Digital Government
Don't expect a miracle from cybersecurity strategy, DHS says
An official with the Homeland Security Department's National Protection and Programs Directorate says the government doesn't need a new cybersecurity strategy.
Digital Government
DHS struggles to define its cybersecurity mission
Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute has asked the security community to help define the cybersecurity mission for the Department of Homeland Security.
Cybersecurity
Will Congress clamp down on spies gone wild?
An investigative report sheds light on the massive and massively outsourced federal intelligence apparatus, but prospects for reform are questionable.
Cybersecurity
DHS agencies slow to consolidate HR system, IG says
Nine agencies of the Homeland Security Department haven't finished their human resources system migrations, and many have not started, a new report says.
Digital Government
Department of Homeland Security may be the place for job-seeking vets
There’s no underestimating the importance of military veterans to the federal workforce. Transitioning vets have long provided a reliable pool of high-quality candidates for civilian positions in the federal government—and not just at DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Cybersecurity
Why no one wants DHS to play cyber mall cop
The public has repeatedly rebuffed attempts by the federal government to centralize identification management, writes Mike Spinney, senior privacy analyst at the Ponemon Institute.
Cybersecurity
Federal cyber strategy gets modestly clearer
The memo that gives DHS the lead role on government cybersecurity answered some questions but raised others, writes Chris Bronk.
Digital Government
Contractors in top secret programs may pose a major challenge for insourcing proponents
The explosive series of news articles currently running in The Washington Post—“Top Secret America”—is bound to add weight to the case against outsourcing.
Cybersecurity
DHS told to increase control over border-fence contractors
U.S. Customs and Border Protection must improve how it oversees contractors hired to build an IT-enabled, security fence along the U.S. border with Mexico, an audit finds.
Cybersecurity
DHS to take FISMA lead
The Office of Management and Budget and the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator have outlined for agencies the various cybersecurity responsibilities of the Homeland Security Department.
Cybersecurity
DHS still pondering biometric air exit system
The Homeland Security Department is still considering whether -- and how -- to proceed with a system to electronically collect fingerprints from non-U.S. visitors as they leave the United States by aircraft.
Cybersecurity
Most major DHS acquisitions are over budget, behind schedule: GAO
Audit by the Government Accountability Office finds that 12 of 15 large procurements at the Homeland Security Department suffer from cost overruns, planning obstacles that include staffing shortages and lack of sustainment planning, as well as execution challenges related to technical capability and dependence on contractor partners.
Cybersecurity
DHS front and center in Congress' cybersecurity debate--again
A proposed expansion of the Homeland Security Department's authority to protect networks and systems is central to one comprehensive Senate proposal but absent from another.
Cybersecurity
'Identity ecosystem' to replace passwords, draft strategy suggests
Obama administration releases a draft plan that would radically change the standard approach to online identity authentication -- if it works.
Digital Government
A cyber bill worth enacting
The long-awaited Senate cybersecurity bill, introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman, Susan Collins and Thomas Carper, succeeds in providing a greater good in defending against cyberattacks and deserves to be enacted.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity bill would give president, DHS too much power, critics say
A cybersecurity bill is gaining support in the Senate, but its critics argue that it would give the president and DHS too much power over the private sector.
Cybersecurity
SBInet border system likely to be scaled back, replaced by UAVs
The Homeland Security Department's SBInet border surveillance system is likely to be reduced in scope once the first initial 53 miles of construction is completed, the system's chief said today.
Cybersecurity
US-CERT needs stronger regulatory teeth, larger staff, IG says
The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team needs to be able to compel agencies to follow its computer security recommendations, according to the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.
Cybersecurity
DHS would be cyber power center under Lieberman/Collins proposal
Three senior senators have introduced legislation to bolster the Homeland Security Department's role in protecting the country's networks and systems from cyber threats.
Cybersecurity