FCW Insider: Sept. 3

CISA, White House release vulnerability disclosure policies

The Office of Management and Budget and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have released a memorandum and Binding Operational Directive guiding federal agencies on how to set up their vulnerability research and disclosure programs.

Oracle loses JEDI appeal

A panel of federal appellate judges affirmed a lower court decision denying a protest by Oracle in the Defense Department's $10 billion cloud procurement dubbed JEDI.

CBP isn't alerting air travelers to biometrics collection, watchdog says

Customs and Border Protection's facial recognition program that collects photos of air travelers is hitting its performance targets according to a Government Accountability Office audit, but passengers aren't seeing privacy information and opt-out signage.

Quick Hits

*** The head of the National Treasury Employees Union wants more information about the impact of a plan to defer paycheck deductions for social security on federal employees, including information on when the plan will go into effect and how deferred taxes will be repaid in 2021.

"As the largest employer in the country, the federal government is failing in its responsibilities to its workforce by not adequately informing federal employees and explaining the implications and consequences of the payroll tax deferral," NTEU National President Anthony M. Reardon said in a Sept. 2 letter to Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

*** The Federal Aviation Administration plans to modernize a key portion of its telecommunications infrastructure that supports air traffic control across the country with multiple contracts. The agency said in a Sept. 1 announcement that it wants to move some of its aging, analog voice switch and recording communications infrastructure to voice-over-IP technology under its Voice over IP Communication Enterprise (VoICE) acquisition plan. The agency plans a Sept. 30 online industry day to outline the VoICE strategy.

The agency's voice switch and recorder platform provides air-to-ground and air and ground-to-ground radio communications that allow air traffic controllers to communicate with pilots, other controllers, other air traffic facilities. The systems also record conversations between air traffic controllers, pilots, and ground-based air traffic facilities that are used to investigate accidents.