Author Archive
Companies
US counterintelligence agency looks to AI to accelerate background checks
A Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency official says advanced AI can cut parts of the vetting process from months to hours.
Companies
Lack of White House guidance has complicated agency Mythos adoption, people familiar say
Agency tech leaders say they don’t have clear direction from the White House on how to access and implement Anthropic’s cyber-focused AI model for their networks.
Contracts
Trump memo pushes national security agencies to move faster on AI
The directive calls for deeper partnerships with AI companies while directing agencies to guard frontier models and the data centers that power them from foreign adversaries.
Contracts
Warner unveils bill to restore cyber information-sharing program funding
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee also sent letters to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and to every governor urging them to support state and local cyberdefense.
Companies
New coalition will enter legal debate over industry’s role in government cyber missions
Its formation occurs amid a broader discussion over whether existing laws are suited for cyber activities that increasingly depend on cooperation between the government and private sector.
Companies
Trump signs AI executive order after postponement last month
The order encourages developers of advanced AI to grant the U.S. and certain critical infrastructure operators 30 days of pre-release model access. Earlier drafts had set 90 days of early access.
Companies
Telecom firms form new cyber information-sharing group
AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and others are among members of the C2 ISAC that aims to boost cybersecurity of the telecommunications sector, a prime target for foreign hackers.
Podcasts
WT 360: NextGov/FCW’s David DiMolfetta on CISA’s catchup, federal AI policy and offensive cyber
David DiMolfetta, cyber reporter at NextGov/FCW, jumps in to break down the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s path forward after an 11-week funding lapse and other major storylines in his coverage universe.
Exclusive
Companies
Trump admin floats policy language limiting contractor say on agency uses of technology
Ongoing drafts of policy documents feature language that would limit the private sector’s ability to dictate how their artificial intelligence models are used in government missions, according to sources familiar with their development.
Companies
White House accuses China of ‘deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns’ to steal US AI models
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy told federal agencies that the Trump administration will be enhancing its engagement with the private sector to counter foreign-led distillation campaigns designed to undermine U.S. AI advances.
Companies
Autonomous weapons will be ‘key and essential part’ of warfare, Joint Chiefs chair says
Chairman Dan Caine also said the U.S. needs to become a “better” buyer of advanced tools and tech for defense activities.
Companies
US push to counter hackers draws industry deeper into offensive cyber debate
The White House is expanding the market for offensive cyber capabilities — and drawing more of the private sector into that ecosystem — even as policy boundaries around their use remain unclear.
Contracts
Trump’s FY27 budget proposes boosts and cuts to tech operations
Agencies like CISA, NIST and the IRS would see notable reductions in their budgets for next year, while programs at Energy and the VA would get additional financial support.
Contracts
Old-school spycraft could make a comeback as AI undermines trust
An article in the CIA’s Studies in Intelligence journal argues that artificial intelligence may erode confidence in certain electronic communications and further revive centuries-old human intelligence techniques.
Companies
Google launches threat disruption unit, stops short of calling it ‘offensive’
The unit will use legal authorizations and technical capabilities to impede cyber threat groups, though company execs say it will not go so far as to hack into adversaries' systems.
Contracts
CIA announces new acquisition framework to speed tech adoption
DARPA alum Efstathia Fragogiannis joined the agency as its new procurement chief in November and will be spearheading the effort, according to a CIA official.
Contracts
CISA orders agencies to patch and replace end-of-life devices, citing active exploitation
The directive gives agencies three months to identify unsupported edge devices, a year to begin removing them and 18 months to eliminate them entirely.
Contracts
White House cyber shop is crafting AI security policy framework, top official says
ONCD chief Sean Cairncross also said a bedrock National Cyber Strategy, initially expected last month, is coming “sooner rather than later” without specifying a date.
Companies
OMB reverses Biden-era software attestation order
A new executive branch memorandum instead allows agencies to lean on software bills of materials, or SBOMs, in lieu of a universal attestation framework.
Companies