Government IT News For VARs — December 10, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In news this week, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans an expansion of the student volunteer cybersecurity initiative, and federal agencies are upping cybersecurity training for bank examiners. Also, a new defense bill hopes to modernize IT at the Pentagon, and the DoD honors its CIO winners. an uncrackable code has been developed to protect the nuclear arsenal, and state.
DHS Plans Expansion of Student Volunteer Cybersecurity Initiative
Fed Tech Magazine reported that a rising demand for U.S.-based cybersecurity experts has led to a commitment by federal agencies to boost their internship programs. In the spring of 2015, more than 75 internships will be opened up through the Department of Homeland Security as part of the 2015 Secretary’s Honors Program Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative.
Cybersecurity Training For Bank Examiners Boosted By State And Federal Agencies
The Wall Street Journal reported that federal and state regulators are boost efforts to train bank examiners regarding cybersecurity risks as financial institutions face ever-growing threats from hackers. As part of these training efforts, agencies are hiring IT experts to aid in analyzing the preparedness of financial institutions against cyber threats. The move comes as PwC found that financial-services companies plan to increase cybersecurity budgets by at least $2 billion over the next two years.
The Defense Bill Aims To Streamline Pentagon IT
This article from FCW examines the terms of the $585 billion defense authorization bill passed by the House on Dec. 4. Among the language of the bill is “guidance and requirements for openness and modularity in the design of IT systems with the goal of streamlining IT procurement at DOD.” The provisions include a new top IT official for the Pentagon in 2017, and the requirement that Secretary of Defense provide classified reports to Congress of any cyber threats to national security systems that pose risks to military IT or telecommunications.
DoD Announces 2014 CIO Award Winners
In a ceremony on December 4, the Department of Defense announced the winners of its CIO awards. The winners, including four teams and four individuals, were recognized for achievements in information resource management, IT, and cybersecurity during the past twelve months. The top honor went to the NSA’s Heartbleed Team for preventing the exploitation of the security vulnerability across the agencies’ devices. A complete list of honorees can be found here.
Government IT Talking Points
Fed Tech Magazine reported that a scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed an apparently “hack-proof” method for securing the nation’s nuclear weapons, with a code-generating process that is apparently too tough for the most sophisticated intelligence agencies to crack. The process, which uses intrinsic use control, protects the weapon by ensuring that its components can only function when permitted by the National Command Authority.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Government IT Resource Center.