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.

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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.

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Education, Health Officials Want More Help Mitigating Ransomware Attacks

Officials from the health care and education sectors called on Congress Wednesday to provide better Federal aid to state and local governments to not only respond to ransomware attacks, but also to help prevent them.

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Lawmakers Eyeing Tech to Help Recoup Pandemic Loan Fraud

Members of the House Small Business Committee heard expert testimony on Sept. 27 on a range of private sector solutions that the government could use to track down perpetrators of fraud against Small Business Administration (SBA) loan and relief programs during the coronavirus pandemic.

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PMA Update: GSA’s Login.gov Reaches 38.8M Users

The General Services Administration (GSA) is continuing to increase adoption of its Login.gov service, reaching 38.8 million active users as of September and supplying service to 42 Federal partner agencies, according to new data from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

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DoD IG Plans to Review CMMC Program’s Adequacy

The Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG) announced last week that it plans to conduct an audit into the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program – the Pentagon’s high-profile contractor cybersecurity program.

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ONCD, CISA Must Resolve Info Sharing Weaknesses, Watchdog Says

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that Federal agencies and critical infrastructure owners must do a better job at sharing information to tackle increasingly complex cyber threats.

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Sen. Warner Calls for Overarching Legal Framework on Foreign Tech

During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing this week Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called for the creation of a legal framework to judge the use of foreign technology in the United States, especially if it originates from adversary nations.

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Sen. Klobuchar Aims for AI Election Guardrails by Year’s End

With the 2024 elections right around the corner, senators warned about issues arising from the use of unregulated AI technology, and said  they will aim to approve legislation creating AI “guardrails” on election security by the end of this year.

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GAO Looking to Modernize Audits, Databases With AI

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is looking to gain a better understanding of artificial intelligence so that the watchdog agency can audit the technology, as well as use it to organize its thousands of reports.

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OSTP Chief: Biden’s AI EO Coming This Fall

The head of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said Thursday that the Biden administration’s artificial intelligence (AI) executive order (EO) will be unveiled this fall.

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DoD CIO Sherman Eyes Strong Guidance on Cutting Legacy Tech Debt

Defense Department (DoD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) John Sherman said today that he is considering issuing strong, formal guidance to military service branches to get moving faster on the long-sought goal of reducing technical debt throughout the military and particularly on the IT and cybersecurity fronts.  

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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.

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