While Congress has been slow to act on privacy issues, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is getting out ahead of any Federal legislation when it comes to addressing the matter. […]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) needs to address privacy and system performance issues as it moves forward with facial recognition technology and programs for identity checks, according to a Government Accountability Office report. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has finalized vulnerability disclosure policies (VDPs) for the Federal government and issued a memorandum to agencies today establishing the processes for identification, management, and remediation of security vulnerabilities. […]
The nation’s lead election security agency in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has not seen any attacks on voter registration databases or voting systems this year. […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is launching a new initiative to invest $25 million in research projects dedicated to foundational data science principles. […]
Shane Barney, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component, on Sept. 1 credited increased use of data automation for improving security operation center (SOC) operations at the agency. […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency want to expand use of biometrics with a new rule that would implement the technology for identity verification, document production, records management, and even to prove familial relationships. […]
As robotic process automation (RPA) enters the Federal enterprise, determining uses for attended and unattended automation has become an increasingly important to agency officials. […]
Back in August, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) consolidated 11 different contract opportunities under an Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) vehicle into a single contract with telecommunications giant, Verizon. […]
Cybersecurity agencies of the nations in the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance released a joint cybersecurity advisory to serve as a “playbook” for investigating incidents and highlight technical approaches to uncovering malicious activity. […]
In a pivot to focus on IT modernization, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is embracing agile development with much success, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released August 31. The government watchdog agency said, however, that the agency would benefit from more clarity about the role of contracting officials in the new model. […]
The Department of Health and Human Services has appointed Perryn Ashmore acting CIO, following the departure of former CIO Jose Arrieta on August 28. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Data Privacy Office said in an August 14 report that its use of Computer Matching Agreements (CMA) under the 1988 Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act (CMPPA) saved taxpayers several hundred million dollars in 2019 through the use of technology that enables DHS to compare data from multiple automated systems. […]
In the spring, schools were forced to shut down to stem the spread of COVID-19, and this fall schools are struggling to figure out how to either reopen safely or shift to distance learning to meet student needs. […]
A new publication by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) details how cloud computing is hurting forensic science investigation efforts, and calls for more research into standards and tech that could mitigate those challenges. […]
In the 20th century, literacy in reading, writing, and mathematics might have been the requisites to inform participation in democratic and economic systems, but over the past half century, a new form of necessary literacy has been emerging – cyber literacy. […]
As large scale telework continues across the Federal government, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) released a remote vulnerability and patch management guide yesterday to supplement the Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 Interim Telework Guidance released in April. […]
The Department of Energy and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy today named nearly two dozen members from DoE National Laboratories, the tech sector and academia to the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee that will advise the Trump administration on policies related to quantum information science. […]
According to a new report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), NASA is not adequately securing its networks from unauthorized access by IT devices, and has not fully implemented controls to remove or block unauthorized IT devices from accessing the agency’s networks and systems. […]
In August, the Census Bureau announced that it would be delivering appointment data by the statutory deadline of December 31, 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing delays. Compressed timeframes, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), could present challenges to monitoring ongoing IT risks, among other issues. […]
Officials at the General Services Administration (GSA) have started internal discussions on the impact that pandemic-driven employee telework may have on longer-term uses of government office buildings and other facilities, said Beth Anne Killoran, GSA’s Deputy CIO, at an August 26 event organized by Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM). […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released new COVID-19 infection rate numbers today, indicating a decrease in virus spread because of the agency’s emphasis on digital screening and telehealth services. […]
The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Aug. 26 that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has entered a consent decree imposing a permanent injunction which bars two individuals and two companies from conveying any telephone calls into the U.S. telephone system. The two individuals are spouses Nicholas and Natasha Palumbo, and their companies, Ecommerce National LLC and SIP Retail. […]
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen urged Americans this week to participate fully in the democratic process and realize that the fear of “malign influence” on elections are as old as the country itself. […]
Federal IT operations time and again have proved to be the resilient lifeline to vital citizen services during the COVID-19 pandemic. As government and society map the path to recovery, MeriTalk is chronicling the untold stories and lessons of how government IT has innovated on the fly to meet the demands of the crisis and anchor more resilient services going forward. In the latest installment of CIO Crossroads, we turn to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) five months into the fight. […]
While the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 guidance was finalized in late July, Program Manager Sean Connelly reiterated at an August 26 FedInsider webinar that the documents are only the first steps of TIC 3.0 efforts. […]
The General Services Administration is well-known for its work implementing tech solutions across the Federal government, but a GSA official this week praised the work being done at the municipal level to provide 5G services in cities across the country. […]
With artificial intelligence applications still being developed, the chief technology officer of the nation’s primary cyber agency said “a new cadre of data professionals” is needed in order to prepare cyber information for analysis. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a new scheduling tool as a part of its electronic health record modernization (EHRM) efforts to streamline its appointment scheduling process for providers. […]
The General Services Administration’s (GSA) FedRAMP Program has made significant strides over fiscal year 2020 and its priorities remain consistent as we look toward FY2021. […]