The government’s move to zero trust security is picking up speed, with Federal agencies facing an Office of Management and Budget deadline to meet specific zero trust goals by the end of fiscal year 2024. Peter Romness specializes in just this type of situation: the cybersecurity principal in the CISO Advisor’s Office at Cisco Systems has been helping government customers achieve their missions for nearly 35 years. In a recent interview with MeriTalk, Romness offered expert tips to agencies on how they can make faster progress – often with existing tools – in boosting cybersecurity and meeting the Federal mandates. […]

With the IRS taking a wide range of steps to advance its technological capabilities, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told lawmakers today that the agency’s focus on data security remains a key priority moving forward. […]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said today it launched its new Federal Program Inventory (FPI) website that allows users to search for information on more than 2,300 Federal programs that provide financial assistance. […]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is moving to consolidate disparate zero trust security policy functions into a new single office at the agency. […]

On the 21st century battlefield information is a warfighting imperative, and the U.S. military needs to enable the right tools and solutions that deliver consumable and ready-to-use data to warfighters, top military and defense leaders said on Feb. 14 at the WEST 2024 conference – co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute – in San Diego, Calif. […]

As technologies are continuing to evolve at a rapid pace, officials from the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) said on Feb. 14 that the United States must be dominant in artificial intelligence (AI) in order to win the “information fight.” […]

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is looking to “automate and elevate” its data in order to better adapt to a dynamic cyber environment, according to Darrell Fountain, chief of the Cyber Security Services Provider (CSSP) Program at DISA. […]

The U.S. government’s Zero Trust progress is paying off as organizations across the public and private sectors address Ivanti security breach risks.  […]

The U.S. Air Force has added 17 companies to positions on a $499 million contract that aims to develop anti-tampering technology that can be used to protect critical programs and information from adversarial attacks. The multi-year contract is part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, which […]

Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) John Sherman has released new cybersecurity guidance on information sharing, best practices, and training for international partners looking to develop their cybersecurity standards and procedures. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) today released its 2023 Equity Action Plan, which spotlights data as a tool to better understand barriers and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal workforce. […]

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) – the research and development arm of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence – has awarded four-year contracts to five companies to help kickstart a new project to study the psychology of hackers and to determine how to better blunt attacks. […]

The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)  component has awarded its final grant totaling $42 million from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s first Notice of Funding Opportunity this week – boosting the funding total thus far to $140 million. […]

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to strengthen America’s workforce pipeline in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and other critical technologies. […]

U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) has been awarded a new designation making it an official Federal laboratory and conferring on the command unique privileges to advance the creation of new technologies. […]

It’s been two years since the White House sent marching orders to agencies on implementing key zero trust security initiatives. Join MeriTalk and Gigamon on Feb. 29 in Washington, D.C. for a holistic look at the government’s progress and how to secure the future of government. […]

A top Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) official offered a look today at DISA’s ongoing efforts to provide cloud services to military branches outside the contiguous U.S. (OCONUS), noting the agency’s successes specifically with the Stratus cloud program during remarks at the WEST 2024 conference in San Diego, Calif., co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute. […]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has a new policy out that embraces the use of AI in innovation, while also stressing the importance that a human contributor is named on a patent. […]

Although many organizations believe that zero trust security does not have a destination, Dell Technologies is changing that narrative through its fully configured Project Fort Zero security solution. […]

Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., issued a call today to her fellow lawmakers to approve artificial intelligence (AI) regulatory legislation that will ensure AI users are protected from harms, especially those in marginalized communities.    […]

A new watchdog report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) finds that the IRS as of July 2023 was giving 19 contractors access to sensitive systems after the contractors had unfavorable background checks. […]

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has tapped Juliane Gallina to serve as the agency’s new deputy director for digital innovation. […]

As the U.S. Navy is integrating disruptive and emerging technologies, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti stressed today that “speed matters” in order to keep up with our nation’s global adversaries. […]

Top Federal officials said this week that President Biden’s recent artificial intelligence (AI) executive order (EO) will prove to be most significant in the role that it will play in recruiting talent to the Federal government. […]

Who are your favorite Cyber Defenders – the security leaders both in the Federal government and tech industry who are going above and beyond in advancing the mission, leading cybersecurity modernization, and defending against threats? […]

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said today he’s hopeful that Congress will work together in a bipartisan way to approve between five and 10 meaningful AI-related bills this year, leveraging a proposed House AI working group to help get that job done. […]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued 2024 Priorities today for its Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) – aligning its priorities for the first time under three focus areas to help establish resources required and strategic direction. […]

The Biden-Harris administration expects to invest over $5 billion to launch a national semiconductor research consortium to bolster U.S. research and development (R&D) of computer chips. […]

Senate Finance Committee leadership released a bipartisan framework of legislation on Feb. 8 that would make key improvements to the nation’s unemployment insurance (UI) system, including the implementation of new technology. […]

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has tapped Sean Mooney to serve as director of NIH’s Center for Information Technology (CIT), starting in mid-March. […]