cybersecurity

What FedRAMP Program Will Mean For Agencies And Contractors

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The General Services Administration, which issued operating plans Tuesday for securing and monitoring cloud computing systems in the government, released a slide presentation and comments earlier today, explaining how the program will work. The information, captured during a presentation with reporters, was made available in the form of a video presentation released on YouTube.

The new program is known as the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, or FedRAMP. The program is part of a coordinated governmentwide effort to simplify the approval process for Web-based cloud computing services. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 9, 2012 at 5:15 PM

Defense CIO Teri Takai Pushes For Balanced Mobility Strategy

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For Teri Takai, the key to overseeing cybersecurity for the world’s largest defense organization is striking a delicate balance between enabling mobility and safe-guarding information that is often crucial to national security. In her role as the Department of Defense’s chief information officer, she must also convince a widely diverse group of constituents that a shared approach is best.

DOD has always had a highly mobile workforce, but the proliferation of mobile devices is radically altering the department’s already challenging security environment.
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This article originally appeared in the latest edition of CGI Initiative for Collaborative Government‘s Leadership journal. For more news and insights on innovations at work in government, please sign up for the AOL Gov newsletter. For the quickest updates, follow us on Twitter @AOLgov.
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 /  Published February 7, 2012 at 10:45 AM

New Technology Takes Aim at Fake IDs

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Until mid-December, anyone needing a fake driver’s license could download a free app from Apple’s App Store and make one. The DriversEd iPhone and iPad app-available since 2009-allowed users to pose for photos and create bogus licenses. But at the request of Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, who called the app “dangerous,” it is no longer available.

The app, from DriversEd.com, was intended as a game to see what it would look like to have a license for any of the 50 states. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 3, 2012 at 1:01 PM

Military Cyber Chief Details Top 5 US Cyber Command, NSA Priorities

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Improving situational awareness, creating trained cyber teams and building a more defensible architecture are top priorities for NSA and US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), according to Col. John Surdu, Military Deputy Chief, Combined Action Group (CAG).

Appearing on today’s Federal Executive Forum on Cybersecurity/Progress & Best Practices – “Defense & Homeland,” Col. Surdu outlined the top 5 priorities that both NSA and USCYBERCOM are pursuing to further advance the nation’s cyber defenses. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 2, 2012 at 2:54 PM

Cyber Intelligence: A Clear Cyber Sign Of The Times

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Two separate but related events took place in recent days that individually were important moments in the rapid evolution of the cyber threat domain. When you combine these two events, clearly you can see their significance.

Both events serve as strong indicators of the concern over cyber attacks, as well as a barometer for the current state of digital conflict. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 1, 2012 at 11:12 AM

Federal IT Managers Embrace Cloud, But Not Cloud-First Mandate

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One year after Cloud First, federal agencies are embracing the cloud. But they want it to be safer and more transparent. Above all, they don’t want to be locked into just one kind of cloud or a nothing-but-cloud approach.

That’s what we found in an exclusive survey conducted for SafeGov.org by the Ponemon Institute. The survey found that federal managers are working diligently to comply with the Office of Management and Budget’s Cloud First initiative, but are not yet convinced cloud applications are safe enough or will lead to significant cost savings. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 30, 2012 at 11:25 AM

SOPA And The Law of Unintended Consequences

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As the pirates of Silicon Valley rage against each other – as they have for decades – with patent infringement suits, new technology introductions, verbal quips against competitive CEOs, and a host of other one-upsmanship activities that would make any Congressional Committee Chair proud, we’ve recently seen an interesting coalescence of solidarity among technology companies that hasn’t been seen in ages: a united – and ultimately successful – front against SOPA, the Stop Online Privacy Act.

While privacy-focused organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have been laser-focused on stopping technology-focused legislation that restricts privacy for some time, this is perhaps the first occasion since the NSA’s introduction of the ill-fated Clipper Chip in 1993 that has brought together so many industry competitors into what is being portrayed as a fight for their very survival. By proclaiming the House-driven SOPA and its sister bill in the Senate, PIPA, as “Blacklist Bills” that will stifle First Amendment speech, fail to curtail online piracy, and present a nightmare engineering scenario for everyone from ISPs, to corporate network managers, to federal agencies, corporations and public policy groups alike (such as the EFF) have killed this legislation. Internet stalwarts such as Wikipedia and Reddit went “black” for a 24-hour period in protest, and others (I’m looking at you, Craiglist and Google) displayed messages of solidarity with otherwise competitive organizations. Content providers kicked their P.R. and lobbying machines into high gear, and pulled hard on the ears of any Representative or Senator willing to listen. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 30, 2012 at 10:00 AM

Feds @ Work: Jerry Davis Weighs Threats On Terabytes Of VA Data

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Every week, between 250 and 400 terabytes of data traverses the network backbone operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The data is stored and travels between 380,000 desktops, 40,000 laptops, 18,000 mobile devices, 21,000 servers and about 15,000 network devices VA employees use for work. On top of that, VA analysts have to maintain and manage massive data sets. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 30, 2012 at 8:52 AM

Feds @ Work: DHS Science Guy Dan Gerstein Looks For Fast Payoff

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Dan Gerstein doesn’t wear khaki any more, but his career in the Army still influences his approach to his current work: practical with a touch of inspiration.

As deputy undersecretary for Science and Technology at the Homeland Security Department, Dan Gerstein helps oversee a broad array of research and development activities. The common theme, ultimately, is effectiveness of the DHS mission of homeland protection both through its own people and through first responders at all levels of government. It does this by applying R&D to both knowledge-based and technology-based solutions.
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 /  Published January 27, 2012 at 8:08 AM

European Data Protection Plan Could Chill Economic Growth, Groups Warn

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Representatives from two leading technology associations warned that the breadth of new proposed European Commission data protection regulations would potentially impede economic growth.

The European Commission’s new proposal attempts to reform the EU’s 1995 data protection rules for online privacy. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 25, 2012 at 2:23 PM
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