Cybersecurity
AI advances are pushing governments to treat cyberattacks as routine, Western officials say
The remarks underscore a grim outlook for cyberdefenders showing that AI systems are able to exploit vulnerabilities faster than governments can patch them.
People
Watchdog puts new numbers on the size of DOGE, but many details remain unknown as agencies refuse to turn over information
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office said it was unable to verify if all Department of Government Efficiency employees completed mandatory activities intended to avoid conflicts of interest.
Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI agents rebuilt internal message board in lead-up to Hugging Face breach
Models in separate experiments used the channel to exchange exploits as they repeatedly compromised OpenAI systems.
Cybersecurity
Hugging Face AI breach is ‘most consequential hack’ since Morris Worm, former NSA cyber chief says
AI may let hackers exploit newly disclosed software flaws so quickly that organizations should weigh whether to immediately patch internet-connected devices, even at the risk of causing outages, Rob Joyce said.
Acquisition
Contractor alleges Army inappropriately used AI to make $450M contract award
An industry lawyer anticipates more bid protests will likely allege that agencies misused AI in the procurement process but that could be hard to prove if agencies don’t report their use of AI as “high-impact.”
Artificial Intelligence
Top cyber official wants US open-source AI adopted worldwide
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross’s remarks come as the White House has excluded open-weight models from voluntary security testing and as new hacking incidents underscored risks posed by autonomous AI.
Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI's advanced models have gone live for government use
OpenAI’s latest GPT-5.6 models were made available for government work via the FedRAMP-authorized ChatGPT Enterprise offering, weeks after one of the advanced models was involved in executing an autonomous digital attack.
Ideas
3 security questions agencies should answer before Gold Eagle lands
COMMENTARY | The agencies that build that capability will define what good looks like for the next decade.
Cybersecurity
Chinese telecom firms kept footholds in US networks despite federal crackdowns, House probe finds
China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom retained equipment, data center space and network ties after FCC restrictions, including a China Mobile-linked network that appeared in routes to Salt Typhoon servers.
People
OPM tells agencies to put tech recruiting at the center of staffing plans
The guidance from the government’s HR agency also set a governmentwide goal that at least 33% of external hires be early-career workers.
People
National Institutes of Health names Maureen Falvella as permanent CIO
She served as acting CIO for roughly 10 months before moving into the role officially.
Digital Government
GSA’s digital roadmap looks to enhance agencies’ services, CIO says
Efforts to speed up adoption of new capabilities have “disrupted the longstanding practice of how technology is driven into this government,” GSA CIO Dave Shive told Nextgov/FCW.
Digital Government
GSA teases future steps to improve Login.gov user experience
The agency is touting recent updates to the platform ahead of its 10 year anniversary next April.
Exclusive
Cybersecurity
Lawmakers propose giving 2015 OPM breach victims identity protection for life
The federal government’s coverage for 22.1 million people hoovered up in the China-linked breaches is scheduled to end Sept. 30.
Cybersecurity
Cyber industry coalition urges federal action after suspected Iran-linked water hacks
The group called on CISA to impose baseline security standards across federal operational technology systems and pressed Congress to revive several stalled cyber initiatives.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Support for quantum sciences; Child-chatbot protections; and more
Bills introduced this week feature bipartisan efforts to bolster emerging technologies, specifically quantum information sciences and AI’s impact on nuclear security, plus more chatbot regulations.
People
Greg Barbaccia to return to Palantir after leaving government
The federal CIO’s departure comes after a turbulent period for the federal technology workforce where thousands of technologists left the government.
Cybersecurity
CISA urges water utilities to take exposed systems down after Minnesota hacks
A memo distributed to water industry members and obtained by Nextgov/FCW makes mention of Iran but does not directly present evidence attributing the latest Minnesota incident to the country.
Cybersecurity
Anthropic confirms its AI breached 3 organizations during testing
Three Claude models were inadvertently given access to the internet during security evaluations, and each model took a different approach to hacking external systems.
Ideas