Cybersecurity
Privacy assessment finds risk with CDM shared service platform
An updated assessment from the Department of Homeland Security finds that a shared services platform designed to help smaller agencies use the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program brings with it new but manageable privacy risks.
Cybersecurity
Another Federal Employee Caught Watching Porn at Work
The employee admitted watching adult pornography at work but retired amid a government investigation.
Cybersecurity
Watchdog: OPM is At Risk of Not Being Able to Restore IT Systems Post-Disaster
The massive 2015 data breaches that exposed personal information of current and former federal employees are the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.
Digital Government
USPS, CBP share shipping data to track opioids
The Postal Service still needs to work on its ability to share international shipment data with Customs and Border Protection, according to an oversight report.
Cybersecurity
Lawmakers seek answers on HUD's use of facial recognition
Responding to press accounts, a group of lawmakers want to know if the Department of Housing and Urban Development is supporting the use of biometric surveillance in public housing properties.
Digital Government
NSA data storage poses risk to civil liberties, watchdog says
An audit conducted by the National Security Agency inspector general raises questions about the intelligence agency’s data retention policies.
Modernization
TMF Program Office Won’t Recoup Current Costs Until 2025, Watchdog Says
Officials pushed back strongly against the report.
Modernization
More agencies are using FedRAMP, but some are still going rogue
While hundreds of additional government cloud projects are being vetted for cybersecurity every year, a GAO audit makes clear that many agencies are still standing up programs without going through FedRAMP.
Modernization
GAO frets about TMF payback, fees
The Technology Modernization Fund – the $125 million pool of no-year money appropriated to fast-track technology upgrades – has some potential operational problems, according to an oversight report.
Modernization
Audit: Cloud Use Up But Agencies Skirting FedRAMP
More than 60% of federal agencies audited by the Government Accountability Office did not always use FedRAMP to authorize their cloud solutions.
Digital Government
Defense IG Will Review Recent $400 Million Border Wall Contract
Key House lawmaker asked for the review, citing possible improper influence by the Trump administration.
Modernization
FITARA scores trend up, but concerns on data centers, CIO authorities remain
At the ninth House hearing on implementation of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act, many agencies showed improvement, but lawmakers cited familiar problems.
Cybersecurity
CISA subpoena bill set to land
The legislation will make a number of changes from a proposal submitted by DHS, narrowing the scope of the authorities to critical infrastructure IT and only for cybersecurity purposes.
Modernization
Agencies Turn In ‘Best FITARA Scorecard Ever’
Collectively, the federal government improved its oversight grades in IT modernization.
Cybersecurity
Senators warn on encryption
Law enforcement hawks from both parties on the Senate Judiciary Committee threatened tech companies with new rules for access to encrypted data.
Emerging Tech
TSA Isn’t Doing Enough To Ensure Screening Tech Continues Working Over Time, Watchdog Says
A report shows the airport security agency is good at building and deploying tech but doesn’t have a process to ensure those tools keep operating at a high level.
Digital Government
GAO Handbook Helps Answer Whether That New Tech Is Right For Your Agency
The handbook outlines how the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics Office prepares reports for Congress, but the principles can be applied to any organization looking at new technologies.
Cybersecurity
'Technical irregularities' plagued contact chaining at NSA
ODNI's privacy czar said bad data from telecoms irrevocably tainted the contact-chaining process that was at the heart of the NSA's Call Detail Records program.
Modernization
AWS lawsuit alleges 'improper pressure' from Trump on JEDI
President Donald Trump personally steered a $10-billion cloud computing contract away from frontrunner Amazon Web Services out of personal and political animus against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to the details of a lawsuit released publicly Dec. 9.
Digital Government