Cybersecurity

Where's the new cyber strategy?

A week after the end of the federal "sprint," OMB is working past its own deadline on the Federal Civilian Cybersecurity Strategy.

Cybersecurity

Defense health records, fed worker survey, Pentagon IT spending and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Cybersecurity

White House plugs plan to boost immigration IT

The U.S. Digital Service wants to bring a more intuitive process and consistent look and feel to online immigration applications.

Digital Government

How Much Damage Can OPM Hackers Do With a Million Fingerprints?

The pilfering of 1.1 million fingerprints is “probably the biggest counterintelligence threat in my lifetime,” one former NSA official said.

Cybersecurity

After OPM Debacle, Three-Step Biometric ID Checks Are Coming

Of the 24 major federal departments, OPM and 15 other agencies can log into government systems with only a username and password.

Cybersecurity

Mobile pushes changes in biometric identifiers

Evolving biometrics should be more difficult to spoof, but they present challenges for accuracy and privacy.

Emerging Tech

Tattoo Algorithms Could Soon Help Identify Criminals

A newer system might use image recognition, instead of verbal descriptions of tattoo designs, to identify individuals or find patterns.

Cybersecurity

EDDIE, ICE and apps

A mobile biometrics app used by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement took home the top prize at the ACT-IAC Mobile Application Fair.

Cybersecurity

NSA Tests Out Smartphones that Recognize Handwriting Motion

The National Security Agency has tested the use of smartphone-swipe recognition technology, according to the tool’s manufacturer.

Digital Government

Special Operators Are Using Rapid DNA Readers

Conducting a midnight SEAL raid on a terrorist compound? Positive DNA identification is just 90 minutes away.

Emerging Tech

Long-Range Iris Scanning Is Here

An engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon says he’s invented technology that can identify someone from across the room with the precision of a fingerprint.

Cybersecurity

DHS looks to migrate, upgrade ID system

The Office of Biometric Identity Management wants to replace the Automated Biometric Identification System.

Digital Government

Feds Heighten Scrutiny of TSA Screeners and Aviation Staff to Thwart Insider Threat

The prospective measures stem from a report the Department of Homeland Security requested after a former baggage handler last December allegedly helped smuggle loaded guns aboard a plane bound for New York City.

Cybersecurity

Piecing together the insider threat puzzle

Software and automation are crucial to preventing leaks and sabotage, but they're not the only tools deployed by agencies that collect and guard secret information.

Digital Government

Coast Guard's Fingerprint System Used to Nab Terrorist Suspects is Flawed, OIG Says

Personnel on Coast Guard ships use handheld devices to collect intercepted persons' fingerprints and images of their faces, as part of the Biometrics at Sea System.

Cybersecurity

Can the Pentagon keep pace on biometrics?

The Defense Department has launched an improved version of its biometrics repository, but the system still lacks the latest technology.

Cybersecurity

Online ID grants, NGA personnel, DARPA IT and more

News and notes from around the federal IT community.

Digital Government

US Visitor Surveillance System Brings Some Solace to Families of MH17 Victims

A database that houses the fingerprints of almost all foreign visitors to catch terrorists recently was used for a different purpose -- bringing closure to bereft families.

Cybersecurity

Ending the tyranny of passwords

Eliminating the hassle of entering multiple passwords to navigate secure sites online will spark heavier public use, possibly affecting federal networks down the road.

Cybersecurity

Border Patrol finding new uses for data

Border security now means not only the basic metrics of apprehensions, but using that data to gauge and interdict looming threats.