Emerging Tech

Senate Bill Would Direct Treasury to Assess Crypto Mining Rates and Uses Over Time

The bipartisan legislation would require a Congressional report that dives deep into virtual currency use.

Emerging Tech

Health Technology in Action

In this special report, Nextgov examines how the COVID-19 pandemic is shaping technology tools and policies in health care.

Cybersecurity

FCC Working on Rule for Wireless Carriers to Avert SIM Swap Fraud

More than a year after lawmakers requested such action to protect consumer data and national security, the commission’s move could help to stop hackers undermining multifactor authentication.

Ideas

Prioritizing Breach Prevention for a Secure Government  

A more secure government happens when hackers are stopped before they can touch critical data and systems—when a breach is prevented, not mitigated.

Cybersecurity

White House Announces 7 TMF Awards with Big Focus on Zero Trust

Half of the awards announced publicly went to zero trust cybersecurity projects, with no funding going directly to pandemic response tech. One project remains classified.

Emerging Tech

NASA’s Planning a New Initiative to Train People How to Make Use of Its Space Data

A NASA initiative aims to teach the public how to effectively use open-source tools and software to answer data-centered questions on their own.

Cybersecurity

NSA Cyber Chief Warns Hackers Increasingly Use Commercial Tools to Stay Hidden 

Advanced persistent threat actors are becoming harder to spot and making attribution more difficult.

Digital Government

After 3 Years, Key IRS Systems Still Aren’t Properly Encrypted

The inspector general attributed the delays in the agency’s data at rest encryption program to additional mandates and poor adherence to program management best practices.

Ideas

Why Government Agencies Fail at DevSecOps—and How They Can Succeed 

Instead of seeking out short-term gains, agencies need to focus on the long-term benefits.

Modernization

Congress Gets First Look At Upcoming TMF Awards

The federal CIO offered a few details of the project proposals received and upcoming award announcements.

Digital Government

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddies Tried to Get the VA to Sell Access to Veterans’ Medical Records

While previous reporting showed the trio had a hand in budgeting and contracting, their interest in turning patient data into a revenue stream was not previously known.

Cybersecurity

CISA Warns of Vulnerabilities in Banned Chinese Surveillance Tech

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on tightening its national security reviews of foreign suppliers.

Ideas

The Pandemic Has People Stuck in a Bad Mental/Physical Loop

Participants talked about how caregiving, exhaustion, and mental health stressors kept them from being active, perpetuating the cycle.

Cybersecurity

Audit: IRS Needs to Improve How It Wipes Taxpayer Data  from Devices

Computer and laptop hard drives that aren’t properly scrubbed could allow exposure of private taxpayer data.

Emerging Tech

IRS’ Criminal Investigators Want Help Breaking into Physical Crypto Wallets

The agency’s digital forensics unit is looking for a small business to help make routine processes out of some nascent research into related hardware hacking techniques.

Digital Government

The Census Bureau’s First Ever Data on LGBTQ+ People Indicates Deep Disparities

Sexual orientation and gender identity were added to the U.S. Census Bureau’s survey of the pandemic this summer — the first time a national government survey has captured the LGBTQ+ economic experience.

Ideas

5 Post-Pandemic Federal Telecom Trends 

The past year and a half of telework and remote service delivery have accelerated the impact of the government's digital transformation efforts.