Author Archive
Cybersecurity
Iranian hackers compromised a federal agency’s network, CISA and FBI say
Actors linked with the Iranian government were able to exploit an unpatched Log4Shell vulnerability—which the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency asked agencies to address by the end of 2021—in an unnamed agency’s network.
Cybersecurity
No ‘specific or credible’ cyber threats affected integrity of midterms, CISA says
Despite “a handful” of DDoS attacks targeting state and local election websites and some technical glitches affecting voting equipment, CISA says it saw “no activity” that should undermine faith in the results of the midterm elections.
Defense
Pentagon expects to award $9 billion cloud contract in December
The Pentagon’s chief information officer said the multi-cloud, multi-vendor JWCC contract will be awarded “in about a month.”
IT Modernization
NOAA planning to join DOD’s electronic health record system
A spokesperson for the office overseeing the rollout of the Oracle Cerner electronic health record system said that NOAA’s deployment of the software is “targeted for summer 2023.”
Cybersecurity
Public entities in nearly every state use federally-banned foreign tech, report says
A new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology found that at least 1,681 state and local governments purchased equipment from five Chinese companies that were banned by the federal government between 2015 and 2021.
IT Modernization
VA official has 'deep concerns' about agency's electronic health record project
But leadership at the agency pushed back against projected cost overruns and delays moving forward.
Workforce
DHS launches 'largest customer experience hiring initiative’ with hundreds of technologist positions
The agency’s recruitment initiative comes in response to President Joe Biden’s 2021 executive order seeking to streamline the “government-to-customer delivery process.”
Cybersecurity
Election officials have been largely successful in deterring cyber threats, CISA official says
The head of CISA’s National Risk Management Center pointed to public-private partnerships and enhanced resource sharing activities as key to defending against outside threats to voting systems.
Digital Government
Traffic overwhelms student loan sites following Biden’s debt relief announcement
Student loan company Nelnet said providers received no advance warning about the White House’s loan forgiveness plan, contributing to confusion and site outages.
Congress
House Oversight Dems seek data from social media companies about threats to law enforcement
Lawmakers are demanding information from online platforms about how they are responding to growing threats against law enforcement officials following the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago.
IT Modernization
VA names functional champion to help streamline embattled EHR rollout
The selection of Dr. David Massaro to the senior role fills out the leadership team of the VA office tasked with “processing and resolving patient care concerns” related to the agency's new electronic health record system
Cybersecurity
Misinformation campaigns and threats are undermining confidence in U.S. elections, official says
CISA is ramping up efforts to defend voting systems from outside intrusion, but the spread of online misinformation and threats against election officials still damage faith in the electoral process.
Digital Government
AI could help Congress schedule and find unexpected consensus, expert says
Members of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress discussed how artificial intelligence and machine learning could help improve policy outcomes.
IT Modernization
Top Republican to 'seriously consider pulling the plug' on VA's new EHR system
The ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee plans to introduce legislation before the end of the year to address deficiencies in the rollout of the new Oracle-Cerner electronic health record system.
Digital Government