiled by the Department of Homeland Security on July 29, 2025.

ICE is budgeting for 10,000 new agents, dangling $50,000 signing bonuses, student‑loan forgiveness, enhanced overtime pay, and upgraded retirement plans to attract recruits.

According to the press release:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today launched a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) campaign to recruit brave and heroic Americans to join ICE as federal law enforcement agents and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from America’s streets.

“Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. In the wake of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”

To support this effort, ICE is offering a robust package of federal law enforcement incentives, including: 

  • A maximum $50,000 signing bonus
  • Student loan repayment and forgiveness options
  • 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents
  • Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUI) for Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers
  • Enhanced retirement benefits

Backed by significant new funding through the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE is rolling out patriotic recruitment posters and benefits to attract the next generation of law enforcement professionals to find, arrest, and remove criminal illegal aliens.

During the Fox interview, Todd Lyons delivered the incredible news.

“We have almost 78,000 applicants since we opened up. We’re going through and finding those people who really want to serve the country and truly be in law enforcement. I think it’s a great way to recruit now.

We’re taking back our re-hired annuitants — people who left the job early because they weren’t allowed to do the law enforcement mission.

But we have so many people who are now interested in working with ICE because, under Secretary Nome’s leadership, they’re seeing that we have a viable law enforcement partner in the community. You’re actually out making a difference. We’re really ecstatic about seeing the increase in new recruits who are applying.”

WATCH:

The post Nearly 78,000 New Applicants Flood ICE Recruitment to Help Crack Down on Illegal Immigration (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls on Trump to Commute George Santos’ Excessive 7-Year-Sentence: ‘Some Members of Congress Who’ve Done Far Worse Still Walk Free’

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August 5, 2025

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R‑GA) has formally thrown down the gauntlet.

On Monday, she submitted a letter to the Office of the Pardon Attorney pleading for President Trump to commute the 87-month federal sentence of ex‑Congressman George Santos (NY‑03)—a punishment she calls “a grave injustice” and emblematic of a justice system fractured by politically selective persecution.

Greene wrote on X:

“BREAKING: I just sent a letter to the Office of the Pardon Attorney urging President Trump to commute the sentence of former Congressman @MrSantosNY.

A 7‑year prison sentence for campaign‑related charges is excessive, especially when Members of Congress who’ve done far worse still walk free.

George Santos has taken responsibility. He’s shown remorse. It’s time to correct this injustice. We must demand equal justice under the law!”

Greene signed her letter Aug. 4 to Pardon Attorney Edward Martin Jr. at the Justice Department, demanding Trump use his executive power to undo what she calls a “grave injustice.”

Drawing on inside knowledge, she described Santos as “without a prior criminal record,” “sincerely remorseful,” and portrayed his case as campaign-related maleficence, nothing warranting “one of the most extreme sentences in recent history.”

Green also reminded officials of the roster of current or former lawmakers who actually broke laws or ethics rules yet never lost a day.

The letter reads:

“I am writing to request that your office urge the President to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos. In April 2025, Mr. Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions. However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.

As a Member of Congress, I worked with Mr. Santos on many issues and can attest to his willingness and dedication to serve the people of New York who elected him to office. He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington, D.C. He is sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, my office has spoken with a pastor of his who discussed the regret and remorse of Mr. Santos, agreeing that the sentence imposed is a grave injustice.

While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges. I strongly believe in accountability for one’s actions, but I believe the sentencing of Mr. Santos is an abusive overreach by the judicial system.

Commuting his sentence would acknowledge the severity of his actions and simultaneously provide a path forward in allowing him to make amends for his crimes and strive to better serve the people in his community.

I respectfully request you to urge the President to commute the sentence of Mr. George Santos.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

According to the Advocate, Trump can pardon Santos, but has not been asked about it.

The Advocate reported:

“He lied like hell, and I didn’t know him,” Trump told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty during an interview at the White House. “But he was 100 percent for Trump. I might’ve met him. Maybe, maybe not, but he was a congressman and his vote was solid.”

[…]

In the Newsmax interview, Trump seemed to question the severity of Santos’s sentence. “It sounds like a lot,” he said. “Is it seven years he just went away? It’s a long time.”

Trump went on to say that while he hadn’t been approached about pardoning Santos, the door remained open. “Nobody’s talked to me about it,” he said. “They really haven’t talked to me about [Santos]. They have talked to me about Sean [Combs], but they haven’t talked to me about [George]. But again, with him, I have the right to do it. Nobody’s asked me, but it’s interesting.”

In April, U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced Santos to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after a guilty plea in August 2024.

Those charges stemmed from fabricating donor names, laundering campaign funds, misusing donor money, and claiming unemployment while campaigning.

Santos took to social media earlier this year to criticize the ruling and pleaded with President Trump for leniency.

He wrote:

This is the hardest statement I have ever written. I write this humbled, chastened, and fully accountable for choices that shattered the faith so many placed in me.

I betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by many. For that, I offer my deepest apology.

When I pled guilty, I did so without reservation. I said then, and I repeat now, that my conduct betrayed my supporters and diminished the institution I was privileged to serve. Those words have weighed on me every day since.

I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead. I asked the Court for a sentence that balances accountability with the chance to prove through sustained, measurable action that I can still contribute positively to the community I wronged.

I believe that 7 years is an over the top politically influenced sentence and I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove I’m more than the mistakes I’ve made.

Before the sentencing, Santos had slammed federal prosecutors for going easy on violent criminals while trying to make an example out of him.

“I will however remind everyone that they want me to go to prison for 87 months while they let sex traffickers walk freely, they give drug lords slaps on the wrist and most importantly refuse to prosecute the cabal of pedophiles running around in every power structure in the world including the US Government,” he wrote on X.

The post Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls on Trump to Commute George Santos’ Excessive 7-Year-Sentence: ‘Some Members of Congress Who’ve Done Far Worse Still Walk Free’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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