Cybersecurity
Russian Hackers Suspected in Cyberattack Causing Huge Ukraine Blackout
Experts say they have established the world’s first known case of a cyberattack on a power grid.
Digital Government
Obama Dispatches White House Tech Team to Expand Gun Background Check System
Planned upgrades to the $91.5 million, 30-second background check program already are off track.
Emerging Tech
GM Invests $500M in Lyft for On-Demand Driverless Cars
This could one day render private car ownership unnecessary.
Modernization
Is Cloud Computing Saving the Pentagon Money? Watchdog Still Doesn’t Know
DOD lacks a standardized definition for cloud computing and an inventory to track cloud-based contracts.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon Grants Contractors an Extension on Hack Detection Rules
Companies get an extra year-and-a-half to comply with stronger security standards.
Digital Government
Data Scientists Keep Forgetting the One Rule Every Researcher Should Know by Heart
Correlation does not imply causation.
Cybersecurity
In a First, NSA Advertises Opportunities on Monster.com of Federal Contracting
The agency posted a special notice to FedBizOpps.gov, right before the holidays, advertising work for small companies that develop "innovative technologies."
Emerging Tech
Elon Musk Is Right About the Threat of AI, but He’s Dangerously Wrong About Why
Could humanity learn to live with AI?
Cybersecurity
Juniper Hack: DHS Tells Agencies to Close Encryption Backdoors
The government is scouring its IT inventory to identify affected Juniper systems.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon Bungled Y2K Planning, According to Newly Declassified Docs
If something had gone wrong as the world entered the new millennium, the Pentagon may not have been prepared for the consequences.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon Chief Didn't Violate Governmentwide Ban on Using Personal Email for Business
Using personal email while carrying out government business is an issue that’s come up repeatedly in recent months.
Digital Government
The Life-Saving Train Technology That Congress Isn’t Fully Funding
The omnibus budget bill allocated money for a railroad-safety measure that prevents accidents. But not enough.
Modernization
How Mobile Carriers Skirt Net-Neutrality Rules
“There’s something stomach-twisting about a company offering free video streaming but charging for filling out an online job application.”
Emerging Tech
NASA’s About to Have Its Biggest Budget in a Decade
The space agency will be able to spend $19.3 billion next year, according to the budget, an increase of more than $1.3 billion over 2015 funding levels.
Cybersecurity
Cyber Bill Boosts DHS Cyberthreat Sharing but Critics Fear Backdoor to NSA Surveillance
The $1.1 trillion spending bill creates an instant information-sharing regime housed at DHS.
Emerging Tech
Video: The Year in Tech
2015 was the year we embraced the future and "Back to the Future."
Cybersecurity
Privacy Groups Blast Cyber-Sharing Included in Omnibus Spending Bill
Congress is about to take its biggest step yet to bolster cybersecurity, but many fear it could expand surveillance.
Digital Government
Microsoft Building New Version of Windows 10 to Appeal to Chinese Government
It’s easy to point to the joint venture as evidence of yet another U.S. tech firm cozying up to Beijing to access the massive market.
Digital Government
US Considers Using Portable DNA Labs, Iris Scans to Vet Syrian Refugees
The U.S. government is considering a handful of new technologies to strengthen and potentially hasten the screening of Syrian refugees.
Emerging Tech