Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy

Bipartisan members of the House of Representatives have introduced legislation that would reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), which is the U.S. Secret Service’s Federally-funded training hub for digital evidence and cybercrime investigations. […]

ransomware

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation this week that would require public reporting and notice – eventually – of hundreds of thousands of court-ordered criminal surveillance orders issued  each year that are often kept under seal indefinitely even if the surveillance targets were not accused of any crimes. […]

CISA
EPA Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached an agreement with the union representing agency employees for policies governing the return of employees to traditional offices in what amounts to a larger hybrid work-location approach. […]

cybersecurity

The late-day warning on Monday from President Biden and White House national security officials that the Russian government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure targets appeared to turn many heads in the Federal cybersecurity community that is by now long-used to receiving and generating cybersecurity advisories. […]

The Senate voted March 21 to invoke cloture on House-passed legislation designed to fully fund the CHIPS Act to boost domestic semiconductor production and create a new technology directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF). […]

We sat down in recent days with Amy Gilliland, who has run General Dynamics Information Technology as president for going on five years, to talk mostly about how the company is helping Federal agencies cybersecurity and zero trust policy mandates, but in the course of a wide-ranging conversation came away with a whole lot more. […]

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) Science and Technology Group (STG) is seeking feedback on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 Science and Technology (S&T) Investment Landscape, which sets a pathway for its S&T investment portfolio over the next four fiscal years, according to a request for information (RFI) published last month. […]

Cyber Attack
GPS

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued an alert on March 17 warning of possible threats to U.S. and international satellite communication (SATCOM) networks. […]

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is emphasizing in a new report the need to tackle biases in artificial intelligence beyond just the data sets and machine learning processes – which tend to be the main points of emphasis when looking at how to make AI less biased and more equitable. […]

cybersecurity
telework

As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, the Department of Defense (DoD) Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks issued guidance on the reentry of DoD employees to their normal workplaces, stating that telework is here to stay. […]

While Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs fear cryptocurrency could be used to help Russia evade economic sanctions, witnesses at a hearing on March 17 reminded lawmakers how crypto is being used for good, providing over $55 million to Ukraine for much needed humanitarian aid and supplies. […]

Prompted by the White House executive order on cybersecurity, Federal agencies are accelerating their adoption of zero trust architectures. And according to Gerald Caron, chief information officer (CIO) and assistant inspector general (IG) for information technology at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), these models must include automation. […]

healthcare cyber-min

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a trio of reports today that found continued deficiencies with the VA’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) transition that has led to patient care issues in multiple areas. […]

Every four years, GAO releases a strategic guide for its work to help lawmakers in Congress oversee Federal operations and address governmental and societal issues over a five-year period. In its newest plan, GAO outlines key efforts for 2022-2027; goals and objectives for serving Congress and the nation; and trends that are affecting government and society, while also detailing how technology plays a role in these efforts. […]

Puesh Kumar, director of the Energy Department’s Office of Cybersecurity Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER), detailed several steps that the agency is taking to implement executive branch and DoE supply chain security policies during a virtual event hosted by FCW on March 16. […]

FCC
FBI

The FBI announced the launch of its Virtual Assets Unit (VAU), a new unit designed to be able to go after criminals looking to use cryptocurrency to aid in their crimes, the FBI announced March 15. […]

Federal chief information security officers (CISOs) today recommended that as Federal agencies implement zero trust security architectures they also put in place continuous training programs for their workforce to keep employees up to date on the technology and best practices. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said its strategic plan for 2022-2027 features significant emphasis on cybersecurity issues including the government’s capabilities to boost cyber defenses against foreign government influence campaigns, and the Defense Department’s ability to meet cyber threats across multiple domains. […]

A bipartisan group of 22 senators is asking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other Federal cybersecurity agencies for an update on what steps the government is taking to safeguard the United States and its critical infrastructure sectors against Russia-backed cyber and disinformation threats. […]

Categories