The Federal Transit Administration’s Mobility on Demand Sandbox program will fund 11 projects that allow transit providers to try Internet of Things (IoT) enabled services. […]
A draft of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) Cyber Working Group report on securing the nation’s critical infrastructure has found that while the U.S. has the capabilities to defend against cyber attacks, it lacks the coordination to do so effectively. […]
Federal Communications Commission CIO David Bray will not be taking up the role of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency chief ventures officer, as reported June 5, and will instead be moving to the private sector as senior fellow and executive-in-residence at People-Centered Internet, Bray confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
The United States needs to invest more resources in the security of election systems, Cook County (Ill.) Director of Elections Noah Praetz told the Election Assistance Commission. […]
The United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Inventors Hall of Fame held a STEM camp this month to teach children to develop questions, collect data, draw conclusions, and apply new knowledge while tackling hands-on challenges. […]
DHS S&T announced Aug. 14 that it was awarding Metronome Software nearly $750,000 to strengthen the security of first responder sensor systems. Metronome Software, a software research and development company focused on working for the U.S. government, is developing a technology to improve the security of first responders’ mobile device-based sensor systems. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will begin an auction in 2018 that will provide nearly $2 billion over 10 years to expand high-speed Internet access in rural areas that are currently underserved by fixed broadband. […]
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education recently released a Cybersecurity Workforce Framework that establishes a consistent vocabulary for recruiting and hiring cybersecurity talent. […]
Office of Personnel Management CIO Dave Devries will be leaving his position effective Sept. 2 due to family considerations, an OPM spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. DeVries joined OPM in August 2016. […]
Following the Cybersecurity Executive Order, security professionals are focusing on risk management frameworks, and some agencies are turning to the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program. “Security is not something that you buy, it’s something that you do,” said Matt Conner of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. […]
The Government Accountability Office found that the Office of Personnel Management’s cybersecurity posture is still lacking after the major hack of the agency in 2015. […]
The designation of the nation’s election systems as critical infrastructure will not infringe upon state and local authority to run elections. In a recent memo to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Members, Ranking Member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., relayed communications from the Department of Homeland Security that reiterated that fact. […]
The Federal Communications Commission announced Aug. 3 that it’s exploring ways to improve the quality of the data it collects on broadband service. The FCC released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek comment on proposals to collect better data. The FCC in 2000 established its deployment data collection program, which requires Internet providers to file the information with the FCC twice a year. […]
Richard Staropoli, the Department of Homeland Security’s chief information officer, resigned Aug. 3, after about three months in the role. […]
The White House on Aug. 3 unveiled new telehealth features for veterans, including a smartphone application that veterans can use to make doctor’s appointments. The telehealth effort will offer services to help veterans seeking care whether they are at home or overseas. […]
The IEEE Standards Association recently announced that it will be teaming up with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop principles for cloud interoperability or federation. […]
Christopher Painter made the case for cyber diplomacy after stepping down as cyber coordinator for the State Department in July. Painter wrote a blog post saying that cyber issues continue to grow, which increases the need for global discussions on cybersecurity. Yet Politico reported that the State Department is considering getting rid of its cybersecurity department. […]
The General Services Administration on Aug. 1 awarded a maximum 15-year, $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract to 10 telecommunications companies. The awardees include AT&T, BT Federal, Qwest Government Services (doing business as Centurylink QGS), Granite Telecommunications, Level 3 Communications, Manhattan Telecommunications, and Verizon. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology First Responders Group is working with the Lower Colorado River Authority in Texas to develop Internet of Things sensors and geo-targeting alerts that will enable faster reporting of flood conditions so that first responders can better respond to problem areas. […]
Incorporating automation into the U.S. electric grid can both improve recovery capabilities in the event of an outage and present new cybersecurity dangers, according to a recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report. […]
The House Homeland Security Committee on July 26 unanimously passed two bills to improve the government’s cybersecurity posture: the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2017 and the Cyber Vulnerability Disclosure Reporting Act. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act creates a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deal with […]
Congress should focus on providing Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with technology to patrol the border and detect illegal smuggling, rather than building a physical barrier across the whole southern U.S. border, according to Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas. […]
The United States and Japan on July 24 held a joint cyber dialogue, where the countries spoke about information sharing and strengthening international cybersecurity. […]
Treasury Department Chief Information Officer Sonny Bhagowalia has been reassigned as a detailee at the Bureau of Fiscal Services, according to a department spokesperson. In the new role, Bhagowalia will continue working on cybersecurity and technology projects. Deputy CIO Eric Olson will become acting CIO. […]
Federal leaders emphasized the importance of cybersecurity and partnerships with the private sector at the Aspen Security Forum on July 22. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said he agrees with the decision of former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson that made election systems critical infrastructure and told the states that DHS would offer help if […]
The Department of Justice announced on July 20 that it was recently able to take down dark website AlphaBay and its administrator. The action was in conjunction with Europol as well as law enforcement authorities in Thailand, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. […]
If Federal agencies invest upfront in technologies to track fraud and improper payments, the government could end up saving enough money to pay back some of the national debt or stave off sequestration, according to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. […]
The State Department announced that teenage girls from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia will participate in the TechGirls exchange program July 12-Aug. 3, as the agency scrambles to grant visas to other countries. […]
The Government Accountability Office found that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has not completed a modernization plan for its existing IT systems, which will make it difficult to reach its modernization goals. […]
Systems integration and exploring new functionality are two major technological challenges for states pursuing their own health care initiatives, according to Jim Hardy, Deloitte Consulting’s Medicaid advisory services lead. […]