Tech
FBI is losing track of classified and sensitive data, watchdog finds
The bureau is failing to account for electronic storage media that are marked for destruction at secure facilities.
Tech
Acting Secret Service head suggests that better tech could have thwarted would-be Trump assassin
Ronald Rowe Jr. told a Senate panel that additional cellular bandwidth and the use of counter-drone technology could have averted the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Tech
Biden looks to preserve his tech and cyber legacy with veto threat
Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.
Workforce
DHS cyber hiring program got off on the wrong foot, CIO says, but progress is showing
Ten years after its congressional authorization, the Cybersecurity Talent Management System is closing in on 200 hires.
Defense
DOD CIO resigns to take university post
John Sherman will become dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M.
Tech
House bill targets AI-generated comments in rulemaking
The legislation looks to provide assurance that public comments on pending regulations come from real people.
Tech
Education secretary pledges troubled online student aid tool will be ready for next fall
The online Free Application for Federal Student Aid tool had a rocky release, with bad data and uptime problems, but the Department of Education is looking for improvements next year.
Management
Feds need to be careful when tapping generative AI for work
Human review of AI-generated outputs is critical, OPM says in new guidance for government employees.
Tech
National Weather Service says partial circuit failure caused network outage
A six-hour outage took key weather information updates offline for about six hours earlier this week, amid outbreak of severe weather.
Tech
Federal weather system experiences outage amid severe weather nationwide
The agency is seeking money to shore up weather forecasting IT systems in fiscal year 2025.
Management
National Archives tees up new rules for UFO records
New legislation mandates a governmentwide repository of records dealing with "unidentified anomalous phenomena."
Management
OMB head 'not optimistic' about avoiding a government shutdown
Congress is back this week with a short clock to pass a 2024 budget or extend the existing stopgap measures funding the government.
Management
Sonny Hashmi to depart GSA
The head of the Federal Acquisition Service is leaving just before the close of 2023.
Tech
Hackers exploited out-of-support software to scan federal systems, CISA says
The cyber agency is once again asking agencies to update their software.
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.
Management
House GOP pulls funding bill covering IRS, GSA, OMB and more
The leadership team around new House Speaker Mike Johnson removed the bill — which would have defunded GSA’s digital services team, 18F — from floor consideration because of an intra-party policy dispute.
Management
Cyber Director nominee talks AI, collaboration at confirmation hearing
Harry Coker, the Biden administration's choice to lead the Office of the National Cyber Director, said he'll draw on his experience as a program manager to make sure agencies hit their milestones on implementing the government's cyber strategy.
Oversight
Supreme Court lifts restrictions on federal agency contacts with social media firms
The ruling frees up federal agencies to contact social network platform owners about content moderation issues and other matters, pending the resolution of a court case.
Management
Ahead of shutdown, House and Senate Dems propose back pay for furloughed contractors
A similar effort to legislate back pay for contractors failed during the 2018-2019 shutdown.
Tech