The past three weeks worth of news reports about GSA‘s lavish convention spending and indiscretions by Secret Service agents–and the inquisitions on Capitol Hill in response–could already fill a few hard drives.
So it always a bit baffling to see how little attention the media–and Congress–give federal agencies and government executives when they do get things right. Keep reading →
As part of a plan to upgrade technology and support a mobile workforce, Federal Aviation Administration inspectors are taking part in a pilot project using iPads to conduct safety checks on airline carriers.
About 50 of the FAA’s 3,300 inspectors are testing the mobile devices in a six-month pilot project across a range of airports, FAA’s Chief Technology Officer Douglas Roseboro told Breaking Gov. Keep reading →
An old attack vector has re-emerged with a twist. This time the attackers are patient, and have defined the attack process in a manner that will increase the effectiveness.
An email with a semi-customized subject matter is sent to a selected group of targets all sharing a similar interest – CYBERSECURITY. The email is about a job opening and has two attachments. The first attachment is labeled job description. If the email recipient is interested and clicks on the download – you guessed it – malware is downloaded and installed. The second attachment is for the recipients that want to unsubscribe. If you click on that download, yes once again malware is downloaded and installed. Keep reading →
The Department of Veterans Affairs will lock employees out of its networks if they fail to take the required yearly cybersecurity and privacy training on time – 365 days after their last refresher course.
VA CIO Roger Baker announced the policy last week to button down security and privacy on the VA’s internal and external internet sites that have been hit by security breaches and privacy violations – both internal and external – on a regular basis. An employee who doesn’t meet the yearly deadline will be blocked out on Day 366. Keep reading →
The American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) recently honored the most effective, efficient and innovative solutions in government at its 12th annual Excellence.gov Awards luncheon in Washington, D.C.
The event honors exceptional government programs and projects that use information technology (IT) in an innovative way to improve services to citizens, enhance government operations, and provide a more open and transparent government. Thirty finalists in six winning government information technology (IT) programs were recognized. Keep reading →
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) — The U.S. Postal Service wants small businesses to send more direct mail, a.k.a. junk mail, to help the beleaguered agency expand its revenue stream by hundreds of millions of dollars.
In a campaign called “Every Door Direct Mail,” the Postal Service is touting a year-old online tool to help small businesses micro-target direct mail. The Web tool allows firms to tap customers by neighborhood or zip code without names or addresses. Keep reading →
It used to be relatively easy for Greg Schaffer to carve out some time in his week to kayak or row and enjoy some time on the water. These days, however, most of his time is spent helping organizations navigate the choppy waters of cybersecurity.
As assistant secretary for cyber-security and communications at the Department of Homeland Security, Schaffer helps organizations safeguard and secure cyberspace at a time when cyberattacks are increasing and the use of new technology such as mobile devices is on the rise. Keep reading →
Officials have announced the creation of FEMA Corps, which sets the foundation for a new generation of emergency managers and leverages a newly-created unit of 1,600 service corps members from AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps who are solely devoted to FEMA disaster response and recovery.
The full-time residential service program is for individuals ages 18-24, and members will serve a one-year term including a minimum of 1,700 hours, providing support working directly with disaster survivors. The first members will begin serving in this August and the program will reach its full capacity within 18 months. Keep reading →
In honor of Women’s History Month, Breaking Gov highlights women’s relatively recent breakthrough in the growing and increasingly crucial world of federal IT. This is the last of a three-part series on women in federal IT that reveals who these leaders are and how they’re making a difference.
NASA, well-known for breaking technological barriers to explore outer space, has now launched a different kind of innovative program. Keep reading →
In honor of Women’s History Month, Breaking Gov highlights women’s relatively recent breakthrough in the growing and increasingly crucial world of federal IT. This is the second of a three-part series on women in federal IT that reveals who these leaders are and how they’re making a difference.
With 26 years of government experience, Kim Nelson moved to the private sector six years ago, taking her vast public sector knowledge to Microsoft. Keep reading →