OMB Updates FISMA Guidance for FY2020 Nov 22, 2019 | 9:41 am The Office of Management and Budget released its updated guidance for complying with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA), setting the timeline for Federal agencies to assess their cybersecurity posture. […]
Senate Approves Stopgap Spending Bill Featuring Military Pay Raise Nov 21, 2019 | 2:12 pm The Senate voted 74-20 today in favor of a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that will fund Federal government operations through Dec. 20. The CR will go to President Trump’s desk for signature. […]
FEC Lacks Adequate Information Security Procedures, OIG Says Nov 21, 2019 | 2:05 pm The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is missing effective IT governance and struggles with internal cyber vulnerabilities, according to an FEC Office of Inspector General (OIG) report released on Nov. 19. […]
House E&C Approves Supply Chain Threat-Sharing Bill Nov 21, 2019 | 1:13 pm The Network Security Information Sharing Act of 2019 cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee via a voice vote on Nov. 20. […]
House E&C Clears Bill to Improve Feds’ Broadband Service Mapping Nov 21, 2019 | 12:42 pm The House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) voted on Nov. 20 to approve the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (Broadband DATA Act). […]
Technetix joins NCTA Nov 21, 2019 | 11:25 am Technetix, a cable broadband equipment designer and manufacturer, joined trade group NCTA – the Internet and Television Association (NCTA). […]
Encryption Impact, Internal IT Security Among DoJ’s Top Challenges, OIG Says Nov 21, 2019 | 11:25 am An Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report cites prosecuting cybercrime in the age of encryption, maintaining election security, and protecting its own IT systems as areas of top management and performance challenges facing the Department of Justice (DOJ). […]
Senior Cyber Official Jeanette Manfra to Depart CISA Nov 21, 2019 | 11:18 am Jeanette Manfra, assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is leaving CISA at the end of the year, an agency official confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
White House OSTP Names Two New Deputy CTOs Nov 21, 2019 | 11:13 am White House Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Michael Kratsios confirmed on Twitter that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has promoted Lynne Parker and Winter Casey to the positions of deputy CTO. […]
Fed CIOs Tell Agencies to Consider ‘Repeatability’ in TMF Proposals Nov 20, 2019 | 3:47 pm The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) received praise from top Federal CIOs at ATARC’s TMF event on Nov. 20 but for agencies looking to score a grant, board members recommended proposing projects with government-wide significance. […]
DHS Flagged for IT Control Weaknesses in Outside Audit Nov 20, 2019 | 2:45 pm A required outside audit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) yielded a “clean” opinion of the agency’s financial statements for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, but also a finding of “material weaknesses” in the areas of financial controls, and IT controls and financial systems. […]
FCC Sets Broadband Precision Agriculture Task Force Nov 20, 2019 | 2:41 pm The Federal Communications Commission announced appointments to its Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force that will work on strategies to advance broadband communications deployment on agricultural land and promote precision agriculture. […]
FCC Taps USDA’s Francisco Salguero to Fill CIO Role Nov 20, 2019 | 1:41 pm The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has hired Francisco Salguero – now deputy CIO at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) – as the FCC’s next CIO, Salguero confirmed on Nov. 20 at ATARC’s Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) event. […]
Feds Advancing AI R&D, OSTP Report Finds Nov 20, 2019 | 1:02 pm The Federal government is making strides on its goal to support and advance the research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP’s) 2016-2019 Progress Report on Advancing Artificial Intelligence R&D, released today. […]
White-Collar Jobs Most Susceptible to AI Disruption, Brookings Says Nov 20, 2019 | 12:25 pm White-collar jobs are the most susceptible to disruption by the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the U.S. economy, a new report says. […]
House Panel Zeroes in on Election Security Ahead of 2020 Nov 20, 2019 | 12:03 pm With election security firmly in place as the popular policy de jour on Capitol Hill in the ramp-up to the 2020 election cycle, House members from both sides of the aisle voiced support at a Nov. 19 hearing for more focus on cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, with a particular focus on ransomware exploits. […]
Senate Leaders Urge White House to Appoint 5G Policy Chief Nov 20, 2019 | 11:52 am Leaders of several Senate committees with national security jurisdiction are urging Robert O’Brien, President Trump’s National Security Adviser, to appoint a single Federal policy coordinator for telecommunications policy with a particular focus on 5G wireless technologies. […]
DoD Seeks Alternate Cloud Security Gateway Nov 20, 2019 | 10:24 am The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit is currently seeking solution briefs on methods to increase operational efficiency by utilizing cloud-based systems delivered through Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) through an alternate cloud security gateway. […]
FedRAMP Director Discusses FY2020 Priorities Nov 20, 2019 | 8:55 am The General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) will focus on administering simplicity, automation, marketplace growth, and learning opportunities in Fiscal Year 2020, according to Director Ashley Mahan. […]
House Approves CR With Military Pay Raise; Next Stop is Senate Nov 19, 2019 | 3:47 pm The House voted today by a margin of 230-194 to approve a continuing budget (CR) resolution that will fund Federal government operations through Dec. 20. […]
DHS OIG Annual Report Flags Leadership, Cyber Issues Nov 19, 2019 | 3:08 pm An annual report issued by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) flags leadership stability and cybersecurity issues among the “most serious management and performance challenges” facing the agency currently. […]
Senators Speak Out About ISAC Budget Pitfalls Nov 19, 2019 | 3:01 pm Sens. Margaret Wood Hassan, D-N.H., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., signed a letter requesting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provide full funding to two key Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISAC). […]
Fed Employees Must Improve ‘Basic’ Cybersecurity Measures Nov 19, 2019 | 2:43 pm To improve the future of cybersecurity posture for the United States, experts agree that improving on basic security measures and shifting culture to compete with industry in the workforce are essential elements. […]
DoD Audit Identifies IT As Material Weakness Yet Again Nov 19, 2019 | 1:56 pm The Defense Department’s (DoD) Fiscal Year 2019 audit identified IT and DoD’s business systems as a material weakness, amid the report’s 1,300 findings and recommendations, according to documents released by DoD on November 15. […]
DoD and Cloud? Yeah, milCloud® 2.0’s Got That Covered Nov 19, 2019 | 10:20 am There’s been a lot in the news lately about what the Defense Department (DoD) wants to do with cloud services down the road, but a whole lot less about who’s already getting the cloud services job done today for America’s warfighters. […]
House Sets Vote On CR Funding Military Pay Raise, Census Operations Nov 19, 2019 | 10:09 am The House will vote today on a continuing budget (CR) resolution that will fund Federal government operations through Dec. 20, pay for a 3.1 percent annual pay raise for military personnel, and provide funding to the Department of Commerce for 2020 Census work. […]
SBA Audit Highlights Cybersecurity, Controls Issues Nov 19, 2019 | 10:08 am An audit of the finances of the Small Business Administration highlighted the need for improved cybersecurity and internal controls over IT systems. […]
HUD Looking for Cloud-Based Talent Management App Nov 19, 2019 | 10:05 am The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is looking to replace its existing Enterprise Talent Management System and implement a cloud-based application to meet the department’s needs, according to a solicitation released November 15. The solicitation is open until December 9. […]
Nation-State, Supply Chain Cyberattacks Are Top Concerns, CrowdStrike Says Nov 19, 2019 | 8:16 am Attacks by nation-state actors and exploits targeting supply chains are among top cybersecurity concerns of IT officials, a report by CrowdStrike released on Nov. 19 reported. […]
House Bill Would Digitize FARA Records Nov 19, 2019 | 8:16 am Reps. Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a bill on Nov. 15 that would require all Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) files to be submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a digital, searchable electronic format. […]