Reporter

Derek B. Johnson

CyberScoop

Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia.

Articles by Author

Michael Machtinger, deputy assistant director for cyber intelligence at the FBI, speaks at CyberTalks on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (James Kim / EPNAC)

FBI: Threats from Salt Typhoon are ‘still very much ongoing’

Cybersecurity

Ballots are tabulated on election night at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center on November 5, 2024 in Fairburn, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Fulton County lawsuit claims feds used ‘gross mischaracterizations’ to justify raid

Cybersecurity

(Getty Images)

Google finds state-sponsored hackers use AI at ‘all stages’ of attack cycle

AI

AI-powered health apps are flooding the market. But their data security policy is more of a pinky promise than a legal mandate. (Source: Getty Images)

Your AI doctor doesn’t have to follow the same privacy rules as your real one

Healthcare

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 10: U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) speaks during a House Rules Committee meeting on February 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. The House Rules Committee is meeting to consider amendments recently introduced into the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act. This proposed law would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require “documentary proof of United States citizenship” to register to vote. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

GOP Congress moves to shape election law in Trump’s image

Cybersecurity

As the U.S. promises a light-touch approach to AI regulation, businesses and other stakeholders must work out the rules of the road for themselves. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

Critics warn America’s ‘move fast’ AI strategy could cost it the global market

AI

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 23: DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari prepares to depart a hearing. The DHS Inspector General is launching an audit of DHS privacy practices. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

DHS privacy probe will focus on biometric tracking by ICE, OBIM

Technology

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 03: (L-R) Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) arrive for a hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., wants hearings to force AT&T and Verizon to disclose how they’ve responded to the hacks to protect telecom networks. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Cantwell claims telecoms blocked release of Salt Typhoon report

Cybersecurity

A poll worker helps a person cast their ballot at Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church on December 2, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. Voters head to the polls to fill the house seat left vacant after the resignation of Republican Mark Green. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

As feds pull back, states look inward for election security support

Election Security