Cybersecurity

Final DOD Cybersecurity Certification Model Due Friday

The Defense Department will seek information within weeks to build a sophisticated database that will serve as a repository for auditors.

Policy

Congress Passes Bill to Spur Veterans’ Participation in STEM Fields

The STEM workforce gap is real. Lawmakers say veterans are a key to help close it.

Emerging Tech

States Sue Trump Administration Over 3D-Printed Gun Regulations

The state attorneys general say they fear making online designs to create “ghost guns” more accessible will lead to violence.

Cybersecurity

Union Leader Says Utilities Not Incentivized to Report Cyber Incidents or Implement Protections

FERC’s recently “expanded” reporting requirements leave it up to entities to decide on qualifying events.

Policy

Bill Would Reform NSA Surveillance Program

Bipartisan legislation could curtail long-running National Security Agency data collection efforts.

Digital Government

Unclear NSA CIO Role Puts the Agency’s IT at Risk, IG Says

Auditors report the position is not even in the agency’s organizational chart.

Modernization

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Map Correlation Between Maternal Mortality and the Digital Divide

The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would add a maternal mortality overlay to connectivity maps produced by the FCC.

Cybersecurity

White House Seeks to Revise Federal Grants Process to Reflect New Priorities

The changes would reduce the reporting burden on grant recipients, among other things.

Cybersecurity

Security Clearance Backlog Hits Long-Awaited ‘Steady State’

The backlog of background investigations has leveled off at a sustainable 200,000, according to lawmakers.

Modernization

GSA Publishes Web Standards for Year-Old Digital Services Law

The website design standards pull together existing guidance for complying with the 21st Century IDEA Act, which requires all digital services to have a base level of quality and accessibility.

Digital Government

Merit Board Offers Advice to Fix Reskilling Program That Hasn't Translated to Any New Job Placements

A pilot program to train some non-IT workers with technology skills has not resulted in anyone switching jobs, largely because participants would have needed to take a pay cut.

Cybersecurity

Presidential Advisers Expected to Push Software-Defined Networking for Secure Comms

Senate Commerce Committee is stockpiling legislation for coordinated investments in the tech.

Ideas

Saudi Arabia’s Phone Hacking Shows We Need Better Encryption — Not Backdoors

End-to-end encryption isn’t good enough. Files and cloud backups need strong crypto as well.

Cybersecurity

Weakening Encryption Could Impact Election Security, Coalition Says

An election security group said the Justice Department’s renewed calls for access to encrypted data could impact more than privacy.

Emerging Tech

One State May Become the First to Ban Law Enforcement Use of Genealogy Databases

A Utah state representative said he believes lawmakers are prepared to continue their “strong record of protecting individual privacy.”

Cybersecurity

Survey: Financial-Sector Agencies’ Policies for Sharing Cyber Threats Inconsistent

Respondents describe barriers ranging from a lack of resources to intelligence agencies’ classification decisions.

Emerging Tech

Inside the CBP-Built ‘Backbone’ of Atlanta’s Biometric Terminal

An executive agency conducting a comprehensive assessment of the technology’s use in aviation security detailed its recent review of America’s first fully biometric terminal—and the service it runs on.

Digital Government

Defense Pledges to Do a Better Job of Sharing Security Information With Overseas Contractors 

The State Department has yet to respond to an industry association letter expressing concern over contractor safety. 

Cybersecurity

DOD CIO Is Prepping Guidance on Endpoint Management

The department aims to clarify what beyond desktops qualifies as an endpoint.