Federal CIO Kent Announces Cyber Reskilling Academy
Federal CIO Suzette Kent this morning announced creation of the Federal Cyber Reskilling Academy–a joint effort of the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Education, and the Federal CIO Council Workforce Committee–to kickstart the Federal government’s efforts to address gaps in the Federal cybersecurity workforce and help retrain Federal employees. […]
Feds Reach IT Modernization Tipping Point
A new report from MeriTalk and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) finds that Federal finance, IT, and procurement experts believe we’ve reached an IT modernization tipping point. […]
DHS Launches ICT Sector Supply Chain Risk Task Force
The Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 30 announced launch of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, which the agency said is charged with developing “consensus recommendations” to identify and manage risk to the global ICT supply chain. […]
DHS’ Manfra Discusses FISMA Update, Impact to CDM
Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security, said today that the new update to Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) guidance will place even more accountability on department leaders and reflects an evolution in discussions between agencies and DHS. […]
CIA Enters ‘Scale Phase’ of AI Adoption
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is entering the scale phase of its artificial intelligence (AI) implementation and has hundreds of AI projects underway, Israel Soong, deputy director of the CIA’s Office of AI, said Tuesday. […]
CISA Calls on Agencies to Secure Cisco SD-WAN Systems
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive on Wednesday calling on federal civilian agencies to take immediate steps to secure Cisco Software-Defined Wide-Area Networking (SD-WAN) systems. […]
GenomeOcean: How DOE’s JGI Is Using AI to Read and Write DNA at Scale
“We are drowning in data, but we are starved for knowledge,” Zhong Wang, a computational biologist and staff scientist at the Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), said recently, paraphrasing Nobel laureate Sydney Brenner. […]
CrowdStrike Reports 89% Increase in Attacks by AI-Enabled Adversaries
Artificial intelligence (AI) cyber threats have reached a critical turning point, with an 89% year-over-year increase in attacks by AI-enabled adversaries, according to a report issued Tuesday from cybersecurity services provider CrowdStrike. […]
CGI Snags $64M EPA Financial System Modernization Deal
CGI Federal said on Feb. 24 that it won a contract with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand on existing work with the agency aimed at modernizing its Compass financial management platform. […]
DCSA Acting Director Pledges NBIS Schedule by Spring
The acting head of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) promised lawmakers today that the agency will deliver a business operationalization schedule for the long-delayed National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) program by March or April. […]
US Backs New Delhi AI Pact Emphasizing Innovation, Voluntary Safeguards
The United States joined more than 80 countries in signing the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, signaling a global shift toward voluntary safety measures and accelerated innovation. […]
NIST Seeks Industry to Host AI Models for National Security Reviews
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is taking another step toward operationalizing its artificial intelligence (AI) safety agenda and is seeking companies that can host and run open-weight AI models for federal evaluation efforts. […]
Walkinshaw Introduces Bill to Strengthen VA Tech Training Program
Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., introduced a bill on Monday that aims to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program, which supports veterans training to work in high-tech fields. […]
House Democrats Press NIST Over Reported Limits on Foreign Researchers
A pair of Democrats on the House Science and Technology committee want to know if the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is prohibiting foreign-born researchers from working at the agency. […]
With 80 percent of every Federal IT dollar spent on life support for legacy systems, the Federal IT community is exploring new options to modernize and innovate – virtualization, cloud computing, Flash technology, software-defined options, shared services, and more. MeriTalk is staying close to the leaders on the front lines, bringing you new ideas and lessons learned.
And, as Federal IT leaders work to meet demands of an “always-on” highly mobile government, we bring you the stories and breaking news on balancing productivity with security. Our government IT news includes how agencies manage advanced persistent threats, and the steps that help guard against socially engineered threats. We look at the latest trends in malware, spyware, ransomware, and spear phishing. And – how can Federal agencies protect data from tomorrow’s cyber threats?
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