Federal Government

What’s hot right now in the federal government cybersecurity space? What can we expect from the Biden White House as we move into 2022 and face new threats?

Massachusetts’ fifth annual Cybersecurity Forum focused on three of the biggest cyber topics today: fighting ransomware, expanding the cybersecurity workforce and anticipating a U.S. central bank digital currency.

The project's first phase — which was funded through $3 million of CARES Act money last year — connected 415 homes in Clark County. The second phase will connect around 1,165 homes, though a timeline has not been established.

Plus, the USDA plans to make $1.15 billion available to efforts that aim to bolster rural access to high-speed Internet; Montana makes a move to create its own statewide broadband map; and more.

Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman will resign to take a key federal election security position, serving as the senior election security lead for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Microsoft suspects that Nobelium, the group of state-sponsored Russian cyber criminals responsible for the SolarWinds fiasco, is taking aim at suppliers and resellers of tech products, including cloud-based solutions.

Their efforts appear to be paying off: More than three dozen bipartisan members of Congress from auto manufacturing states urged House leadership on Thursday to pass funding for chip production.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has stated his opposition to Facebook's cryptocurrency pilot program. He argues the company doesn't respond adequately when its products are shown to harm users.

The funding will be used to purchase telehealth equipment and software licenses to increase access to care and services for CentraCare Health Systems in St. Cloud, Minn., according to a press release.

Privacy advocates have filed a lawsuit against Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle for sharing license plate information with out-of-state agencies. The sheriff's actions appear to break California's sanctuary laws.

During the second week of the federal Annual National Cybersecurity Summit, experts shared their thoughts on the roles of states and federal agencies when it comes to dealing with cyber attacks within state borders.

Congresswoman Elise M. Stefanik is asking the Federal Communications Commission to step in and stop the New York state Department of Transportation from charging providers for high-speed Internet infrastructure.

Plus, the Federal Communications Commission has committed an additional $1 billion to the Emergency Connectivity Fund program, California looks to improve its procurement processes for tech services, and more.

The U.S. House Committee on Financial Services’ Task Force on Artificial Intelligence is considering how to prevent AI from perpetuating old forms of discrimination or introducing new ones.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Family Reunification Task Force launched a website called together.gov that aims to help reunite families separated by the U.S. government at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The law enforcement shooting death of Winston Boogie Smith Jr. stirred activists already calling for broad police reforms and sparked a fresh wave of protests near the Uptown Minneapolis site of his death.

The company reported that the top three foreign targets of Russian state actors were the U.S., Ukraine and Britain, and that the hackers saw their success rate on hacks climb from 21 to 32 percent year over year.

It would require banks to report all accounts with a balance of $600 or more, and the IRS would then be able to compare the account information to the information on tax returns to see if there may be unreported income.