Cybersecurity
FBI disrupts botnet controlled by Russian security services
The news comes just weeks after the U.S. announced it went on the offensive against a China-linked botnet operation.
Acquisition
House Oversight lawmaker probes government purchase of Chinese security cameras
A letter to the General Services Administration's CIO asks why he signed off on the equipment purchase, despite alternatives being available.
Cybersecurity
Microsoft and OpenAI swept AI chat logs to find hackers. Expect that to become the norm.
Big tech firms and their affiliated cybersecurity or AI offerings will likely roll out similar security research, though some say it raises privacy concerns.
Policy
Section 702 renewal could pass in funding bill, sources say
Backers of 702 reauthorization in the House Intelligence committee will likely use recent news of classified intelligence gathered using the surveillance power as a way to convince colleagues to support its renewal.
Digital Government
Labor Department experiments with AI in unemployment systems
The agency plans to use the current “calm” in unemployment claims to better prepare for the next storm.
Emerging Tech
NIST calls for quantum tech experts to join advisory group
As global agencies are preparing to set standards in quantum technology, NIST is working on forming a U.S. delegation to represent American perspectives.
Defense
US reviews export controls in Britain, Australia for high-tech arms sales exemptions
A State Dept. official told a House panel that work to align AUKUS partners with U.S. export control requirements is ‘going very well'.
Digital Government
Senate bill proposes a public website for federal waterway data
New legislation from Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Angus King, I-Maine, would direct the Commerce Department to make “geographic information system data” on federal waterways available on a public website.
Cybersecurity
The Pentagon is notifying individuals affected by 2023 email data breach
The exposed contents were not secured with a password at the time of their compromise.
Emerging Tech
Senate lawmakers look to set standards for educating America’s AI workforce
New legislation would model emerging tech training on processes used to establish NIST’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education.
Artificial Intelligence
SEC chair: Existing financial law can be applied to AI regulatory debate
The head Securities and Exchange Commission discussed the potential pitfalls of leveraging AI in investment banking, underscoring the need to prioritize consumers.
Digital Government
Senators look to harden the unemployment system for the next crisis
The White House-backed framework for forthcoming unemployment insurance legislation will retool the way states go after fraud and allows for for oversight of federal investments in UI systems and technology.
Ideas
Electric vehicles are suddenly hot − but the industry has traveled a long road to relevance
COMMENTARY | Everything old is new again.
Cybersecurity
Atlassian vulnerability linked to GAO data breach, CGI Federal says
CISA issued an alert on the vulnerability impacting the Atlassian tool in October of last year.
Artificial Intelligence
Adding generative AI to wargame training can improve realism, but not without risk
The next big move may be to make military simulations smarter, specifically by adding advanced AI so that the simulated adversaries can offer better challenges.
Defense
The Navy is building dashboards for its connect-everything effort
A conversation with Rebellion Defense about its new contract for Project Overmatch.
Cybersecurity
Some 6,600 current, former employees impacted in January GAO data breach
The breach, which also included some companies doing business with GAO, may further galvanize concerns about the federal government’s ability to defend itself from cyber intrusions.
Emerging Tech
Commerce advisory committee urges government to boost startup access to talent, funding
Congress should fully fund the Economic Development Administration’s regional technology and innovation hubs program to help the U.S. tech sector maintain its global leadership, according to the committee.
Cybersecurity
IARPA makes awards in 4-year effort studying hacker psychology
The program greenlit research contracts for technologies that would use psychology to thwart hackers.
People