Archives: Kate Macri

The Senate unanimously confirmed John "Chris" Inglis as the first National Cyber Director last Thursday as major cyberattacks continue to pummel the nation’s critical infrastructure following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) relies on a special call center — the Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line — for leads on human trafficking, terrorism, cybersecurity crimes and money laundering, but it faces operational challenges due to outdated IT infrastructure.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is eager to transition to 5G infrastructure to improve mission delivery, but the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned against hasty 5G adoption citing 5G supply chain security concerns during an FCW Network Modernization event this week.

Cyber leaders say federal agencies should break down information silos, centralize their cyber operations, and use data to drive security decisions in order to barricade their networks against hackers.

Zero trust, supply chain risk management, enhanced mobility and data interoperability are the top IT goals for the Department of Homeland Security its components in 2021, according to comments from DHS chief technology officers at the AFCEA Bethesda Law Enforcement and Public Safety (LEAPS) Technology Forum last week.

Federal cyber leaders are drilling down on IT supply chain security, signaling a major new trend in federal cybersecurity following the December 2020 SolarWinds hack.

The Department of Homeland Security is prioritizing artificial intelligence, machine learning and data sharing to support data analytics for mission delivery — an effort that enabled the department to roll out COVID-19 vaccines rapidly to frontline workers earlier this year.

• DevSecOps

Agile requires longstanding culture shifts and decisions rooted in data.

• Data

The Department of Veterans Affairs describes data as a "superpower" unlocked by thoughtful data governance.

• Cybersecurity
• Zero Trust

As cyber crime explodes, cyber experts and federal cyber leaders insist on systemic change.

• Cybersecurity
• DevSecOps

DHS and CISA want to lead the federal register and private industry by example.

• Artificial Intelligence

Data readiness and cultural change are key to a successful AI program.