Digital Government

GAO: Agencies Need to Plan Better, Pay More and Deal with Harassment and Diversity Issues Among Tech Workforce

A new report and testimony from the Government Accountability Office re-ups past work to identify problems hiring and retaining a skilled federal science and technology workforce.

Cybersecurity

House lawmakers seek answers on SolarWinds from agency chiefs

The letters sent to senior administration officials come as Senate lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on the breach of federal networks.

Cybersecurity

What cyber risks will Biden's supply chain EO uncover?

The administration has ordered a wide-ranging assessment of the risks to manufacturing and technology supply chains. Analysts, former government officials and industry say a large workforce gap and problematic frameworks are among the threats cybersecurity poses to the country's supply chains.

Cybersecurity

CMMC board preps for staff changes

The body in charge of standing up and running the Defense Department’s unified cybersecurity standard is shifting its staffing arrangement.

Cybersecurity

NSA, CISA Promote Domain Name System Incorporating Threat Information

The agencies’ guide on selecting a provider of protective DNS services is based on a pilot with the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center.

Emerging Tech

Lawmakers Call for Agency-Led Working Group for Digital Assets

They want the U.S. government to gain a better grasp of the rapidly emerging landscape of virtual currencies, smart contracts and other commodities.

Cybersecurity

White House tees up cyber labeling policy

A 2020 law could provide some legal cover for executive orders regulating software and IoT cybersecurity, but new legislation could be required.

Cybersecurity

Biden to use Quad as 'vehicle' for regional cyber cooperation

Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, says President Joe Biden discussed both the supply chain attack on SolarWinds and vulnerabilities being exploited in Microsoft Exchange with leaders of Japan, India and Australia.

Emerging Tech

IBM Announces Cloud Marketplace For Secure Chip Design

The marketplace was built as part of a recent Defense Department initiative aimed at advancing microelectronics technologies. 

Policy

Consumer Privacy Bill Would Set National Data Privacy Standard

The legislation would require companies to write their privacy policies in plain English.

Cybersecurity

New bill looks to centralize CISA's role in ICS threat response

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) cited the recent cybersecurity incident at a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Fla., as the impetus for the legislation.

Cybersecurity

DARPA Building Special Chips for Data Privacy Protection

Fully Homomorphic Encryption is considered the “holy grail” of encryption. But right now it takes too much compute power to be used widely.

Ideas

Practical Steps to Managing Supply Chain Risk

Like with any new agency initiative, nothing moves forward without executive sponsorship.

Cybersecurity

CISA, FBI Link Exploitation of Microsoft Exchange to Nation-State Actors

The agencies also warned of impending commoditization by criminal groups of access gained through vulnerabilities in the email and calendar service.

Cybersecurity

CMMC board's training lead resigns

Ben Tchoubineh, the CMMC accreditation body's chair for training and CMMC board member Nicole Dean, the chief information security officer for Accenture, have voluntarily resigned, FCW has learned.

Cybersecurity

CISA: No Federal Agencies Compromised Through Microsoft Exchange Servers

Investigations remain ongoing, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leaders said at a hearing on modernizing the federal government’s approach to cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity

Defense Task Force Will Focus on Legislative Solutions for Supply Chain Chokepoints

Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., are leading the three-month task force.

Cybersecurity

House passes Rescue package with TMF funding

The $1.9 trillion bill is aimed at Americans suffering financial hardships from the pandemic, but in the federal IT community, the bill will be remembered for the dramatic expansion of the Technology Modernization Fund.

Cybersecurity

Bill Would Eliminate Immunity for Foreign Hackers

The Homeland and Cyber Threat Act would amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to give Americans legal recourse for damages caused by foreign hackers.