The volume of phishing-based cyberattacks rose by 29 percent in 2021 over prior-year levels and was driven in part by an increase in phishing-as-a-service schemes, according to new research from cloud security services provider Zscaler and its ThreatLabz research operation. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) is working on a series of playbooks for Federal agencies to use as they proceed with implementing plans to migrate toward zero trust security architectures, and expects to begin releasing those within a couple of months, a senior GSA technology official said today. […]
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has launched a new beta version of its website, complete with a new design to improve customer experience, the agency announced in an April 18 blog post. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is forging ahead with executing President Biden’s Federal customer experience improvement executive order issued last December by framing the planned service improvements around five distinct major life events where citizens may rely more heavily on the government for help. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is seeking industry feedback on two reference documents, one for Secure Cloud Business Applications (SCuBA) and a framework for organization visibility data, according to an April 19 CISA blog post. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Treasury Department issued a joint cybersecurity advisory (CSA) on April 18 warning of North Korean state-sponsored actors targeting attacks on crypto and blockchain technology providers. […]
A Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) official said today that the next focus area for work on the agency’s Thunderdome zero trust prototype project is user convenience. […]
The Department of Education was one of three agencies to receive funding from the General Service Administration’s (GSA) Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) for Zero Trust services, and the agency’s chief information officer Steven Hernandez said the agency is prioritizing the control pillar of the zero trust architecture with the funds. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said today it adding to its Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) group several private sector firms with expertise in protecting industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT). […]
The U.S. Army’s new Risk Management Framework (RMF) 2.0 has proved to be a “big game-changer,” not just in terms of managing risk, but also in building a strong cybersecurity community within the agency, an Army official said today. […]
The modernization of identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) has long been critical to improving Federal agency cybersecurity, and is only becoming more urgent due to President Biden’s cybersecurity executive order (EO) and associated policy directives requiring agencies to move to zero trust security architectures, government officials said on April 19 at a virtual event organized by FedInsider. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) has appointed Travis Langster, the vice president and general manager of COMSPOC, to serve as the principal director of DOD space policy. […]
The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) said today it awarded $10.5 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the agency to implement the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Login.gov single sign-on technology across multiple VA websites. […]
Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., introduced legislation to get ahead of the quantum computing curve protecting Federal agencies from the hacking risks connected to the emerging tech. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working to apply its Cybersecurity Framework to the ground-based segments of space operations, an April 18 NIST report says. […]
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has appointed Yemi Oshinnaiye to serve as its next chief information officer (CIO), an agency spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
The U.S. Army is taking advantage of commercial capabilities to address challenges warfighters face at the tactical edge, according to the service branch’s top IT official. […]
Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., have introduced legislation that seeks to streamline Federal hiring processes to allow for more flexible career paths, and to better address agency needs. […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in a new report that a 2018 change in the law determining whether the Federal government pays fair or reasonable prices for goods and services has not resulted in much of a difference in contract evaluations for two Federal agencies with considerable buying power. […]
As advances in computing power and the ability to leverage large data sets and complex algorithms have increased in recent years, Federal agencies are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) to gain new insights from data and improve operational efficiencies in everything from healthcare to transportation to citizen services and public safety. […]
The United States Air Force (USAF) Kessel Run detachment is undergoing a change in leadership, as Col. Brian Beachkofski has moved to the private sector after two years as the Kessel Run Commander and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has named Drew Myklegard acting Deputy Federal CIO while it continues to seek a permanent hire for the vacant Deputy Federal CIO position. […]
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues through its second month with no let-up in sight, Federal cybersecurity and law enforcement officials are warning that they still see indications of potential Russian cyberattacks on United States critical infrastructure, and are reiterating their “Shields Up” warning to meet those potential threats. […]
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) – a component of the Defense Department (DoD) that conducts most of the Federal government’s personnel security investigations along with handling security education and awareness training – has promoted two senior officials to run contracting and policy functions for the agency. […]
The U.S. Census Bureau on April 11 unveiled a new data tool that provides transparency on racial and income data across the United States, and is searchable by individual states. […]
A new report from the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is calling on the agency to improve its online identity verification controls after finding the number of fraudulent change of addresses (COAs) has increased by 167 percent. […]
The Digital Services Coalition (DSC) has released its strategic priorities and goals for 2022–2025, which include introducing a shared language for digital services and digital transformation, along with providing new tools and technology to support the DSC community. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) today explained a range of steps the agency is taking to advance equity and supplier diversity in Federal government procurement, including category management changes and commitments to help reduce contracting obstacles for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs). […]
With state and local governments (SLGs) becoming more tempting targets for cyberattacks every day, Federal and SLG experts are increasingly urging the importance of communication between the public and private sector in order to achieve a unified and stronger American cybersecurity posture. […]
The President’s Management Agenda (PMA) sets out broad, ambitious goals for improving the customer experience and empowering the Federal workforce. While technology underpins these goals, in-depth understanding of the agency mission and challenges is required to truly realize the promise of the PMA. MeriTalk sat down with Joe Kehoe, vice president of the Department of Defense (DoD) practice at Maximus, to learn how his company approaches agency engagements and leverages emerging technologies to modernize agency systems – with the goal of providing the best experience for his customers’ customers: American citizens. […]