Modernization

Mobile security threats facing feds

Federal wireless device users face a disparate set of threats, but the government's buying clout is unlikely change the security picture, a new study says.

Modernization

Navigation moves indoors

By using the data generated from smartphone sensor readings, radio frequency signal strengths and GPS fixes, NIST hopes developers can build indoor navigation apps that can be validated against fixed locations.

Cybersecurity

Industry frets about supply chain standards in cyber framework

Many in the tech sphere are pushing back on the inclusion of supply chain risk management in the revised NIST cybersecurity framework.

Modernization

NGA wants 24-hour cloud ATOs

One spy agency is looking to "fast architecture churn" to confound would-be cyber attackers.

Cybersecurity

NIST gets new cyber powers under House bill

A House panel approved legislation that would add new cybersecurity auditing and reporting duties to the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the White House science office.

Cybersecurity

53 steps to stronger cybersecurity

The Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity issued its long-awaited report, which calls for (among many other things) a new agency to consolidate, administer and secure federal IT infrastructure.

Digital Government

ID management without the Big Brother baggage

The government has been trying for years to balance privacy, convenience and security for agencies' online customers. Can the latest efforts finally get traction?

Cybersecurity

Study backs IoT/DDoS concerns

A new study from one of the companies that battled a huge internet device-based attack underscores the need for stronger internet-of-things security.

Cybersecurity

NIST's new take on IoT security

NIST's new guidance on security for the internet of things is not prescriptive like FIPS but instead offers a foundation for engineering security into connected devices.

Cybersecurity

White House probes centralized cyber capabilities

The White House is exploring a centralized method of providing IT and cybersecurity capabilities to agencies for the next administration.

Cybersecurity

Commerce secretary urges bold action on cybersecurity

Citing "a chronic shortage both in quantity and quality of cybersecurity personnel," Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker calls on cyber commission to focus on workforce development, IT modernization and shared services.

Modernization

Why contract language matters with cloud

GSA's FedRAMP is a good starting point for cloud security, but experts say agencies must fine-tune their arrangements with vendors by using service-level agreements.

Cybersecurity

Are NIST's privacy controls out of date?

Federal chief privacy officers are charged with ensuring that agencies store data legally and safely, but some are concerned that their policy guidelines are outmoded.

Cybersecurity

Challenge.gov takes wing

Steve Kelman contends that a recent report on agencies' prize challenges tells only half the success story.

Cybersecurity

NIST takes a stab at defining IoT

A new NIST model helps developers better understand the Internet of Things and its security challenges by breaking down the IoT into manageable building blocks.

Cybersecurity

Two years after Heartbleed, an improved OpenSSL aims for government approval

A much-improved version of the cryptographic building block lacks FIPS 140-2 validation, but SafeLogic is stepping in to change that.

Digital Government

BYOD is evolving for a cyber-conscious age

Bring-your-own device policies were envisioned as a way to save money during a time of budget cuts, but policies are pivoting as government gets increasingly security conscious.

Digital Government

NIST database goes ballistic

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has rolled out a new forensics database that gives law enforcement detailed, three-dimensional profiles of a vast sea of bullet ballistic data to help crack cases.

Cybersecurity

Why should feds care about blockchain?

Federal standards setters can't predict how blockchain might serve government ends, but secure voting, health records and identity management are possible applications.