Cybersecurity

How the White House cyber czar is working to breathe new life into America’s cybersecurity workforce

The national cyber director wants to prepare the next generation of cyber warriors. It starts with touring schools.

Emerging Tech

VA launches new platform to help veterans identify and report scams

Scammers have increasingly targeted veterans and their beneficiaries, particularly after the PACT Act expanded benefits and health services for retired service members.

Digital Government

United Nations approves controversial cybercrime treaty

Last week, the United Nations voted to adopt a new cybercrime convention applying to all member states, drawing ire from civil society groups over data privacy risks.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft AI offerings now authorized at FedRAMP High

OpenAI’s GPT-4 will be available to agencies requiring FedRAMP High Authorization designations.

Ideas

How fusion centers protect the country

COMMENTARY: The centers provide the technology and tools needed to identify threats that lie beyond the walls of the organization.

Cybersecurity

Former NSA chief wants academia to play larger role in national security

Paul Nakasone is pushing for new initiatives to bolster national security research and workforce recruitment. It begins with a new institute at Vanderbilt University next month.

Cybersecurity

Trump campaign allegedly hacked, blames Iran for stealing internal communications

Iranian hacking activities are aligning more with legacy Russian cyber operations, a former top CISA official said.

Digital Government

What should agencies consider for their remote work plans?

A new memo from OPM Acting Director Robert Shriver details specific factors agency leaders should consider when designing their remote work strategy for the federal workforce. 

Ideas

The coming cyber reckoning for federal contractors

Contractors face a 90-day deadline to prove their cybersecurity compliance as awards for the OASIS+ vehicle start to fall and that is a precursor to broader industry-wide requirements, DTS CEO Edward Tuorinsky writes.

Emerging Tech

The Pentagon’s IT agency looks to expand cloud offshore

The agency has been expanding services outside the continental U.S. while reworking tools to ease data access.

Emerging Tech

Pentagon planning huge experiment for its connect-everything concept

“We see significant progress,” in opening up DOD data, one observer said. But a bigger, multinational test is coming.

Exclusive Emerging Tech

U.S. quantum cryptography standards set for release next week

NIST’s flagship post-quantum cryptography guidance that would help protect against decryption capabilities enabled by quantum computers aimed for release the week of Aug. 12.

Ideas

Following the federal cybersecurity money trail

COMMENTARY: Cybersecurity is crucial to everything from massive critical infrastructure projects to the safe operation of small businesses and increasingly to the private life of every American.

Cybersecurity

Iran is accelerating US election influence operations, Microsoft research says

One Iran-linked disinformation collective staged covert news websites that focused on politically divisive topics. Another group breached a low-level account in a county-level swing state.

Cybersecurity

Nearly 200 firms have signed pledge to build more secure software, top cyber official says

The initial tally began at around 70 companies when CISA first headlined the initiative at RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Digital Government

Lawmakers look to extend COVID-19 telehealth med exemption for veterans

A bipartisan House bill would allow VA clinicians to prescribe veterans with controlled medications through the targeted extension of a pandemic-era waiver.

Defense

Wartime need for drones would outstrip US production. There’s a way to fix that

The U.S. military needs to “mainstream” new operating concepts and get going with big orders, experts say.

People

DARPA hires Twitter whistleblower to serve as its CIO

Peiter “Mudge” Zatko — the former security head of then-Twitter who alleged that the platform was overlooking critical security flaws — will be returning to DARPA after almost a decade away in the private sector.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft, Palantir partner to expand AI offerings to defense and intelligence agencies

The new suite of offerings will be available on Microsoft’s Azure Government and Azure Government Secret and Top Secret clouds.