Cybersecurity

IG details OPM contractor's security flaws

KeyPoint Government Solutions, which intruders used to hack the Office of Personnel Management, lacked a formal incident response plan and controls on unauthorized devices, according to the agency's IG.

People

IG says law bars Cobert from leading OPM on acting basis

OPM IG Patrick McFarland said in a memo to Beth Cobert that under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, "any actions taken by you since the date of your nomination are void and may not be subsequently ratified."

Cybersecurity

OPM needs data management for background checks

On the cusp of absorption by a brand-new agency, Federal Investigative Services is searching for electronic records support.

People

OPM hack looms over Cobert confirmation hearing

Acting OPM Director Beth Cobert said she is committed to working with Congress on modernizing IT, but lawmakers raised concerns about the agency's apparent inability to turn over requested documents.

People

Chaffetz subpoenas OPM's Cobert

Demand for more documents on the 2015 data breach comes on the eve of the acting director's confirmation hearing.

People

OPM IG McFarland to step down

Patrick McFarland, the longest-serving Inspector General in government, will resign this month after monitoring OPM for two-and-a-half decades.

People

OPM status page is the place to be during the blizzard

In the aftermath of a historic snowstorm, traffic on OPM's Current Status page soared as federal workers checked to see whether their offices were open.

Cybersecurity

White House announces new agency to handle federal background checks

OPM will house the new National Background Investigations Bureau, but the new agency's IT and cybersecurity work will be handled by the Defense Department.

Cybersecurity

OPM adds new cyber education program for feds and families

The federal government is looking to fill its own cybersecurity needs by offering discounted online degree programs.

Cybersecurity

Exclusive: What DHS and the FBI learned from the OPM breach

"Convenience and accessibility has been prioritized over critical security practices," at OPM, according to a Dec. 23 alert distributed to cleared contractors by the Defense Security Service on behalf of DHS and the FBI.

People

OPM COO resigns

Angela Bailey has been at the center of an organization under intense pressure to improve its cyber defense following the large-scale hack affecting millions of federal employees that OPM revealed last June.

Digital Government

What's coming from FedRAMP, 18F and USAJobs

GSA's Phaedra Chrousos discussed a wide range of possible revamps at a recent gathering of contract professionals.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity isn't just about money, OPM adviser says

OPM cyber guru Clifton Triplett wants agencies to make better use of the people and tools they already have.

Cybersecurity

OPM finishes mailing most notification letters to breach victims

OPM announced it has mailed notification letters to nearly all the breach victims of the cyber-attack that the agency discovered in April 2015.

Cybersecurity

Chaffetz renews call for OPM CIO's resignation

The chairman of the House oversight committee is once again calling for OPM CIO Donna Seymour's resignation after an IG report said the agency violated federal acquisition policies in awarding a credit-monitoring contract.

Cybersecurity

Find out online if you were an OPM breach victim

The Office of Personnel Management has launched an online portal for victims, and people who think they may be victims, of the massive data breach.

Cybersecurity

Can Tony Scott get it all done?

The U.S. CIO has made a mantra of "land the planes" and pushed notable improvements in his first nine months. But the to-do list for 2016 is long indeed.

Cybersecurity

OPM looks to wrap breach notification by early December

With some 14 million letters already out and millions more expected to hit mailboxes by the end of the month, the Office of Personnel Management expects to wrap up notifications to breach victims in the coming weeks.

Cybersecurity

Administration bows out of classified Hill briefing on OPM hack

A scheduled Capitol Hill briefing on the Office of Personnel Management hack didn't happen because of a dispute over transcription.

Acquisition

OPM broke the rules with its breach cleanup contract, says agency watchdog

A forthcoming inspector general report will delve into how the IG says OPM violated procurement regulations with its $20 million post-breach services award to Winvale.