People
DHS names a new CISO
Hemant Baidwan will be in charge of securing DHS information technology systems.
Cybersecurity
China-backed operatives used fake social profiles to gauge US political division, Microsoft says
Some of the fake accounts used AI-generated images, and have doubled or tripled their followers since being detected, the company told Nextgov/FCW.
Cybersecurity
Linux backdoor was a long con, possibly with nation-state support, experts say
If the XZ Utils vulnerability hadn’t been caught in time, hackers would have had a “skeleton key to the world,” one analyst told Nextgov/FCW.
Ideas
How to fix the military’s software SNAFU
COMMENTARY | Too many of its apps are built on code riddled with vulnerabilities—and distributed by the Pentagon itself.
Breaking News
People
White House deputy national cyber director to step down next week
Camille Stewart Gloster’s last day will be Tuesday, she told Nextgov/FCW. It’s unknown who will fill the position.
Policy
OPM issues its final rule for Schedule F protections
The federal HR agency finalized its rule offering protections for career civil servants meant to safeguard against the potential reemergence of the Trump-era Schedule F policy.
Artificial Intelligence
US-UK safety pact could shape the future of AI
Two research institutes will collaborate on AI safety tests, among other things.
Exclusive
Acquisition
Senate bill looks to chop through red tape in procurement
The bipartisan legislation aims to both expand access to special acquisition authorities and give new, innovative contractors more opportunities to work with the government.
Defense
‘Military force’ could be directed to protect private sector orbital assets, DOD strategy says
The Pentagon’s first-ever commercial space integration strategy said the department would take steps to “mitigate risks to commercial space actors.”
Cybersecurity
Return of net neutrality will hamstring some foreign broadband firms, FCC official says
The reclassification of broadband as a Title II service will give the Federal Communications Commission new power over internet service providers, and the agency says it will be a boon to U.S. network security.
Emerging Tech
DOD is looking to grow its marketplace for speedy acquisitions of innovative tech
The Pentagon is working to build its Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace “out of the proof of concept phase” to help more DOD entities quickly acquire innovative industry products.
Cybersecurity
Microsoft at fault for ‘avoidable errors’ leading to Chinese email hack last year, DHS group finds
The company’s cybersecurity culture contributed to an environment that enabled the incident, according to the findings.
Modernization
Federal weather system experiences outage amid severe weather nationwide
The agency is seeking money to shore up weather forecasting IT systems in fiscal year 2025.
Emerging Tech
FTC rejects software companies’ bid to use facial recognition to verify user age
The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously against approving a software verification tool that would use biometrics to meet requirements under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.
Cybersecurity
Practical quantum computing is coming in 3 to 5 years, but will be cloud based, NSA official predicts
Cloud architectures will allow organizations to more easily access quantum capabilities, he said.
Cybersecurity
CISA resource looks to help high-risk groups thwart cyberattacks
Civil society organizations, community groups and others often lack budgets and resources needed to defend against hackers.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is creating ‘more sophisticated’ but not unprecedented election threats, DHS official says
AI is likely to create more convincing phishing campaigns but is “not necessarily introducing a new threat or risk in and of itself,” the official said.
Ideas
Why plugging leaks sometimes means protecting leakers
COMMENTARY | Congress needs to establish a form of amnesty that, where appropriate, provides an exit ramp for individuals who have unwittingly violated the terms of a security clearance and wish to come clean.
Digital Government
Lawmakers propose extending pandemic analytics center beyond 2025 sunset
Oversight officials say that the Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence needs to survive past the looming sunset date, unlike a similar analytics center used to oversee stimulus spending that shuttered in 2015.
Cybersecurity