The Fed Mission Success Round Up: COVID-19 Matters, Emerging Tech, and Digital Equity
March 15, 2021
Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers.
TMF Set to Receive $1B Infusion in COVID Relief Bill
The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) will be recipient of $1B as part of the $1.9T American Rescue Act. The bill also contains other tech funding, including $200 million for the U.S. Digital Service and $650 million for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Vaccine Rollout Spurs 372% Rise in Bad Bots; Spear-Phishing Up 26%
Hackers are continuing to take advantage of COVID-19 fears, as the vaccine rollout has spurred a massive upswing in bad bot traffic, spear-phishing, and malicious domain registrations.
The Cybersecurity 202: Scammers are Already Targeting the Next Round of Coronavirus Relief Checks
Currently, scammers are attempting to steal upcoming rounds of stimulus checks. Department of Labor reported scammers stole 36 billion dollars’ worth of stimulus checks last round in January; they are doing this through malware by getting individuals to download excel spreadsheets.
DHS Looking for Industry Ideas on Finding and Keeping Cyber Talent
The Department of Homeland Security is struggling to retain cyber talent because it is difficult to pay those in demand.
FAA, Choctaw Nation to Conduct Drone Studies
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently teamed up with the Choctaw Nation to investigate how drones can move goods at lower altitudes.
DARPA Building Special Chips for Data Privacy Protection
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded four research teams multimillion-dollar contracts to figure out how to build hardware and software stacks capable of cutting down the amount of time and power required to perform computations on encrypted data.
What’s New in Civic Tech: $94B Digital Equity Bill Arrives
Federal lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives have unveiled a new $94 billion piece of legislation aimed at fostering digital equity across the country by fostering better access to high-speed Internet, among other things.
From the Makpar Blog …
In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts:
Data Security Win: Virginia is Second State in U.S. to Pass Data Protection Legislation
How Decentralized Decision Making Can Help Federal Agencies Adopt a More Agile Practice
4 Ways to Migrate a Workload to the Cloud for Federal Government Agencies
PODCAST: The SolarWinds Breach Points to Need for Cyber Fundamentals
In Response to The SolarWinds Breach: The Need to Return to Cybersecurity Fundamentals.
Is the Product Owner the Most Important Role in Government Agile Development?
Breaking Down Cultural Barriers to Cloud Adoption for Federal Government Agencies
Cybersecurity Best Practices for Federal Agencies, Small/Medium Businesses, and Individuals
Makpar has over a decade of experience providing high-level strategic and project management services, focused on cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies. Please contact us here for more information about how we can enhance mission success for your agency.