As promised in President Biden’s executive order today that sanctions the Russian government for the SolarWinds Orion cyberattack and other transgressions, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies published a list of five active Russian Foreign Intelligence Service cyberattack vectors that they say need network operators to defend against urgently. […]
President Biden today issued executive orders (EO) that blame, shame, and sanction the Russian government for perpetrating the SolarWinds Orion supply chain cyber attacks, and interfering with U.S. elections, among other transgressions. […]
Amid a strategic review of the deployment of its new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials told Congress on April 14 that the agency will not begin EHR system deployment at a second VA site until the current strategic review is completed. […]
At the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), cybersecurity is at the forefront of mission goals that include transitioning to cloud systems, a new cyber training regimen for USPTO remote examiners, and a new insider threat program, and agency official said April 14. […]
A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced legislation this week that would create a cybersecurity personnel rotation program to help grow and retain a highly skilled Federal cyber workforce. […]
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee leaders staked out key policy positions today on proposed legislation that would greatly expand the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) technology research funding portfolio. […]
National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan told House appropriators today that the $10.2 billion proposed budget for the agency for fiscal year 2022 is necessary for the United States to remain a global tech leader, and to “outcompete” China in its efforts to take the top spot. […]
Federal Inspectors General have the crucial task of agency oversight, often handling that job for large agencies while operating on relatively small budgets. To keep up with their responsibilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, IG offices have had to leverage new technologies – and old technologies in new ways – over the past year-plus, IG officials explained today. […]
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the U.S. Army should work to ensure its new online system, that assists with logistics management, operates in all situations and that soldiers complete necessary training to operate the system. […]
Ann Dunkin, who served as CIO at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the second Obama administration, is in line to become CIO at the Department of Energy (DoE), knowledgeable sources tell MeriTalk. […]
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) warned in an April 13 report that the United States and its allies face “a diverse array” of threats to national security, including increased cyber threats from adversaries. […]
President Biden intends to nominate Robert Santos as the next director of the U.S. Census Bureau, the White House announced Tuesday. […]
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted today to approve the nomination of Jason Miller for deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), sending the nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. […]
Five members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee are pressing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop a plan for prioritizing tech projects that are ripe for tackling with the $1 billion provided to the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) under the American Rescue Plan Act. […]
Anne Neuberger, the White House’s deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, released a statement today requiring all Federal agencies to apply Microsoft’s new set of Exchange patches “immediately.” […]
As Federal agencies are increasingly utilizing AI in their processes, it’s important that they approach AI using the mindset of understanding the technology as tools to help workers, rather than technology that will replace workers. […]
More security incidents were detected by the intruded organizations last year, a positive trend in the cybersecurity sector as cyber threat actors are increasingly exploiting the remote work setup, a 2021 trends report by Fire Eye and Mandiant – both cybersecurity firms – found. […]
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) launched its “JAIC 2.0” effort six months ago to focus on accelerating AI enablement across the DoD. However, JAIC Director Lt. Gen. Michael Groen says the effort needs to move much faster. […]
Defense officials hinted at positive developments by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with quantum information science work at a Senate hearing today, and told senators that the agency is kicking off its Innovation Steering Group under Defense Department (DoD) Secretary Kathleen Hicks to improve adoption of new technologies for DoD agencies. […]
A group of communications technology trade groups urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in an April 12 letter to stick by what they called the Federal government’s “longstanding commitment” to use industry-led standards and best practices to deal with cybersecurity and supply chain security issues facing the information communications technology (ICT) sector. […]
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is searching for new contracted program security personnel to assist the agency in innovation and research for national security efforts. […]
The White House said President Biden plans to nominate Christy Abizaid to become director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) housed within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). […]
The House Government Operations Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing for April 16 at 9:30 a.m. to examine compliance with the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). […]
The Department of Energy (DoE) announced today that Puesh Kumar will be serving as acting principal deputy assistant secretary for DoE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). […]
Have you ever wondered just how fast your broadband service really is? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a press release today reiterating that it wants the public to find out the answer to that question by downloading its “FCC Speed App.” The app allows consumers to measure the speed of their mobile and in-home broadband networks, while also contributing data to the FCC’s Measuring Broadband America program. […]
President Biden intends to nominate John “Chris” Inglis to serve as the first-ever National Cyber Director, according to numerous published sources. […]
President Biden will nominate Jen Easterly, a cyber veteran who helped stand up U.S. Cyber Command, to be the next director of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) component, the White House announced Monday. […]
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is launching the Federal Workforce Competency Initiative (FWCI) to identify key skills needed to successfully perform in a variety of Federal jobs and develop a competency database. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) improved its cyber resource readiness between the years 2017-19, but its cyber mission capability readiness decreased over that same span, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. […]
The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) has a created a working group to focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, CIGIE announced April 8. […]