CISA Officials Warns of Cyber-Physical Threat Convergence
As physical and cybersecurity threats converge to create multi-faceted challenges, organizations need to better plan for security and address all threat vectors, said Brian Harrell, assistant director for infrastructure security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
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Hoyer: Dems Firm on Opposition to OPM-GSA Merger
House Majority leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is reaffirming congressional Democrats’ opposition to Trump administration’s proposed merger of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the General Services Administration (GSA).
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Bill Signed to Modernize Constituent Inquiries
On August 22, President Trump signed into law the Creating Advanced Streamlined Electronic Services for Constituents Act (CASES Act) which will modernize the inquiry process for constituents by creating electronic forms to improve access and efficiency to Federal services and agencies.
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ISACA Recommends Best Practices for Third-Party Risk Management
An ISACA white paper released this month outlines recommended guidance for organizations to better manage third-party vendor risk across their enterprises.
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Global Tech Industry Pushes Policy Recommendations For G7 Nations
Ahead of the G7 Summit in France set for Aug. 24-26, a collection of tech-sector trade groups penned a letter urging G7 leaders to consider a range of recommendations on global technology issues including digital trade, cross-border data flows, tax policy, data privacy, cybersecurity, encryption, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
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CISA’s ‘Strategic Intent’ Highlights Election Security as Model
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its Strategic Intent document on August 22, using election security as a model for how the agency plans to address security threats, and also establishing election security as one of the agency’s operational priorities.
FITARA Awards
FITARA Scorecard 8.0 is out — scores have mostly remained stable and no agencies received a failing grade. FITARA is a fixture in Federal IT and remains an important measure of how agencies are prioritizing modernization. Join Congressman Gerry Connolly and MeriTalk for a complimentary award ceremony and networking reception on September 10 at 5 p.m. to honor Federal IT excellence, based on the FITARA Scorecard 8.0 grades.
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Krebs Discusses ‘Strategic Intent’ for CISA, Highlights Collaboration
Christopher Krebs, director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), today unveiled his “strategic intent” for the agency, which include CISA’s guiding principles and goal of building a collaborative cybersecurity environment in America.
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States, Wireless Carriers Agree to Combat Robocalls
Under a new agreement with state attorneys general, the nation’s largest wireless service providers cell carriers will soon deploy technologies to block and label robocalls for consumers. Josh Stein, attorney general of the State of North Carolina, announced the agreement today.
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What the Hail? Facial Rec Tech, AI Tested for Storm Predictions
Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) – a research and development center funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) – found that facial recognition systems can help improve hailstorm predictability and severity by using AI techniques associated with facial recognition technology.
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Survey Yields Top Suggestions for Federal Website Improvements
A survey from consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has yielded a list of the top suggested improvements for Federal government websites.
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VA OIG Audit Finds ‘Miles-High’ EHR Documentation Backlog
A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit has found a “significant” backlog in medical documentation that needs to be entered into patients’ electronic health records (EHRs).
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Cyberspace Solarium Commission Calls for Cyber Expertise
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., co-chairs the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, are seeking cyber professional expertise and input to help the commission tackle significant cybersecurity challenges that the United States and its allies face.
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GSA Official Signals Optimism for Agency EIS Solicitation Progress Despite Delays
Agencies are accelerating toward developing their solicitations for the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract as the Sept. 30 deadline for agencies to award EIS task orders soon approaches, according to General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Telecommunication Services Director Allen Hill.
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Incomplete Medicaid Data Harms Opioid Monitoring, HHS IG Says
Limited collection of Medicaid data by states is standing in the way of a complete analysis of opioid misuse and abuse within the program, according to an August 15 report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Office of Inspector General (OIG).
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Special Report: Zero Trust Necessary for Cloud Security
Zero trust is a simple concept – don’t trust anyone; verify everyone; do it continually – with a more complex goal of ensuring the right people have the right level of access to the right resources in the right context. The model has gained traction across industries, with giants like Google declaring that their internal private network is just as dangerous as the internet. The concept is also gaining momentum within Federal agencies.
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IRS Needs to Improve Risk Management Mitigation, Report Says
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that while IT risk management practices are improving for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), mitigation documentation and oversight practices need to be improved.
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EPA Reorg Led to Poor Oversight of IT System
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reorganization led to gaps in the agency’s compliance with IT policies for its Enterprise Customer Service Solution (ECSS) system, according to an EPA OIG report released August 19.
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Agencies Wary of Cyber Risks in Refurbished Tech Gear
In the acquisition process for Federal IT, agencies are trying to secure their supply chains in myriad ways, and that includes taking great caution with acquiring refurbished equipment.
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HHS API Gives Patients Power Over Their Data
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) CTO Ed Simcox said at MeriTalk’s Cloud Connect 2019 event today that HHS has melded its IT principles with cloud and data analytics capabilities to develop an application program interface (API) that gives citizens power over their healthcare data.
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VA Looks to Complete Nearly 20-Year Scheduling Modernization Effort in 2023
Nearly 20 years after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) first identified the need to modernize its scheduling system, VA is on track to adopt a permanent scheduling solution as part of its electronic health record (EHR) modernization effort, according to a report from VA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) today.