Many Americans’ electronically stored medical data is likely unsecured and inaccurate, according to panelists at the Health Datapalooza. “There are real-world consequences to medical data sharing,” said privacy and medical attorney Neal Eggeson.
Vice President Joe Biden implored attendees of the Health Datapalooza to join in his effort to make cancer data more accessible and usable. “We really need you,” Biden said.
Analysis of big data is having a noticeable impact on reducing the opioid addiction epidemic in the U.S., according to panelists at the Health Datapalooza. “Having good surveillance has allowed us to stay ahead of what’s coming into our communities,” said Dana Quesinberry of Kentucky. […]
The 2016 Symantec Government Symposium is coming up on Aug. 30, and its Cyber Awards deadline is June 1. The Cyber Awards recognize individuals who show excellence and leadership in government cybersecurity through individual contributions to programs that protect critical data and systems. […]
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology will be offering two awards with a total of $1.5 million in funding opportunities for projects that advance common standards designed to improve health information for both consumers and providers.
The MetroLab Network has grown to 35 city/county-university partnerships working together to research, develop, and deploy technologies and policy approaches in order to address urban areas’ challenges. MetroLab Network was launched in September 2015 by 21 city/county-university pairings, as part of President Obama’s Smart Cities Initiative. […]
Content management company Box unveiled its Box for Government initiative, which brings together different product suites designed for government and enables agencies to work remotely, collaboratively, and with an assurance of security. Box for Government has already received a FedRAMP Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO) from the Defense Information Systems Agency. […]
If cloud computing is the future of government information technology, then Cisco may be one of the most relevant companies in Washington, D.C. Cisco’s FedRAMP authorization—granted by the Department of Health and Human Services—represents a significant development for both the company and the government.
There seems to be no middle ground in the Internet surveillance versus privacy dispute. The two sides found little to agree on at a debate hosted by the Hudson Institute. David Rivkin, a constitutional law attorney, said government surveillance “has to be indiscriminate. … We have to surveil more.”
Adding PIN requirements to chip-based credit cards is essential for consumer security, according to panelists at the Protect My Data discussion on credit card security.
FedRAMP Director Matt Goodrich said some Federal agencies may have refused to share a FedRAMP ATO granted to a CSP, but that’s only a small part of the story behind one of the major shortcomings of the FedRAMP program. One theory: It’s not that agencies are refusing to share—it’s that cloud service providers are failing to capture new business.
Law enforcement reported an increase in ransomware attacks during 2015, and it looks like these attacks will continue throughout 2016. To deal with the rising threats, the FBI posted recommendations. “These criminals have evolved over time and now bypass the need for an individual to click on a link. They do this by seeding legitimate websites with malicious code, taking advantage of unpatched software on end-user computers,” said James Trainor, the FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director. […]
Cyber hygiene is essential for combating the modern, professional hacker, according to Symantec Security Response director of project management Kevin Haley. “When cyber criminals work in call centers, write documentation, and take the weekend off, you know it’s a profession,” he said. […]
Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, and Oregon will participate in a policy academy on developing and implementing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, the National Governors Association announced. “Threats to our cybersecurity remain one of the most significant homeland security challenges facing the nation,” said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. […]
The size of the digital universe will grow to 176 zettabytes by 2025 – leading to a future of machine learning. James Harris, CTO, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Jason Matheny, Director, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, joined Defense One on a live webcast on how the future of digital information will intersect with the future of intelligence collection and analysis.
The White House announced that 53 police departments have committed to an initiative designed to make local policing more transparent. […]
Cybersecurity responders are falling far behind the speed of the hackers they defend against, according to Verizon’s 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report.
The new reality of elections in the United States is a return to paper ballots. They’re a semi-high-tech optical scan ballot that is first marked by the voter and then processed by an optical scanner to tabulate the votes. […]
Many cars on the road contain dangerous cybersecurity flaws, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that identified three major types of security flaws: direct access, short-range wireless, and long-range wireless.
As Federal agencies move forward with big data and infrastructure initiatives, “we really have to assume that all of our networks are compromised,” said Ann Dunkin, CIO at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). […]
MeriTalk Executive Editor Dan Verton discusses the theme of this year’s Akamai Government Forum—Safeguarding a Dynamic Government—with Akamai CEO Dr. Tom Leighton. During his keynote address, Leighton offered a unique look at the future of the Internet and security.
Third party cloud security auditing firms are worried that new documentation requirements put in place by FedRAMP could open them to significant liability risks.
Speed and communication are key elements to effective threat intelligence in the government, according to panelists at the Akamai Government Forum. “It’s a team sport. We really need to work together,” said Renee Tarun of the NSA. […]
The key to data center consolidation success is communicating and committing to an aggressive plan, according to Department of Justice CIO Joseph Klimavicz.
A middle school filmmaker from New Jersey may be the next big expert in cybersecurity and cyber warfare.
Consumers comprehensively think that more needs to be done to protect their data, according to a study published by Purple Insights on behalf of ACT the App Association. But do they trust government or tech companies more? […]
The Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative has been suspended as of March 2016, and the Office of Management and Budget is pushing forward a memorandum called the Data Center Optimization Initiative in its place.
The Defense Department likes to hit its targets. So you can imagine the frustration that the department’s chief information officer, Terry Halvorsen, must have experienced when he realized that he wasn’t even going to come close to reaching the Federal mandate to close at least 40 percent of the department’s data centers by 2015.
To dig deeper into the many factors that have contributed to the current state of affairs in the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative, MeriTalk spoke with some of the leading agency authorities about the many data center challenges facing chief information officers, and the plans and policies that hold the most promise of helping the government achieve its data center consolidation goals.
MeriTalk spells out the pros and cons of the Office of Management and Budget’s Data Center Optimization Initiative.