Modernization

CIOs’ Wishlist for New Congress and Administration IT Leadership

Three department IT leaders share their top asks from the new Congress and yet-to-be-appointed federal CIO.

Cybersecurity

Lawmaker SolarWinds Concerns Spill Over in Week of Defense Hearings

In multiple hearings, lawmakers sought solutions to pressing technology-based security issues.

Cybersecurity

CISA orders agencies to disconnect Microsoft Exchange on-prem servers

The government's leading cybersecurity agency is ordering all federal civilian agencies to provide a status report on its usage of Microsoft Exchange products by noon on Friday.

Ideas

Agencies Must Change to Support In-House Tech Talent They Need

Technologists look for environments that value them, give them challenging opportunities, help them grow their skills, and provide a path to advance their careers.

Modernization

Remote Work and Hack Mitigation Show Need for IT Modernization Funding, Lawmaker Says

Rep. Ro Khanna detailed efforts to ensure agencies have resources for legally mandated updates.

Cybersecurity

FBI Director Says Extremists Flocking to Encrypted Apps Poses New Challenges

Christopher Wray told lawmakers tech companies are the ones making policies about encryption.

Digital Government

Cybersecurity and IT Remain Top Concerns on GAO’s High-Risk List

Agencies showed some slight progress on IT issues, though cybersecurity took a step backward in the latest report.

Emerging Tech

Defense Innovation Unit Initiated 35% More Projects in 2020

The group initiated 23 new projects and transitioned 11 capabilities to Defense Department partners last year, according to its annual report. 

Cybersecurity

NSA Pushes Zero Trust Principles to Help Prevent Sophisticated Hacks

Operating under the default position that an organization has been compromised is a pain that’s worth it, the agency said.

Modernization

CBP Attempts to Mitigate Privacy Risks Created by New Customs App

CBP One will become the primary public-facing portal for a number of customs programs and services. But any new data collection effort brings privacy risks.

Digital Government

Cloud Security

Federal agencies are rethinking how they secure information as they move more mission-critical operations to the cloud.

Ideas

Securing Space: The Next Frontier of Credential-Based Attacks

Like many other sectors, the space industry needs to secure its supply chain from start to finish.

Cybersecurity

When water utilities get hacked, who should they call?

In the wake of a cybersecurity breach at a public water system, lawmakers have begun questioning what rules are in place to govern those facilities' cybersecurity and what changes may be necessary.

Cybersecurity

Mandatory breach reporting bill on deck, lawmakers say

Congress could be poised to require companies to report hacks in the wake of the massive breach linked to vulnerabilities on SolarWinds' IT management software.

Cybersecurity

Hearing on Hack Prompts Call for Review of Government’s Cloud Procurement

A key lawmaker highlighted a profit motive for “basic” cybersecurity as problematic following an exchange with Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Cybersecurity

Hackers Seized on the Pandemic. Some States Are Fighting Back.

Cyberattackers have forced states to take down websites, stolen $36 billion in unemployment payments and exposed millions of residents’ personal information to scammers.

Emerging Tech

Air Force Base Prepping for EMP Vulnerability Tests

In response to a Trump administration executive order, Joint Base San Antonio is getting ready to test its infrastructure against a simulated electromagnetic pulse attack.

Cybersecurity

Space Firms Put Aside Rivalries to Share Threat Data

A new clearinghouse has begun gathering and distributing information about threats to space networks, products, and services.