Cybersecurity

Attorney General, DHS Secretary Call on Facebook to Build Encryption Backdoors

“Security enhancements to the virtual world should not make us more vulnerable in the physical world,” they said in a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Modernization

Legacy Systems Held DHS' Biometrics Programs Back. Not Anymore.

The cloud-based HART system, which will house data on hundreds of millions of people, promises to significantly expand the department’s use of facial recognition and other biometric software, as well as its partnerships with external agencies.

Emerging Tech

A Federal Privacy Board Is Reviewing DHS’ Airport Facial Recognition Programs

An agency shared new details around its recent observations of one TSA biometrics pilot—and what it aims to assess in a comprehensive report it’s generating over the course of the next year.

Emerging Tech

DHS Awards Blockchain Contract to Fight Forgeries in Immigration

The agency awarded a phase one contract that tasks an Austrian company with providing a new level of interoperability across the Homeland Security Department’s siloed efforts.

Emerging Tech

CBP to Deploy Anti-Drone Bubbles Along U.S.-Mexico Border

The agency is fielding six counter-drone systems along the southern border and might soon deploy more, according to the vendor.

Cybersecurity

6 Cyber Bills You Might Have Missed

The bills aim to strengthen the Homeland Security Department’s cybersecurity efforts and help the energy sector improve its digital defenses.

Modernization

Google Says Google Translate Can’t Replace Human Translators. Immigration Officials Have Used It to Vet Refugees.

Documents shared with ProPublica show that immigration officials have been told to vet refugees’ social media posts using Google Translate. Language experts caution even students against using the service.

Cybersecurity

DHS Needs a Better Grasp of Its Cyber Workforce, Watchdog Says

The agency doesn’t fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of its cyber personnel, and it’s more than two years behind on developing a workforce planning strategy, the inspector general found.

Digital Government

DHS is Struggling to Coordinate Its Sprawling Research Efforts

Poor oversight and shoddy data management have left the DHS Science and Technology Directorate unprepared to invest in the future, according to the agency's inspector general.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity and the Road Ahead

Federal agencies are focused on locking down access to their systems.

Digital Government

High Impact Agencies Release Customer Experience Action Plans

More than two dozen high impact service provider agencies shared their current and future investments.

Cybersecurity

DHS Wants Industry to Help Improve Pay for Cyber Personnel

By rolling out a “market-sensitive” pay structure and supporting more flexible career paths, the department hopes to make its cybersecurity jobs more appealing.

Cybersecurity

McConnell Voices Support for $250 Million in Election Security Funds

The bill marks “a great step forward,” but states will need more consistent investment to make long-term improvements, according to CISA Director Chris Krebs.

Cybersecurity

CISA Chief Calls on Cybersecurity Community to ‘Stop Selling Fear’ 

Director Chris Krebs wants government and industry to get a broader community of people involved in the fight against digital threats but not by fearmongering.

Podcasts

Critical Update: The Defender’s Dilemma 

Soon the Homeland Security Department will be able to compete for cyber talent without the shackles of the federal government’s rigid paytable.

Cybersecurity

Homeland Security Stands Up Transatlantic Aviation Roundtable

The new committee will address critical security issues that trouble the open skies.

Cybersecurity

Agencies, Industry Take Creative Approaches to Cyber Recruitment

Federal officials and executives shared how they’re rethinking the credentials and experience of cyber recruits.

Emerging Tech

DHS Plans to Expand Social Media Collection on Refugees and Immigrants

The agency wants the public to weigh in on its plan to change its data gathering practices.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers Want to Expand DHS' Cyber Monitoring Program to State and Local Governments

Under a forthcoming bill, lawmakers also aim to make it easier for agencies to put the data collected under the program to good use.