Acquisition

CBP stops background checks to wait for PII upgrades

The DHS agency filed justifications for changes to blanket purchase agreements with a handful of IT systems providers.

Cybersecurity

Death of the password? Not just yet.

Considerable skepticism persists about digital identity verification, according to a Forrester Research brief.

Modernization

USCIS looks to the cloud for E-Verify

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is considering shifting data processing for the employee verification system to the cloud while maintaining the public-facing Web presence.

Modernization

A mountain of net neutrality comments, a privacy paradox, ransomware warnings and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Cybersecurity

FBI director warns data encryption will take U.S. to 'very dark place'

FBI Director James Comey wants legislative changes and industry support to get access to encrypted devices and data.

Modernization

'A changing view of privacy'

Reviewing social media posts as part of background checks is becoming more widespread, and even job candidates are beginning to support the practice.

Acquisition

NSA IT, a better interface for CBP, data worries and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Modernization

Net control, IS attacks, PC prices and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Modernization

Surplus TSA airport scanner missed initial data scrubbing

One of 165 decommissioned scanners escaped with its data intact, but its hard drive was soon removed, according to an IG report.

Cybersecurity

Eliminating reports, monitoring email, funding ID research and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Modernization

Smart suits, cloud sharing, Facebook for terrorists and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Cybersecurity

Former DHS privacy head moves to law firm

Mary Ellen Callahan headed up the first statutorily required privacy office while at Homeland Security Department and now takes that experience to the private sector.

Cybersecurity

ID management: A matter of trust

People have countless reasons to support good digital identity management. When the federal government is involved, however, a complex challenge gets even trickier.

Digital Government

Analysis: Why did EPA delay notifying data breach victims?

Although EPA's six-month delay at informing people involved in a data breach drew criticism, the requirements for notification leave something to be desired.

Cybersecurity

Monitoring employees online: How much is too much?

Software allows agencies to monitor what employees do on a computer down to the keystroke, but where is the line between legitimate security needs and intrusion?

Modernization

Industry members laud Digital Government Strategy

The framework to transform the government to better suit 21st-century needs gets nods from private-sector IT professionals.

Digital Government

TSP explains delay in reporting data breach

Thrift Savings Plan participants were in the dark about the possible exposure of their personal information for more than six weeks.

Modernization

170,000 military dating-site users exposed, hackers say

An affiliate of the LulzSec hacker group is claiming it obtained and published personally-identifiable information for 170,000 military personnel.

Cybersecurity

10 ways to secure the IT supply chain

NIST's streamlined guidance on risk management focuses on a set of key recommendations for ensuring the security and reliability of information and communications systems.

Cybersecurity

Customs and Border Protection not taking privacy seriously, audit says

Customs and Border Protection collects millions of pieces of information on travelers each year, but has only a part-time privacy officer.