Digital Government

Senators Try Again to Advance Software License Bill

Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) have brought back the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act with a few new changes after the proposal came up short last fall.

Cybersecurity

National Cyber Strategy Seeks to Shift Burden from Consumers to Tech Firms

The strategy calls for Congress to pass legislation that would “shift liability onto those entities that fail to take reasonable precautions to secure their software.”

Cybersecurity

CISA Director Calls Out Industry Using Consumers as Cyber 'Crash Test Dummies'

The head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said technology companies need to be more proactive when it comes to promoting safety and security.

Ideas

Won’t Get Fooled Again?

COMMENTARY | In the world of cybersecurity, the more things change the more they stay the same. 

Digital Government

Send Me Software, Not Hardware, Navy Infowar Leader Says

“Boxes of computers” aren’t so helpful aboard space-limited ships, Rear Adm. Doug Small said.

Modernization

Governments View Open Source as Critical for Enhancing Digital Services, Experts Say

The U.S. government is “still in the process of organizing and coordinating” its own strategy around the use of open source software, according to a CISA official.

Modernization

Defense Logistics Agency to Shift Warehouse Management to Commercial Software

The agency wants to modernize its distribution and warehouse management systems but says it can’t do that with 20-year-old government-built technology.

Cybersecurity

The Federal Government is Moving on Memory Safety for Cybersecurity

The issue of how coding languages might support software developers’ management of memory has recently gotten attention from the National Security Council, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Congress.

Cybersecurity

Cyber Director’s Preview of National Strategy Highlights Federal Software Procurement

The national cyber director also indicated plans to rely on feedback from members of the software industry who are working on recommendations for “streamlining” sector-specific regulations.

Cybersecurity

Trade Org Urges OMB to ‘Harmonize’ Secure Software Development Practices

The Information Technology Industry Council asked OMB to clarify a memorandum that was creating challenges for software producers.

Cybersecurity

Latest Guidance Outlines Customer Responsibilities for Software Security

The guide provides recommendations throughout the product lifecycle, from procurement to deployment.

Cybersecurity

CISA, NSA and Industry Outline Security Responsibilities of Software Suppliers

New guidance from the federal agencies—and major companies serving the government—tries to distinguish between the security duties of software developers, suppliers and consumers.

Cybersecurity

Agencies Shouldn’t 'Just Trust' Software Vendors' Security Assurances, IG Warns

NIST advisors debating the merits of OMB’s policy on software vendors’ “self-attestation” to secure development practices found common ground on a need for audits and testing.

Cybersecurity

White House preps security controls for commercial software acquisition

The administration is attempting to leverage the procurement powers of the federal government to bolster software cybersecurity for the first time.

Cybersecurity

Senators’ Plan to Secure Open Source Software Involves Agencies Using More of It

The discovery of exploitable weaknesses in Log4j is resurfacing a 6-year-old push to save taxpayers money by calling on agencies to embrace open-source code.

Modernization

Bipartisan Senate Bill Aims to Safeguard Open Source Software

The Securing Open Source Software Act would task the Office of Management and Budget with issuing guidance around the secure usage of open source software and give new oversight responsibilities to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Cybersecurity

Industry Objections Spur Changes to Cybersecurity Provisions in Defense Bill  

Key members of the House and Senate are altering proposals for identifying systemically important critical infrastructure and securing the software supply chain.

Breaking News Cybersecurity

OMB: New Acquisition Rule Coming for Vendors to Vouch for Their Software Security

Agencies are also allowed to accept to-do lists from vendors who need to keep working up to a point where they can self-attest their compliance with NIST guidance.