Cybersecurity

Biden Signs School Cybersecurity Bill

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will study the cyber risks facing elementary and secondary schools and develop recommendations to assist schools in facing those risks.

Emerging Tech

A State’s Plan for the Nation’s First Section of Wireless Charging Road

Michigan hopes to test out a short segment of roadway that will allow electric cars to recharge as they drive, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said.

Digital Government

State and Local Government Beats out Federal in Survey of Citizen Trust

Digital services had a strong impact on whether residents found governments trustworthy, according to the report from Deloitte.

Ideas

Cybercriminals Use Pandemic to Attack Schools and Colleges

The average ransomware attack cost educational institutions $2.73 million.

Modernization

The Unemployment Insurance System Is Set to Get a Tech Makeover — but It Needs Much More, the Biden Administration Says

The U.S. Digital Service has embarked on a reconstruction that will cover the entire UI system, according to a memo and presentation obtained by ProPublica.

Ideas

How to Make Unemployment Insurance Work for Gig Workers

The share of workers who have traditional full-time jobs is shrinking but the ways to verify identity and income have not kept up.

Cybersecurity

Expired Driver’s Licenses Open Lane for Cybercriminals

Fraudsters send out texts or emails falsely warning that the target’s license needs to be updated, is missing information or is expiring.

Cybersecurity

Facing Foreign Election Foes, States Hire ‘Cyber Navigators’

Local election officials are on the front lines of election defense, but they often are underfunded or lack the technical knowhow to protect systems from cyber threats.

Digital Government

You’ve Been Vaccinated. Now Prove It.

Proponents of vaccine passports say the credentials give vaccinated people more assurance as they resume going out and could spur the reluctant to get vaccinated.

Cybersecurity

States Snag $240M to Combat Unemployment Fraud

The federal grant funding can be used to pay for identity verification services, cybersecurity, or other expenses related to fraud detection.

Emerging Tech

Cryptocurrency Company Makes Case for Running its Own Local Government

A Nevada commission is studying the concept. An executive with Blockchains Inc. says its plans for an "innovation zone" won't work inside an existing county.

Emerging Tech

What One City Hopes to Learn by Pausing Use of Facial Recognition Technology

A ban in Baltimore would restrict the city from purchasing facial recognition technology and temporarily restrict use by city agencies, residents and businesses (but not the police).

Digital Government

Public libraries and government innovation

Steve Kelman notes an example of government reinvention at the very local level.

Cybersecurity

How Unemployment Insurance Fraud Exploded During the Pandemic

Bots filing bogus applications in bulk, teams of fraudsters in foreign countries making phony claims, online forums peddling how-to advice on identity theft: Inside the infrastructure of perhaps the largest fraud wave in history.

Cybersecurity

States Weigh Bans on Ransomware Payoffs

The idea is that this would deter attacks because cybercriminals would know they couldn’t get paid.

Cybersecurity

Commerce Secretary Highlights Cybersecurity Workforce Needs With $3B Initiative

Grants will be competitively awarded to state and local governmental entities, institutions of higher education, not-for-profit entities, unions and tribes. 

Cybersecurity

Can federal funding fill gaps in rural cyber preparedness?

Utility firms in small towns and rural communities across the country lack critical funding and staffing resources necessary to counter an escalation in nationwide cyberattacks, state and local infrastructure experts warned on Wednesday.

Cybersecurity

CISA Considering Open-Source Registrar Platform For .Gov Domain

The agency is looking for support services to help manage the .gov registry as it takes control of the top-level domain from GSA.

Policy

State Data Privacy Bills Growing More Widespread

Ohio lawmakers have introduced legislation to establish “data rights” for citizens. It follows Colorado, which passed a similar law last week.

Cybersecurity

CISA Issues Mitigation Tips for Common Attack Tactics

The agency assessed 37 federal agencies, and state, local and tribal governments last year to see how they are typically exploited.