Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) found security flaws in several popular password managers. In a report released yesterday, ISE found flaws that expose user credentials in computer memory while locked. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a request for information (RFI) on Tuesday asking for support in moving systems to the cloud, optimizing its remaining enterprise data center, and gathering comment on the department’s plan. The deadline to respond is March 20. […]
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has closed Federal offices in the Washington D.C. metro area on Wednesday due to inclement weather. […]
The Department of Defense’s recently released Cloud Strategy covers a lot of territory, from an emphasis on the multibillion dollar Joint Enterprise Defense Initiative as a foundation of its plans, to its description of seven strategic objectives it wants to achieve in the cloud. One of those objectives is to extend tactical support to warfighters at the network edge to give units in the field the technology and tactical information they need to operate in a battlefield where seamless communications are essential and where cyber operations and electronic warfare are an increasingly important factor. […]
President Trump today issued Space Policy Directive-4 (SPD-4) that orders the Secretary of Defense to create a legislative proposal that, if approved by Congress, would establish the administration’s proposed United States Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) rescheduled its planned outreach to industry in looking for an automated solution that can help agencies conduct audits of Federal grant recipients. The new date for the virtual pre-demonstration conference is March 4, and industry demonstration days will be held on April 3 and April 5. […]
Cybercriminals armed with ransomware technologies continued to ramp up their attacks in 2018, most notably those targeting large organizations, according to a report released today by cybersecurity technology provider Crowdstrike. […]
The inspector general for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) last week released a report on top challenges for the agency, which includes both ensuring effective cybersecurity oversight of banks and implementing strong information security policies within the agency. […]
The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) announced it will host a Proposers’ Day on Feb. 26 for its Secure, Assured, Intelligent Learning Systems (SAILS) program, and its Trojans in Artificial Intelligence (TrojAI) program. […]
Today, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) announced that it has been awarded the Federal Aviation Administration’s new contract to design, implement, install, and maintain the agency’s Data, Visualization, Analysis, and Reporting System (DVARS). […]
A group of Federal lawmakers from Louisiana penned an op-ed in the Washington Times on Feb. 13 urging President Trump to increase funding for cybersecurity education. […]
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) has announced release of a new toolkit for businesses to address Center for Internet Security Controls (CIS Controls) and reduce cybersecurity risks. […]
Discussions this morning with a Federal agency IT professional and an IT acquisition professional revealed very different views of the Federal government’s security posture.
Shared on the condition of no attribution during an AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) Bethesda event Tuesday morning, the speakers’ varying opinions showed how the balance between security and effectiveness is an issue still up for debate. […]
The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) issued a request for information on Feb. 14 for support for the command’s small applications, including help with a cloud migration and continuous delivery. Responses are due by February 28. […]
A bill approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week would direct the Office of Management and Budget and Federal government agencies to promptly publish a laundry list of “guidance” communications that agencies issue and that constitute statements of “general applicability” but do not have the full force of law. […]
Panelists at a Brookings Institution event last week agreed that it’s more important to implement artificial intelligence (AI) and other “smart cities” technologies in a secure and responsible manner, rather than merely to win the race to be the first tech adopters on the block. […]
It turns out a little knowledge can indeed be a dangerous thing.
That’s something the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) discovered when testing the value of artificial intelligence (AI) as an aid to battlefield decision-making. Researchers from ARL and the University of California, Santa Barbara, found in a series of test scenarios that people trust their own judgement more than they trust an AI’s advice. This was true even when an AI agent provided perfect guidance, and when ignoring that advice led to negative results. People might trust an AI personal assistant to recommend a movie or the best way to drive to the theater, but not so much when they have skin–or their own skin–in the game. […]
The Technology Modernization Fund’s (TMF) website shows minimal or no spend thus far on the projects for which $89 million of funding has been awarded. […]
In late January, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued a solicitation to invite submissions of innovative basic or applied research concepts in neurotechnology. […]
The White House Executive Office of the President (EOP) extended the deadline for a sources sought notice about contractor support for developing and maintaining applications for the Executive Office of the President. The deadline for industry response is February 20. […]
The EastWest Institute (EWI) on Thursday released a new report providing guidance on how to make tomorrow’s “smart cities” secure and safe through effective technology management by executives and administrators. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a presolicitation notice for procurement of Priority Telecommunications Services (PTS) for the agency’s Emergency Communications Division (ECD). The notice does not include a response due date. […]
President Trump signed legislation today that fully funds Federal government agencies and operations through Sept. 30 – putting an end to nearly two months of funding disruption and anxiety that included the 35-day partial shutdown of agencies and impacted about one quarter of the Federal civilian workforce. […]
Senators during an Energy and Natural Resources Senate Committee hearing Thursday called for more urgency regarding cyberattacks on the energy grid. […]
The White House said today that President Trump will sign funding legislation set to be approved by Congress, but at the same time also will declare a national emergency under which he will seek to access additional funding for wall construction on the U.S.-Mexico border. […]
The bill expected to be approved by the House and Senate today to fully fund Federal government agencies through Sept. 30 provides $550 million for the Agriculture Department’s rural broadband loan and grant pilot program, which supports the creation of broadband infrastructure in rural parts of the U.S., according to a Democratic party summary of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced a revamp of how agencies can acquire mobility solutions through IT Schedule 70 with a single Special Item Number (SIN) replacing expiring blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) under the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative. […]
The Senate voted today 55-45 to approve the nomination of William Barr as Attorney General and head of the Justice Department. […]
The issue of back-pay for contractors left high and dry by the 35-day partial government shutdown failed to make the cut in the Consolidated Appropriations Act legislation to be considered as soon as today by the House and Senate. […]
The Consolidated Appropriations Act–the bill negotiated by Democrats and Republicans in Congress that could fully fund several Federal agencies and avert another partial government shutdown–features a variety of funding for IT modernization projects at multiple agencies, according to the joint explanatory statement released with the bill: […]