Cybersecurity

States balk at election system move by DHS

A group of state officials formally opposed the DHS critical infrastructure designation for election systems and want it rescinded.

Acquisition

Updates from the procurement innovation front

Steve Kelman checks in on some of his favorite examples of shaking up the government status quo.

Cybersecurity

Trade Groups: Other Countries Might Mirror DHS' Social Media Vetting For Travelers, And That's a Cyberthreat

DHS Secretary John Kelly's suggestion that foreign travelers may be required to hand over their social media accounts could violate privacy and cybersecurity standards, several trade groups have said.

Cybersecurity

DHS Advisory Group Approves Data Breach Notification Best Practices

Advisers wanted to ensure the notifications aren’t mistaken for phishing attempts.

Digital Government

Why Some Apps Use Fake Progress Bars

Designers use “benevolent deception” to trick users into trusting the system.

Artificial Intelligence

Want to Chat with Shakespeare? AI Bots Will Soon Allow Us to Talk to the Dead

New chatbot programs are being developed to keep our knowledge active after our physical being passes away.

Artificial Intelligence

The Post-Human World

A conversation about the end of work, individualism, and the human species with the historian Yuval Harari

People

Mattis mulls consolidation in IT, cyber

In a Feb. 17 memo, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told senior leadership to establish teams to look for duplication across the armed services in business operations, including in IT and cybersecurity.

Digital Government

GSA watchdog barks at 18F on shadow IT

Innovation shop 18F is playing by its own rules, according to the General Services Administration's inspector general.

Modernization

UPS Is Testing Drones That Allow Its Delivery Trucks to Be in Two Places at Once

Spending all day waiting for a package delivery may one day be a thing of the past.

Cybersecurity

Wyden objects to DHS password collection plan

The Democratic senator hope to block plans, floated by the Homeland Security secretary, to collect social media and mobile device passwords as a condition for travelers to enter the United States.

Modernization

DHS chief takes first steps to building a border wall

DHS picks sites in Arizona, California and Texas to begin building a planned border wall, and also moves to hire thousands of new border agents.

Cybersecurity

Could Segmentation Restore the Federal Cybersecurity Perimeter?

Using segmentation requires thinking about cybersecurity in a way almost completely opposite of tradition.

Cybersecurity

Why the private sector shouldn't rely on feds for cybersecurity

Despite cybersecurity policy advances, former DHS officials say the private sector should not expect much help from the government with hacks and breaches.

Modernization

IG: Interior risks exposing sensitive data

Deficient IT security controls at a core data center put the Department of Interior at risk of exposing sensitive and personally identifiable information.

Cybersecurity

Hackers Target Journalists, Tribal Members and Use Forged Cookies

Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.