Digital Government
Poor planning led to IRS killing personal online tax accounts project
Agency executives determined that they needed a long-term strategy to improve services to taxpayers, according to an inspector general report.
Digital Government
First responders should use service agreements for telecom equipment
Former Homeland Security secretary says the practice would allow emergency workers to upgrade equipment quicker and more cheaply.
Ideas
U.S., Mexico Sign Telecomm Agreement
Public safety and law enforcement organizations in Mexico and the U.S. will soon be able to communicate across the border. The departments of Homeland Security and State announced Wednesday that senior officials on the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications signed a bilateral telecommunications agreement to support a cross border communications network that will provide cross-border voice, data and video channels to strengthen border security and incident response.
Ideas
School Districts Face Unsecure Networks
The Homeland Security Department has talked a lot about testing network security in federal government and critical infrastructure markets, but one network administrator warns about vulnerabilities in K-12 school districts. In an email to Nextgov, he had the following to say about his own experience:
Digital Government
Agencies should institute tougher policies on storing sensitive info
Security officials say the policies could reduce the No. 1 cause of data loss: stolen laptops and storage devices.
Cybersecurity
White House, Homeland Security join forces on cybersecurity
Protecting computer networks is a team effort, officials emphasize.
Digital Government
District court rules in favor of Homeland Security on E-Verify
DHS did not violate law by requiring federal contractors to confirm work eligibility of their employees.
Digital Government
Agencies frustrated with unclear guidance on reducing external network connections
Technology leaders blame poor communication among OMB and other departments for haphazard efforts to comply with Trusted Internet Connections initiative.
Digital Government
DHS and industry group release plan for evaluating IT risk
The assessment gauges threats posed by the primary functions of the tech sector to provide products and services.
Cybersecurity
DHS' Cyber Storm III to test Obama's national cyber response plan
Cyber Storm III will take place in September 2010 and participants will fight against a common simulated threat.
Ideas
Cloud computing as security measure
Usually people equate the terms "open standards" and "cloud computing" with weak security -- whether legitimately or not. But McAfee CEO Dave DeWalt argued the exact opposite during a morning session at the GFirst Conference, hosted by the Homeland Security Department's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team.
Cybersecurity
DHS official: Agencies must make high-risk cyber threats top priority
Departments should focus their limited resources on the most dangerous network attacks, says Homeland Security cyber chief.
Digital Government
OMB requires agencies to submit FISMA reports via online tool
Security specialists doubt the new rule will do much to improve computer network protection.
Digital Government
Report: IRS should keep better records for research projects
Databases should include more information on timeliness and progress toward goals, IG says.
Modernization
Upcoming migration to Windows 7 could be a headache for agencies
Federal IT shops that still use Windows XP will be required to save data and settings before making the switch, or be forced to buy technical support from Microsoft.
Ideas
Who's on Board for Windows 7?
Software giant Microsoft will release the latest version of its Windows operating system in October, and the company can only hope that this go around is smoother than the last.
Cybersecurity
Agencies struggling over control of cybersecurity overblown, says DHS
Executives contend the much more pressing issue is the difficulty in attracting cyber workers, characterizing the effort as "a beast of a problem."
Digital Government
Final public meeting on combating counterfeit technology this week
Industry and government officials hash out concerns about excessive liability for contractors.
Ideas
Another Cyber Guru Leaves
The same week that the acting White House cyber chief stepped down, the Homeland Security Department has lost one of their cybersecurity officials. <em>The Washington Post</em> <a href=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080702805.html>reported</a> that Mischel Kwon submitted her resignation after five years as the director of DHS' U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, which was established in 2003 to coordinate the government's response to cyberattacks.
Ideas
Hackers Silence Political Speak
The latest reports about Thursday's denial-of-service attack that brought down Twitter and slowed Facebook point to a Georgian blogger as the hacker's primary target. Allegedly, the attack was intended to silence his pro-Georgia commentary posted on multiple social media sites.
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