The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking an in-depth cybersecurity audit of its Financial Services Center to analyze its compliance with Federal statutes, how the agency is adapting processes to support compliance, and cybersecurity sustainment across VA. […]
Officials with several leading Federal IT service providers applauded government agency grades on last week’s FITARA Scorecard, but also suggested a range of grading category adjustments for the scorecard to better track where agency performance should be going in the future. […]
A Department of State program is offering up to $10 million to help identify bad actors, individuals who are working with or for a foreign government with the purpose of interfering with U.S. elections through certain cyber acts. […]
Amb. Robert Strayer, the Department of State’s point person for cyber and international communications policy, is leaving government to join the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council, a global technology trade association. […]
The Department of State launched the Clean Network program on August 5 to promote the protection of American data and telecommunications infrastructure, specifically targeting China-based companies. […]
As government cybersecurity practices shifted to adjust to the increase in telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) previewed cyber tools offered by the agencies, but reminded Feds that knowing the network architecture is an early and necessary step toward selecting the correct protections. […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a new online tool designed to help individuals navigate career options in the field of cybersecurity. […]
When it comes to the security of sensitive information in the energy sector, collaboration between the Department of Energy, intelligence community, and private sector are foundational to these efforts, Senior Advisor at the Office of Policy for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, & Emergency Response Alexander Gates said. […]
The national security community of the United States has found itself in a conundrum in the last few years, warning other countries about the risks of the China-based company Huawei, but unable to provide an American alternative for 5G networks. […]
This week the Federal agency primarily responsible for protecting elections held a training event to test its plans in advance of November’s Election Day. The third “Tabletop the Vote” exercise hosted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, took place over a three day period from July 28 to 30, featuring 37 states and over 2,000 total participants, the majority of which participated remotely. […]
Department of Agriculture (USDA) CIO Gary Washington is crediting the cloud for keeping agency networks cyber-secure during the coronavirus pandemic, and lauding the technology’s cost-savings and efficiency benefits in a remote environment. […]
Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, voiced support at a July 30 subcommittee hearing for the European Union’s placement of sanctions on Russian, Chinese, and North Korean entities for their role in high-profile cyber attacks. […]
While telecommunications providers in the United States prepare to rip out and replace gear from China-based Huawei and the United Kingdom has moved to eventually ban the company’s equipment from its 5G networks, the German government has officially stated its neutrality in the matter. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced July 28 the second annual President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition. Registration is open to any Federal Executive branch employee, including Department of Defense (DoD) and uniformed service members, with a knack for cybersecurity. Individuals can either register solo or as part of a team. […]
Congress is looking to hammer out its next COVID-19 relief bill in the coming weeks and it looks like it will be a contentious negotiation. As part of its opening salvo, Senate GOP leadership released their policy proposal on July 27. […]
Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I. – one of the pioneering policy voices in Congress on cybersecurity issues – told MeriTalk in an exclusive interview that legislative oversight of Federal government actions in the cybersecurity arena remains “absolutely essential.” […]
Securing the software supply chain is a “major source” of national security risk for both public and private-sector organizations, a new report from the Atlantic Council argues. […]
Four Republican members of the House of Representatives praised the news, originally reported by Reuters on July 22, that France will phase out the China-based company Huawei out of its 5G networks by 2028. […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced today that it has added two cybersecurity experts to support the agency’s COVID-19 response efforts. […]
Small Business Administration (SBA) Deputy CIO Guy Cavallo assured members of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations today that cybersecurity at SBA is much stronger than metrics like those reflected in the FITARA scorecard may lead them to believe. […]
A July 21 report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) prioritizes enhancing IT to combat cyberthreats as one of EPA’s top Fiscal Year 2020-2021 management challenges. […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced July 20 that CIO James Gfrerer swore in Todd Simpson as deputy assistant secretary for DevSecOps. […]
After two days of floor debate, the House of Representatives on July 21 approved its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, by a vote of 295 to 125. […]
Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program Manager Kevin Cox on July 21 discussed the importance of data quality in the CDM ecosystem that stretches from sensors on Federal agency networks, up to agency-level dashboards, and then through to a Federal-level dashboard that gives the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) a wide view of the civilian Federal agency security posture. […]
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against two Chinese nationals for hacking into computer systems and stealing intellectual property and business information over more than a 10-year period. […]
Three congressmen in positions of leadership sent a letter to the president today requesting a classified briefing on China’s cyber activity directed towards the United States and recommending sanctions against hackers. […]
U.S. Navy NAVAIR Cyber Warfare Detachment (CWD) is pursuing research and development (R&D) to fill gaps in the cyber resiliency strategy for protecting its weapons systems. […]
Sen. Angus King, Jr., I-Maine, said July 17 that a recent hack of Twitter accounts and warnings of Russian-government attempts to steal coronavirus research show the need for the U.S. to adopt a stronger cyber deterrence doctrine of the type called for by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission that he co-chairs. […]
CMMC Academy, an initiative of the cybersecurity firm Celerium, has set a July 22 event to walk companies through the certification process for the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). […]
Cybersecurity agencies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada issued a joint warning July 16 accusing Russian intelligence services of targeting COVID-19 research and vaccine development facilities with cyberattacks. […]