OIG: Census Personnel Systems Unprepared for Peak Demands Dec 4, 2019 | 9:41 am The Census Bureau’s personnel and hiring systems are not ready to scale to meet the peak demand needed for the 2020 Decennial Census, according to a management alert from the Department of Commerce’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). […]
U.S. Election Security ‘Light Years’ Ahead of 2016, EAC Official Says Dec 4, 2019 | 9:30 am U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Thomas Hicks said on Dec. 3 that election security in the U.S. is “light years” ahead of where it was in 2016, but also emphasized there’s plenty more to do to ensure good security for the 2020 election cycle. […]
Advanced Tech Crucial for Healthcare Data Security, HHS Official Argues Dec 3, 2019 | 3:26 pm Machine-learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain technologies are crucial ingredients necessary to creating the next generation of healthcare data security and functionality, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official said today at an event presented by Fortinet. […]
Innovation Starts With Accepting Failure, Fed Leaders Say Dec 3, 2019 | 1:54 pm For Federal agencies, fostering innovation involves understanding when to be bold and where to put forth resources by communicating with other agencies as to what their needs are, while allowing for open communication channels within one’s own agency, said agency leaders today. […]
OIG: OPM Struggling with Financial Systems Management Dec 3, 2019 | 8:45 am The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recommended improvements to OPM’s security management, logical access, and configuration management in an audit of the agency’s financial records released on Nov. 18. […]
DoJ Updates Policy on Drones to Include Supply Chain Security Dec 2, 2019 | 12:51 pm The Department of Justice (DoJ) updated its Policy on the Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), placing an emphasis on cybersecurity and mitigating supply chain risks that may come from drones. […]
DHS Seeks Feedback on Cyber Talent Personnel System Dec 2, 2019 | 12:32 pm The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking feedback on program objectives for implementation of a new cybersecurity-focused personnel system. […]
GSA OIG’s Semiannual Report Totals $79 Million in Cost Savings Dec 2, 2019 | 9:31 am The General Service Administration’s (GSA’s) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its semiannual report to Congress on November 27, recommending $79 million in cost savings for the time period. […]
OIG Report: CBP Lacked Tech to Account for Separated Migrant Families Dec 2, 2019 | 9:20 am The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lacked the IT systems necessary to accurately track migrant families separated under the agency’s Zero Tolerance Policy, according to a DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report released on Nov. 25. […]
Education Department Investigating Foreign Influence at MIT, U-Maryland Nov 29, 2019 | 11:45 am The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether the University of Maryland and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) properly reported contracts from foreign governments and IT-related companies. […]
Commerce Taking Case-by-Case Approach to Supply Chain Bans Nov 29, 2019 | 9:28 am The Department of Commerce released a draft regulation for a case-by-case process of banning Americans from buying IT equipment from companies controlled by foreign interests, a power granted by May’s executive order on supply chain security. […]
CISA Releases Draft BOD on Vulnerability Disclosure Nov 29, 2019 | 9:25 am The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a draft version of Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 20-01, which would require Federal agencies to establish a vulnerability disclosure policy for internet-connected systems. […]
What are Federal IT Journalists Thankful for This Year? Nov 27, 2019 | 11:48 am As the temperature drops and the leaves follow suit, the time of year has approached to reflect on the many things for which we are thankful. […]
DOTGOV Implementation Cost Estimated Close to Nil, CBO Says Nov 27, 2019 | 8:00 am The Congressional Budget Office estimated in a Nov. 21 report that the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act would cost very little to implement. […]
Beth Angerman to Leave GSA Nov 26, 2019 | 3:26 pm Beth Angerman, principal deputy associate administrator of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Office of Governmentwide Policy, will leave GSA on Dec. 6, MeriTalk has learned. […]
DoD Making More Use of OTAs to Buy ‘Innovative’ Tech Nov 26, 2019 | 11:13 am The Department of Defense (DoD) has increased its use of Other Transactional Authorities (OTAs) to bring prototypes into the department, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released November 22. […]
GSA Issues Advance Notice for Contracts Mass Modification Nov 26, 2019 | 11:02 am The General Services Administration (GSA) is issuing an advance notice for schedule contractors for a Mass Modification (Mass Mod) that will update their contracts to the parameters of the new consolidated Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) for product, services, and solutions. […]
DoE Audit Flags Numerous Cyber Issues, 54 Fix Recommendations Nov 25, 2019 | 11:50 am The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reported numerous cybersecurity weaknesses at DoE and issued 54 recommendations to the agency throughout Fiscal Year 2019, according to a report released on Nov. 19. […]
NCCoE Project Aims to Boost Supply Chain Security Nov 25, 2019 | 10:53 am The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCoE) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are seeking comments for a new project to improve supply chain security. […]
CISA Piloting Election Security Auditing Tool Ahead of 2020 Nov 25, 2019 | 10:35 am The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced Nov. 21 that it is developing and piloting a new open-source post-election auditing tool for use in the 2020 elections. […]
GSA to Keep Pushing on IT Modernization in FY2020 Nov 25, 2019 | 9:45 am The General Services Administration (GSA) made strides in IT transformation throughout Fiscal Year 2019 and plans to continue to prioritize modernization in FY2020, according to its FY2019 Agency Financial Report released on Nov. 21. […]
FCC Votes to Bar Using USF Funding for Huawei, ZTE Services Nov 22, 2019 | 4:12 pm The Federal Communications Commission voted today to bar the use of Universal Service Fund (USF) money to pay for equipment and services supplied by China-based communications equipment makers Huawei and ZTE, and more broadly any other firms that “pose a national security threat” to the U.S. […]
Graves: Governance is Key to Federal Data Strategy Act Nov 22, 2019 | 3:20 pm The Federal Data Strategy and Evidence-Based Policymaking Act must have a collaborative and governed approach for it to succeed, Deputy Federal CIO for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Margaret Graves said today. […]
Vest RPA Tech Management With Line Employees, VA Official Recommends Nov 22, 2019 | 10:34 am Bill James, Deputy Assistant Secretary for DevOps at the Department of Veterans Affairs, discussed the use and impact of robotic process automation (RPA) technology on Nov. 20, and spoke in favor of vesting practical management of RPA applications with the line employees whose jobs the technology will impact the most. […]
House Panel Advances Federal 5G Security Strategy Bill Nov 22, 2019 | 10:13 am A bipartisan bill to develop a next-generation mobile communications strategy cleared the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) via a voice vote on Nov. 20. […]
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). […]
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). […]