Cyber attacks against federal websites and networks went up only 5 percent between 2010 and 2011. That's a major improvement from the 40 percent jump in attacks between 2009 and 2010. Those are the latest numbers out from Homeland Security's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team or US-CERT.

Federal agencies suffered 43,889 cyber attacks last year, which was up from 41,776 the previous year. The report also found agencies were doing a better job measuring their cybersecurity progress and continuously monitoring that IT systems.Nineteen of 24 large agencies sent automatic cybersecurity reports through DHS' CyberScope, up from four the previous year.

The agencies with the most continuous monitoring capabilities were the General Services Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Science Foundation. Those with the least were the Commerce Department and the Small Business Administration.

This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

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