People
Embattled OPM CIO steps down
Departing OPM CIO Donna Seymour had been under intense pressure to deliver on crucial IT projects in the wake of the hack of OPM that exposed the personal data of at least 22 million Americans.
People
Education CIO retires weeks after Capitol Hill confrontation
Danny Harris will leave his job as CIO of the Department of Education after 32 years of federal service.
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."
People
FITARA: Maintaining momentum
The keys to the law's success are identifying and mitigating the risks to its implementation, especially in light of the upcoming presidential transition.
Modernization
State IG finds lack of IT contingency plans overseas
Consulates and embassies are expected to be able to restore connectivity in the event of disruptive events, but the IG found a range of issues with 20 of the 29 posts it reviewed.
Cybersecurity
Intel officials dwell on encryption as a potential security problem
FBI Director James Comey and other senior intelligence leaders told Congress that the use of encrypted communications by terrorists and other adversaries remains a problem for investigators.
Digital Government
Agencies, what's up with your FOIAs?
A new survey seeks insight into how agencies are handling Freedom of Information Act requests.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon IG to audit cyber readiness
The audit will gauge how well agencies have corrected vulnerabilities identified by Command Cyber Readiness Inspections.
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.
Digital Government
Education CIO in the hot seat on Capitol Hill
The Education Department's long-serving CIO came under fire from members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for past allegations of misconduct and potential conflicts of interest.
Cybersecurity
Chaffetz wants more answers from Education CIO
Lawmakers are looking for details about warnings that the Education Department's systems are ripe for a devastating hack.
Cybersecurity
GAO report highlights Einstein shortcomings
The Department of Homeland Security's Einstein program has built in limitations that prevent it from detecting previously unknown attack vectors, according to a watchdog report.
Cybersecurity
Why DHS has no idea how much it spends on training
A new watchdog report lays out a massive governance and data problem at the Homeland Security Department.
Cybersecurity
Congress needs to catch up on cybersecurity issues
The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said Congress is lagging on issues such as encryption and securing energy grids from cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity
Senate panel complains of slow progress at DHS on biometric exit tracking
Lawmakers grilled officials on the slow pace of progress in setting up a system to gather details on foreign visitors when they leave the U.S.
Cybersecurity
Bill coming to establish encryption commission
Lawmakers plan legislation to create an encryption commission to make recommendations on how companies and law enforcement can work together.
People
GAO urges agency collaboration to keep federal buildings safe
A 2015 GAO audit of the Federal Protective Services and the General Services Administration finds both agencies should collaborate more in matters of building security.
Cybersecurity
What's missing in the new NSA report?
The NSA released a required report on surveillance transparency, but many questions remain unanswered about how the spy agency is querying vast troves of telephonic metadata.
Cybersecurity