This week's top news and views: Federal shutdown's impact on IT security, zero percent unemployment for IT security analysts, 'tricked' RSA worker opened backdoor to advanced persistent threat attack and DHS's top infosec executive's quest for a safer Internet. And don't miss our week-in-review podcast by Executive Editor Eric Chabrow.

Philip Reitinger, the top cybersecurity official in the Department of Homeland Security, is on a mission to help create a new, secure computing ecosystem on the Internet.

When it comes to e-marketing and the reliance on third parties such as Epsilon, Nicolas Christin of Carnegie Mellon University says banks and merchants should "come clean" about the information they share with outside entities.

Privacy Attorney Lisa Sotto says the Epsilon e-mail breach is a warning about the state of data security employed by some third-party service providers. Strong contracts related to security practices must be the norm, not the exception.

When it comes to authentication and identity management, state governments face challenges and vulnerabilities of their own making, says Brent Crossland of Entrust.

March's top news and views: DOD officials explain how a WikiLeaks breach will not happen again, RSA chief technology officer discusses the challenges in dealing with advanced persistent threat attacks and how Ohio decided on a NIST framework. And don't miss our month-in-review podcast by Executive Editor Eric Chabrow.

EastNets' Paul Buelens says fraud-fighting is an international concern, as old schemes abound and new threats emerge. Fraud risks are some of the most challenging banks have ever faced.

A comprehensive bill to dramatically change the way the federal government addresses cybersecurity could pass the Senate as early as this summer, Sen. Thomas Carper, who chairs a Senate panel with IT security oversight, says in an interview with GovInfoSecurity.com.

RSA CTO Bret Hartman on advance persistent threats, before the breach; face of federal IT security leadership, putting IT security workforce in perspective, federal cyber incidents up 39 percent; and our special report on the RSA breach and its impact. And don't miss our audio week-in-review podcast by Executive Editor Eric Chabrow

Terrell Herzig, CISO at UAB Medicine, speaks out on steps steps he's taking in the wake of the RSA SecurID attack.