FCW Insider: July 29, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
A vaccine requirement for feds could get complicated
Unions and other employee groups are taking a look at what a vaccination requirement might mean for their members.
TSA ramps up fuel pipeline cyber strategy
At a Senate hearing, the TSA administrator updated lawmakers on the implementation of two recent cybersecurity directives issued in the wake of the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline.
ICYMI: TMF could help solve records request backlog for veterans, lawmakers say
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Oversight and Reform Committee wants the National Archives and Records Administration to apply for funding from the Technology Modernization Fund to modernize its IT systems and clear its backlog of 500,000 records requests from veterans.
Quick Hits
*** The Department of Defense revised its COVID-19 guidelines on July 28 to require masks for all service members, employees, contractors and visitors on facilities located in communities facing substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.
*** A White House national security memorandum issued July 28 calls on government agencies to issue performance goals covering the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure facilities and systems, "to further a common understanding of the baseline security practices that critical infrastructure owners and operators should follow to protect national and economic security, as well as public health and safety"
*** The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence passed Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 on a 16-0 vote. The legislation includes measures supporting the adoption of artificial intelligence and a framework to measure the success of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 security clearance initiative, according to a summary released by the committee.
*** A House panel wants to mandate reporting of vulnerabilities related to climate change and defensive cybersecurity capabilities in the industrial base. The House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee has proposed legislative language in a draft of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that that would require the defense secretary to annually report the gaps or vulnerabilities facing technology and industrial contractors to Congress.