Tech

Okta breach includes theft of data on nearly all help desk users, including some feds

The company revised its earlier reporting on the scope of the breach, but said that data on users of high-impact federal and DOD systems was not compromised.

IRS starts the bidding for $1.9B IT services recompete

The tax collection agency is undertaking this recompete amid its broader push to overhaul the entire tech environment, which includes systems first stood up in the 1960s.

DHS aims to cut another 10M hours of paperwork

Within the newly formalized DHS Customer Experience Office, “our biggest challenge is that the demand far outstrips the supply,” said its leader, Dana Chisnell.

Employee data hit in Idaho National Lab cyberattack

The lab confirmed that it has been in touch with federal law enforcement agencies concerning the attack on its servers.

FCC wants to improve cyber protections for schools, libraries

Faced with a growing number of cyberattacks on school districts nationwide, the agency announced a three-year pilot program to gather data on the best cyberdefenses.

OMB previews tech accessibility guidance

Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana said coming guidance will focus both on external- and internal-facing government tech.

NOAA leverages AI for weather forecast translation

The artificial intelligence tool will replace the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s manual process for Spanish and simplified Chinese.

Agencies get marching orders as White House issues AI-safety directive

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is ordered to draft red-teaming requirements, the National Science Foundation to work on cryptography, and the Homeland Security Department to apply them to critical infrastructure.

CISA and HHS look to help the health sector ramp up cyber hygiene

Agency resources are intended to address the longstanding challenges health systems and hospitals have faced from increasingly advanced cyberattacks.

Login.gov to add facial recognition tech

The General Services Administration is changing its digital identity service to allow users to authenticate themselves by matching against a previously submitted government ID.

IRS announces 13 states where taxpayers could use its Direct File pilot

The agency has yet to commit to a long-term product for the in-house filing tool.

OPM puts data at the center of human capital modernization

Contractors should focus on data standards as they develop solutions, a senior Office of Personnel Management official says.

The money's out the door in nationwide unemployment insurance modernization push

A Labor Department official said efforts to help states modernize their UI systems are trending in the right direction, but funding may be insufficient.

IRS won't add Login.gov without changes

A watchdog report reveals what led the IRS to scrap plans to use the government-backed identity service during the 2023 tax season.

New CISA, NSA guidance highlights pain points in identity and security management

A public-private working panel recommends vendors invest more in security measures like multifactor authentication.

The White House’s tech team, 10 years after HealthCare.gov

Mina Hsiang, the administrator of the U.S. Digital Service, was on the team that saved the flawed website supporting Affordable Care Act enrollment 10 years ago. Now, she leads the tech team born from that crisis.

Senators push for USPS identity proofing to thwart AI-generated deepfakes

The U.S. Postal Service already offers identity proofing services for some government agencies.