A consortium led by IBM has developed the world’s smallest, functional microelectronic devices – computer chips constructed around circuitry just 7 nanometers wide. The new chips, produced using silicon-germanium by a group comprised of IBM, Global Foundries, the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute and Samsung, use chip geometries that are half the dimensions […]
Cloud service providers (CSPs) and Third Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs) must now include social engineering and phishing attacks as part of efforts to test their systems, Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) officials said last week. The FedRAMP Program Management Office detailed the changes in the new Penetration Test Guidance issued July 6. “The new […]
The government created the Internet. Now it’s almost full, and you may have to take a number if you want in. The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), the group that hands out the numerical codes, said last week it is running out of Internet addresses. On July 1, “for the first time, the American […]
Hackers stole sensitive information on 21.5 million people in a recently disclosed cyber-attack that breached the Federal government’s database of security background checks, Politico’s David Perera has reported. MeriTalk yesterday said the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was preparing to disclose details of the new hack this week. OPM has previously said 4.2 million current […]
Decades of funding shortfalls and tired legacy systems are to blame for the massive data breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), says OPM Director Katherine Archuleta, who defended her agency and its staff under heavy questioning in Congress last week. Case in point: OPM was using the most basic version of Einstein, the […]
Federal CIO Tony Scott might have set the tone for the day when he said the essence of cloud is speed. Cost savings are great, and agility is cool, but speed is what will make the biggest difference, he said. If you didn’t catch Tony there, you can still see him here. But he was […]
Cloud is all about speed. Cost savings are great and agility is great, but it’s the potential to increase the speed – and therefore effectiveness – of government that is cloud’s greatest potential benefit. […]
We’re all addicted. Consumers spent 37.5 hours per month accessing apps on their phones in 2014, up 63 percent in just two years, according to the consumer research giant Nielsen. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued final guidance June 10 detailing what agencies need to do to implement the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). The document is barely changed from the draft circulated in April. That’s one thing you need to know – here are six more: 1. Implementing the common baseline […]
So the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) admits it’s suffered what just might be the worst data breach in history, with some 4 million Federal employees’ personal data exposed, and China is once again to blame. […]
Now that Congress has finally approved the USA Freedom Act, the next big cyber debate is shaping up around the Cybersecurity Information Security Act (CISA). […]
Consumers want their privacy, but they’re also willing to sell their digital souls for apps that make their lives easier. And when it comes to sharing information with the government, worries about Big Brother come into play. […]
Add Alan Davidson to the list of former Google execs taking new positions in the federal government. Davidson is joining the Commerce Department in a newly created position, Director of Digital Economy within the Department of Commerce. […]
Federal agencies aren’t the only ones trying to leverage analytics to get better at their game. Cyber crooks are doing it, as well. […]
From newly approved cybersecurity measures to privacy rights and credit cards, Congress was busy last week making moves and tinkering with budgets. […]
The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) aimed to empower agency CIOs and improve federal IT management. Now comes the hard part: putting those ideas into practice. […]
Looking to figure out how your organization can best utilize the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to manage risk and improve security? […]
Cloud computing is catching on in the federal market almost as fast as in the commercial sector, according to a new report from the Cloud Computing Caucus Advisory Group released May 11th, at a Capitol Hill event featuring Caucus co-founder Rep. Gerry Connolly. […]
MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT, this week launched three new cloud computing initiatives intended to help accelerate cloud computing adoption across the Federal government. […]
Key Federal leaders share their thoughts on FITARA, cybersecurity, and more. […]
Much of the controversial Patriot Act expires June 1, and Congress faces three choices: Keep the National Security Administration’s (NSA) surveillance capabilities intact, lessen NSA’s power, or do nothing – effectively letting the law expire. […]
Lawmakers this week will begin what could be a long debate over encryption and the role of technology companies, with people on all sides of the debate discussing the law enforcement and privacy implications of the controversial issue. […]
Perennially defending itself against cyberattacks, the Pentagon will go on the offensive and unleash its cyber-arsenal against hackers. […]
The world is going mobile. Apple sold 60 million iPhones in the last quarter alone. Three out of five ESPN users view the site on a mobile device. And one in every four visitors to a federal government website uses a phone or tablet. […]
Federal agencies are using social media as a real-time engagement and response tool and letting politicians make all the gaffes. […]
It’s not a matter of if you’ll get hacked – it’s when. […]
Here’s the latest wrinkle in the global data trade: Customers are trading privacy for lower insurance rates. Insurer John Hancock and global wellness firm, Vitality, are both willing to cut your premiums – but only if they can track your activity. […]
Archaic rules are holding the Senate back from making better use of digital communication technologies, write Sens. Cory Booker and Claire McCaskill, in a letter to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. […]
The military isn’t dipping its toes into cloud waters, it’s diving in. The Pentagon outspends many countries, and its 2015 cloud investment will reach nearly $773 million, accounting for 37 percent of all Federal cloud spending. […]
President Obama last week signed an Executive Order allowing the U.S. to impose sanctions on people and organizations that threaten the U.S. in cyber space, ratcheting up pressure on allies and adversaries alike to police their cyber citizens. […]