Cybersecurity

Space agency is headed for new information security requirements

Bill would require NASA to provide progress reports on real-time computer monitoring systems; move comes amid effort to update policies governmentwide.

Modernization

Soundbytes: Texting, Cloud Data and Net Neutrality

A weekly roundup of comments from Nextgov.com. All comments are presented in their original, unedited form.

Digital Government

Supreme Court will weigh in on NASA contractor dispute

Case involving privacy rights of California scientists could have significant impact on process of background checks.

Digital Government

Former Defense social media expert says don't resist

How the Pentagon came around to welcome the new technologies and encourage troops to use them.

Digital Government

CIOs will easily meet first accountability initiative goals

Tech chiefs should focus on measuring what they get in return for their IT investments, CIO says.

Digital Government

Obama pulls Takai nomination for Defense CIO

Defense Department reorganization prompted the move, which will calls for a stronger role for the tech chief.

Digital Government

Fed-Backed Prizes Handed Out

The White House on Tuesday congratulated teams of Americans who won $60,000 in government-funded prizes by developing kids' video games that encourage physical activity and healthy eating, in the culmination of a campaign aimed at beating obesity and promoting federally backed prizes.

Ideas

Putting Some Zing in Government Alerts

Digital Government

Fed Lawyer: I was Fired for Blog

A federal attorney said he was fired two weeks after he began writing the blog <a href=http://agcwhistleblower.wordpress.com/author/reglawyer>FAA Lawyer Whistleblower</a> out of frustration when attempts to alert Federal Aviation Administration officials about safety problems were rebuffed.

Digital Government

McCain Fesses Up

The Defense Department would like to whittle down the number of reports it has to provide Congress every year as part of a project to cut $100 billion from its overhead during the next five years, Ashton Carter, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, <a href=http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2010/09%20September/Carter%2009-28-10.pdf>told</a> the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Cybersecurity

Out-of-Band Patch

Microsoft just published an out-of-band patch for its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Server_Pages">ASP</a> .NET vulnerability. The vulnerability allows for remote cracking of some encryption keys via an oracle vulnerability. Any system telling an attacker some fact about a piece of encrypted data is dubbed an "oracle."

Digital Government

Administration's wiretapping push could damage cloud security

If Internet service providers give the FBI backdoor access to online communications, the bad buys might benefit as well, notes blogger Brian Robinson.

Digital Government

Do agencies still have year-end spending sprees?

We tried to find out what agencies are spending their year-end money on, but it might not work like that anymore.

Modernization

Apps for Healthy Kids contest winners announced

Nutrition and fitness games using the Web and mobile devices won $60,000 in prizes today in first lady Michelle Obama's "Apps for Healthy Kids" competition.

Digital Government

DOD isn't poaching, but it is hiring, official says

The Defense Department is a unique place, and that attracts young people to leave industry and join its civilian workforce, Undersecretary Ashton Carter says.

Digital Government

State CIOs choose new leadership group

The National Association of State CIOs has elected its incoming Executive Committee, which will be led by new NASCIO president Kyle Schafer, CTO of West Virginia.

Digital Government

How did you land your federal job?

We’ve seen a number of comments on this site over past months concerning the existence of “good old boy” networks that influence new hires, promotions and all the other good stuff. And we’ve also read posts detailing futile efforts to gain employment using the existing recruitment and job application tools.

Digital Government

Kundra sets new IPv6 deadlines

Federal Computer Week