Cybersecurity

Lawmakers: Snowden a fabricator, not a whistleblower

Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who stole and leaked sensitive documents was a disgruntled employee and liar who is in league with Russian intelligence, says a newly declassified House Intelligence Committee report.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers warn against weakening encryption

A congressional working group studying encryption has concluded that strong encryption is in the national interest, but needs of law enforcement must be accommodated.

People

Prison sentence for GSA Advantage fraudster

A former Defense Department procurement official will serve nearly three years in prison for stealing and reselling millions of dollars of equipment and material obtained through GSA's online shopping and ordering system.

Cybersecurity

House panel seeks new rules for Stingrays

Technology used by law enforcement agencies to track the location of a cell phone needs to be better regulated, a House report concluded.

Digital Government

DOD watchdog lists top 10 challenges for 2017

The Pentagon Inspector General's office has released its Fiscal Year 2017 Oversight Plan that focuses on 10 performance and management challenges facing the DOD, including cyber.

Acquisition

GAO sustains more protests in 2016

The GAO's annual bid protest report to Congress shows a spike in the number of protests filed.

Digital Government

Obama signs bill clarifying IG authority

At the close of his administration, President Obama signed into law a measure that specifies access for inspectors general to agency information.

Cybersecurity

Watchdog: DOD needs to improve cybersecurity

Despite taking steps to improve cybersecurity, the Department of Defense reportedly is still coming up short on securing its cyber networks, systems and infrastructure.

Modernization

IG: State's consular tech upgrade is slow going

Despite improvements in management, the effort to modernize the State Department's disparate consular IT systems is lagging, and the office that manages these legacy systems is understaffed, according to a recent inspector general report.

People

GSA in the crosshairs on Trump lease

House Democrats and others say that President-elect Donald Trump will be in breach of his lease on the Old Post Office when he takes office, but the General Services Administration is not taking a position for now.

Modernization

IG: VA wasted more than $7M in poorly-planned tech refresh

Technology buyers at the Department of Veterans Affairs wasted more than $7 million in software licenses and hardware in an uncoordinated tech refresh, according to the agency's internal watchdog.

Cybersecurity

Dems push for Russia hacking investigation

The ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and others in Congress including one top Republican want to air allegations of Russian cyber interference in the U.S. elections. President-elect Trump has dismissed the assertions by U.S. spies as politically motivated.

Cybersecurity

Agencies still aren't acing FITARA

Twelve of the 24 CFO Act agencies governed by FITARA improved their grades on the latest scorecard.

Cybersecurity

Congressman pushes Obama on cyber deterrence policy

The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee says one of the remaining imperatives for the President Obama is to develop a cyber deterrence strategy and pass it forward to the Trump Administration along with a host of other cyber challenges.

People

House VA committtee gets new boss

Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) will replace outgoing Congressman Jeff Miller of Florida as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Digital Government

IG: Challenges remain in GSA's DATA Act implementation

With about six months on the clock before the DATA Act implementation deadline, the General Services Administration still lacks the ability to reliably track spending and certify data submission.

Cybersecurity

Obama names first-ever independent NSA watchdog

In 2014, Congress elevated the inspector general post at the National Security Agency to a presidential appointment. More than two years later, someone has finally been named to the job.

Cybersecurity

McCaul wants to tighten oversight of DHS

Entering his final term as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul hopes to sharpen his panel's legislative control over DHS.

People

Musical chairs for Senate Dems

Still in the minority but with strengthened numbers, Senate Democrats announced shifts in committee assignments

People

Bills at the ready to achieve Trump's workforce goals

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to institute a federal hiring freeze and reduce the workforce through attrition. Here's how it might happen.