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DoD Pentagon Military DoD’s CUI Cyber Work Remains Work in Progress, GAO Says
The Department of Defense (DoD) has taken steps to fully implement cybersecurity requirements for controlled unclassified information (CUI), however, none of the DoD components were fully compliant on that front as of January 2022, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
  • Zeroing in on Application and Data: 2022 Federal Zero Trust Maturity Zero Trust Data, Application Pillars in Spotlight for June 1 Webinar
    Join MeriTalk and Merlin Cyber on June 1 at 10 a.m. for our complimentary Zeroing in on Application and Data webinar, where government and industry IT experts will put the spotlight on the data and application pillars of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model.
  • Five Tips for Navigating the Federal Return to Office
    According to the results of The Office of Personnel Management’s 2021 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, federal workers' engagement and satisfaction with their jobs has decreased from 2020. In an accompanied report, OPM predicted that some of the declines in engagement and satisfaction might be due to the fact that agencies were preparing – or had already begun – efforts to move Federal workers back to traditional work sites.
  • NGA to Offer Free Access to Human Geography Population Data
    The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has partnered with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to offer public free access to human geography population data, NGA announced.
Recent News
  1. TMF TMF Awards $13.5M to NARA, USDA for CX, Cyber Projects
    The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) today announced $13.5 million of new project funding to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to improve citizen service through better records delivery, and to the Agriculture Department (USDA) to speed cybersecurity improvement efforts.
  2. cybersecurity NCD Inglis: Cyberattacks Impact ‘Confidence’ as Much as Systems
    National Cyber Director Chris Inglis said he views the current cybersecurity threat landscape as an evolution that is increasingly impacting confidence in systems, rather than just focusing on critical functions or data.
  3. CDC Loren Rodgers Named Data Modernization Coordinator at CDC
    Loren Rodgers has been named Data Modernization Coordinator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of the Chief Information Officer.
  1. New House Bill Looks to Create ‘Big Tech’ Regulatory Agency
    A new bill introduced in the House by Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., would create a regulatory agency to govern some aspects of the “Big Tech” sector, and ensure algorithms on digital platforms are fair and safe.
  2. DoJ Changes CFAA Policy on Good Faith Hackers
    The Department of Justice (DoJ) has revised its policies on enforcement of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) which will help make sure that good-faith hackers are not breaking the law when they work to uncover vulnerabilities on government networks.
  3. MerITocracy Countdown to MerITocracy: Feds Facing Faster Cyber Attacks
    The in-person forum – at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. – will host bipartisan leaders from Congress, the Biden administration, and America’s tech industry to examine the most pressing problems facing citizens in our democracy, and map out creative solutions from the nexus of policy and technology. Request your invitation today by emailing meritocracy@meritalk.com.
  4. IT workers workforce technology federal employees-min OPM Releases Guidance for Skills-Based Hiring Approach
    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued guidance implementing a Trump-era executive order (EO) that instructs agencies to expand skill-based hiring and decrease reliance on educational accomplishments and self-assessments to evaluate prospective employees.
  1. Treasury Gets Three New Cyber Recommendations from GAO
    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified four additional priority recommendations for the Department of the Treasury as of May 2022, including recommendations on improving cybersecurity and modernizing the U.S. financial regulatory system.
  2. Government-Industry Cyber Partnerships Flagging on Effectiveness
    MeriTalk research – executed in partnership with RSA Conference, underwritten by Cofense, Keeper Security, Recorded Future, Secureworks, and SentinelOne, and capturing the viewpoints of 100 Federal and 100 private-sector security experts – shows that a whopping 93 percent of respondents believe that public-private partnerships are “vital” to national cyber defense.
  3. OMB’s Coleman Speaking on Workforce Policy May 24
    Pam Coleman, Associate Director Performance & Personnel Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will keynote a May 24 event organized by the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
  4. Zscaler Says Two More FedRAMP Authorizations in Process
    Cloud security provider Zscaler said this week that it has two additional Federal Risk and Authorization Program (FedRAMP) authorizations in process, and expects to receive certifications in the coming weeks.
  5. Senators Make Bipartisan Push for $300M of TMF Funding
    A bipartisan group of senators consisting of Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Steve Daines, R-Mt., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., are asking the Senate Appropriations Committee to add at least $300 million to the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) for fiscal year (FY) 2023.
  6. NSF Official: Sharing Data, Threat Intel Vital to Fighting Cyber Threats
    Federal agencies are balancing evolving security requirements while defending against persistent threats, and the increased use of cyber threat intelligence and information sharing is helping government organizations make faster, more informed decisions to combat malicious activity, according to a National Science Foundation (NSF) technology official.
  7. CIA Names Joseph Baich Chief Information Security Officer
    The Central Intelligence Agency has named Joseph “Rich” Baich as the agency’s new chief information security officer (CISO).
  8. Cyber Central: NSA Official Calls Intel Sharing a Matter of Trust
    Security information sharing between the Federal government and private sector has been on the rise recently – whether it’s through the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, or various Information Sharing and Analysis Centers across the government, to name just a few – and a National Security Agency (NSA) official said this week that increased collaboration is being driven by mission demand and a higher degree of trust between organizations.
  9. USAF Kessel Run Moves to Approve New Acquisition Strategy
    The United States Air Force’s (USAF) Kessel Run software factory has begun a new software acquisition strategy that consolidates 21 different programs under a single acquisition strategy, Kessel Run announced May 16.
  10. Feedback is ‘Critical’ as Acting FedRAMP Director Looks Ahead
    As Acting Director of FedRAMP Brian Conrad looks ahead to the program’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 goals, he said gathering feedback from stakeholders will play a “critical” role in improving the program going forward.