A new cybersecurity advisory from the Federal government’s top cybersecurity watchdogs says that Russian state-sponsored hackers have compromised numerous defense industrial base (DIB) contractors both large and small over the past two years, and warns about the extensive bag of tricks that those hackers use when they target defense contractors. […]
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) announced it hired Russell Rappel-Schmid as PRC’s first chief data officer (CDO), and also unveiled a new service performance data dashboard. […]
The General Services Administration is extending the deadline – by one year – for Federal agencies to transition off of their Networx telecommunications contracts by implementing a continuation of services (CoS) clause, a GSA spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk today. […]
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., filed cloture on the latest House-passed continuing resolution (CR) – which would extend Federal government funding through March 11 – setting up a timeline for a Senate vote on the funding bill by Friday. […]
A group of Senate Democrats is calling for the removal of facial recognition technology in verification processes for state unemployment programs. […]
A group of senators led by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have introduced legislation that would make it easier for international students with advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees to work in the United States upon after their schooling is completed. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) has appointed Eric D. Evans as chair of the Defense Science Board (DSB), the agency announced on Feb. 14. […]
The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on Feb. 15 voted to approve the Small Business Administration (SBA) Cyber Awareness Act (H.R. 3462), which requires SBA to issue an annual report on its cybersecurity capabilities, and notify Congress in the event of a cybersecurity breach potentially compromising sensitive information. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) expects around 80,000 Defense Industrial Base (DIB) contractors will need a third-party assessment to reach Level 2 compliance for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certificate (CMMC) 2.0 program – double the previously estimated number of companies. […]
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking information from vendors about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect cyberattacks on power plants. […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is utilizing AI and big data to predict weather disasters and alert the public in real-time, according to NOAA’s Chief Information Officer Zachary Goldstein. […]
Enterprise cloud adoption is proving to be an ideal fit with the rapidly changing mission rhythms of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component agency that is tasked with coordinating the Federal government’s disaster preparation and response capabilities. […]
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., plans to be back at work in “just a few short weeks” to vote on important legislation and nominees after suffering a stroke late last month. […]
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that the U.S. Census Bureau delayed decisions regarding IT plans and capabilities for the 2020 Census, which led to schedule impacts, cost increases, and reduced scope. […]
Efforts by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) to invest in real-time information sharing capabilities are keying the Biden administration’s campaign to improve industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity, CISA and NSA officials said this week. […]
A Department of Defense (DoD) report on the state of competition in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) underscores the need to bring in more small businesses, and implement sector-specific supply chain resiliency plans in order to increase competition and innovation in the DIB. […]
Bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working on two pieces of draft legislation that would rework Federal licensing and management regulation of the commercial satellite communications industry. […]
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., is calling for more policies to build a diverse workforce in order for America to maintain technological leadership. […]
A new memo from the Department of Defense (DoD) is encouraging the use of a continuous Authorization To Operate (cATO) under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management Framework (RMF) – instead of a point-in-time ATO – to serve as the “gold standard” for systems’ cybersecurity risk management. […]
The Biden-Harris Administration is crediting the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress last November for helping more than 10 million households to enroll the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband affordability program. […]
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) personnel mobility program – which allows for temporary assignments of Federal and non-Federal employees to come in and quickly fill skill gaps – needs more complete data for the program to realize its full potential. […]
A bipartisan group of senators is urging the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase transparency in cybersecurity incident reporting requirements for public companies overseen by the SEC. […]
The General Services Administration is going on the hunt for a permanent director to lead its Login.gov effort and oversee deployment of the $187 million Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) award GSA got for the project last year. […]
The Department of Education (DoE) has released new updates to its College Scorecard that are intended to make the tool more useful for students and families weighing college options. DoE said that updates may also be beneficial to school counselors, college access providers, researchers, and other critical stakeholders. […]
Federal and private sector experts will come together on March 10 for the ServiceNow Federal Forum, where they will discuss how agile, efficient, and effective workflows are strengthening and empowering the Federal workforce. […]
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has a new acting administrator, as 19-year OIRA veteran Dominic Mancini will lead the office – housed within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – on an acting basis. […]
Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat, who is retiring from government service at the end of March, reported this week that Federal civilian agencies are making solid progress to expand beyond the pilot phase an initiative to put chat and collaboration tools in place across agencies. […]
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO) Cyber Team seeks to advance its cyber capabilities to better protect against cyber threats and increase mission assurance. […]
House Democrats in recent weeks have asked the Biden administration about its plans to improve diversity across the national security workforce. […]
Officials from the U.S. Space Force Technology and Innovation Office addressed several challenges they have encountered as a new military service and how the private sector can help during a virtual event hosted by AFCEA on Feb. 10. […]