| This week's sponsor is AT&T. |  | AT&T offers a wide range of Field Solutions, such as Fleet Management, Enhanced Push-to-Talk, and Workforce Management, designed to help keep your business on track. Learn more. |
Also Noted: Open to both sides, Homeland Security chief steps into immigration divide; Here's the app that's hunting down terrorist bomb-makers and much more...  Follow @fiercehs on Twitter
More News From the FierceGovernment Network:
1. TIGTA: IRS nearly perfect in providing information for ACA subsidies
2. Contractor that performs security background checks for DHS, other agencies suffers computer breach
3. Verizon pushes back on FCC over practice of throttling network traffic
| This week's sponsor is Dell. | 
| Webinar: Advancing the federal cybersecurity workforce
Wednesday, September 10th, 2pm ET/ 11am PT
Join NIST and NICE leaders as they explore The National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, innovative spproaches to cybersecurity training and workforce improvement, the broader focus of NICE in advancing cybersecurity awareness nationawide, and more! Register Today! |
| Sponsor: Market Connections & Dell Software FierceLive! Webinars > IT and Marketing: Extreme Collaboration - Tuesday, August 26th / 2pm ET / 11am PT
> Advancing the federal cybersecurity workforce - Wednesday, September 10th | 2pmET/11amPT
Events > Predictive Analytics World for Government ? Sept. 15-18, 2014 - Washington, DC
> TechExpo Polygraph Only - Hiring Event - August 12, 2014 - 10 am - 3 pm - Baltimore - Hosted by TechExpo
> TechExpo Polygraph Only - Hiring Event - August 13, 2014 - 10am - 3pm - Tysons Corner, VA - Hosted by TechExpo
> 930gov Strategic Planning at Year-End Event - August 20, 2014 - Washington, DC - Sponsored by: Digital Government Institute
> TECHEXPO Top Secret Hiring Event - September 16, Tysons Corner, VA 10am - 3pm
Marketplace > Whitepaper: ESG Solution Brief
* Post a classified ad: Click here.
* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. CDC surging efforts to curb Ebola outbreak in Africa, contain any potential spread in U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its stepping up efforts to curb the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and contain any potential spread in the United States. In the U.S., the CDC said Aug. 6 that it has updated infection-prevention protocols for hospitals to treat any travelers who may have been exposed to the viral disease. The protocols also cover airport and airline personnel and labs handling specimens from suspected cases. Two American health care workers who contracted Ebola while working in Africa were flown to the United States in the past week to get an experimental treatment, according to multiple news reports. The CDC on July 31 raised its travel alert, advising Americans to avoid unnecessary travel to the Ebola-affected countries. The current outbreak in Africa, which began in March, is "bad," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden during a telephone briefing with reporters last week. The outbreak originated in Guinea and has since spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. The World Health Organization said Aug. 6 that 932 people have died from Ebola across the four African countries, including one person in Nigeria. "The bottom line is that Ebola is worsening in West Africa," he said according to a transcript of the July 31 briefing. "CDC along with others are surging to begin to turn the tide." According to the CDC, people who contract the viral hemorrhagic fever may suffer headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, fever and other symptoms. They appear at any time from two to 21 days after exposure, although eight to 10 days is most common. The virus can be transmitted via bodily fluids or blood or through infected needles and other objects. In his briefing, Frieden described the disease as "very frightening. It is frankly a dreadful and merciless virus." In its Aug. 6 statement, CDC said it's sending 50 more disease-control experts to those four West African countries within 30 days. It said that it may take three to six months to bring the outbreak under control. The CDC also said that its experts are using a new software application to help find exposed people faster. The Epi Info VHF tool, specifically designed for outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers, uses diagrams to help experts visualize the outbreak spread between people and collects epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory information for every case. For more:
- read the Aug. 6 CDC statement regarding its surge
- read the transcript of CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden's media briefing on July 31
- read about the Epi Info VHF tool that CDC is using to find infected people faster Related Articles:
One CDC high-containment lab resumes transfer activities halted after anthrax mishandling debacle
CDC: Decades-old vials containing smallpox virus detected at FDA lab Read more about: Liberia, Nigeria, West Africa
back to top |
| This week's sponsor is Market Connections & Dell Software. |  | Webinar: IT Risk & Compliance: How Many Days Since Your Last...?
Now Available On-Demand! Is your agency prepared to comply with federal security mandates? When it's been days, weeks, or months since an agency's last systems audit, data backup, or IT policy check, the consequences can be severe. Watch this webinar today! |
2. IG: Space-based sensors being developed to detect nuclear detonations needs greater oversight
The Energy Department inspector general said it could not independently validate whether space-based sensors being developed to detect nuclear detonations globally will be delivered on time and on budget to the Air Force. The IG said in a report (pdf) dated July 28 that it initiated the audit due to the importance of the mission. The Nuclear Detonation Detection program - which is managed within DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration - was established to develop, demonstrate and provide technologies that detect nuclear detonations. Program efforts lie in three areas, including space-based, ground-based and nuclear forensics. The report said NNSA has earmarked nearly $300 million to the space-based program. The agency agreed to provide eight Global Burst Detector, or GBD, sensor payloads for Global Positioning System III satellites to the Air Force. The Sandia and Los Alamos national labs are developing and producing the payloads and NNSA has delivered two GBDs so far. Although the report said officials from the national labs have maintained that the remaining six GBD payloads could be delivered on time, the IG said it "could not validate whether the delivery dates could be met within the budget due to a lack of cost and schedule data for the project." NNSA said it expects the Air Force to extend delivery dates for the remaining payloads and that budgets would increase. But the IG said the agency couldn't provide information to support its contentions, which Air Force officials also couldn't confirm. Additionally, the IG said the labs should've used key project management tools that could have helped NNSA better monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of the space-based detection program. The report said that NNSA is aware of such deficiencies and plans to require more detailed information about the work and schedules. For more:
- read the DOE IG report (.pdf) Related Articles:
Next-generation supercomputer to support nuclear weapons labs
GAO: Security at nuclear weapons labs improved, but NNSA needs more cohesive strategy
GAO: Securing industrial radiological sources a challenge Read more about: Nuclear Detonation Detection program
back to top |
3. DHS selects two universities to lead new maritime research center, study potential risks
The Homeland Security Department has chosen two universities to lead its new maritime research center, the department announced Aug. 5. DHS's Science and Technology Directorate selected the Stevens Institute of Technology based in Hoboken, N.J., and the University of Alaska Anchorage will each receive $1 million to co-lead the Center of Excellence for Maritime Research. The agreement is through June 2015, according to a DHS press release. The department said the new research center will seek to improve transparency along coastal regions and inland waterways while also increasing communication and intelligence among stakeholders. DHS said that new security challenges and risks are emerging within the maritime sector with a potential for increased conflicts. For example, as more people use the Arctic for recreational and commercial purposes, DHS will need to better understand the conditions there. "The receding of Arctic sea ice has made previously unnavigable waters more available to vessel traffic," it said in the release. "Arctic activities, including oil and gas exploration, mineral speculation and exploration, northward-moving fisheries, and tourism are expected to increase dramatically in Arctic waters." The department said the center is expected to address these challenges, provide a scientific basis and create new approaches that the U.S. Coast Guard and others can use. For more:
- read the DHS press release Related Articles: Read more about: DHS
back to top |
4. DHS offers online, open-source collaborative environment to help improve software
A new online environment to help developers and researchers test their software for security weaknesses and vulnerabilities - and improve them - is open for business, the Homeland Security Department recently announced. The Software Assurance Marketplace, or SWAMP, is an open-source, collaborative environment to help create better quality software, DHS said in a press release. The idea is to mitigate risks within untested software that could potentially expose businesses, organizations and government to cyber threats, DHS said. "We're doing something unique, we're providing software developers the opportunity to test software and leverage multiple software analysis tools together in one space to improve the accuracy of their results," said Kevin Greene, SWAMP program Manager within DHS's Science and Technology Directorate's Cyber Security Division. Right now, SWAMP users can leverage numerous software packages, test cases and community projects to assess their software through a platform comprised of five open-source tools. They include PMD, FindBugs, CppCheck, GCC, and Clang in addition to more than 100 open-source software packages. DHS said SWAMP will expand in the future to offer dynamic and binary code assessments, commercial software analysis tools, mobile platforms as well as application programming interfaces. Greene said the SWAMP website provides identity-based controls to protect submitters's proprietary software, allowing them to grant access to only certain individuals. But submitters could also designate their software as public, relying on a crowdsourcing approach to improve it. For more:
- read the DHS press release on the SWAMP
- visit the SWAMP Related Articles:
Report: US needs to adopt minimal national security standard for cybersecurity
Study: Utilities, others in critical infrastructure sector unprepared for cyber attacks
Study: Cybersecurity problems won't be solved with a permanent solution any time soon Read more about: DHS, cybersecurity
back to top |
Also Noted > Open to both sides, Homeland Security chief steps into immigration divide. Article (NYTimes)
> Here's the app that's hunting down terrorist bomb-makers. Article (Defense One)
> Homeland Security employee in Sacramento facing child porn charge. Article (News10)
> With Ebola 'moving faster than efforts to control it,' could illegals, terrorists bring it to the US?. Article (Homeland Security Today)
> NATO concerned of possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Blog (In Homeland Security)
And Finally... This Week in Trailers: A Japanese Gang Musical and a Stephen Hawking Love Story. Videos (Wired) > IT and Marketing: Extreme Collaboration - Tuesday, August 26th / 2pm ET / 11am PT Media outlets love to focus on the tension between IT and marketing. But if it's a war, both sides lose. Instead, CIOs have to partner with CMOs to help deliver on aggressive business goals in an ever-changing landscape. Register Today! > Advancing the federal cybersecurity workforce - Wednesday, September 10th | 2pmET/11amPT Join NIST and NICE leaders as they explore The National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, innovative spproaches to cybersecurity training and workforce improvement, the broader focus of NICE in advancing cybersecurity awareness nationawide, and more! Register Today!
| > Predictive Analytics World for Government ? Sept. 15-18, 2014 - Washington, DC Predictive Analytics World for Government is the largest and only vendor-neutral analytics conference for government. We are holding our fourth annual conference this September 15-18 in Washington, DC at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel. Register or learn more! > TechExpo Polygraph Only - Hiring Event - August 12, 2014 - 10 am - 3 pm - Baltimore - Hosted by TechExpo The leading IT companies are seeking qualified Security-Cleared professionals who hold a CI or Full-Scope Polygraph this August at TechExpo! Join us and interview for 100's of immediate positions with the industry's top Defense, Government & IT employers. Active TS/SCI Clearance w/ CI or Full Scope Polygraph Required. For more info visit: www.TechExpoUSA.com > TechExpo Polygraph Only - Hiring Event - August 13, 2014 - 10am - 3pm - Tysons Corner, VA - Hosted by TechExpo The leading IT companies are seeking qualified Security-Cleared professionals who hold a CI or Full-Scope Polygraph this August at TechExpo! Join us and interview for 100's of immediate positions with the industry's top Defense, Government & IT employers. Active TS/SCI Clearance w/ CI or Full Scope Polygraph Required. For more info visit: www.TechExpoUSA.com > 930gov Strategic Planning at Year-End Event - August 20, 2014 - Washington, DC - Sponsored by: Digital Government Institute This free fiscal-year-end strategy exchange, presented by Digital Government Institute, will examine key technology trends, continue conversations about important topics addressed from the current year, and explore tech opportunities expected to have a major impact in the coming year. www.930gov.com > TECHEXPO Top Secret Hiring Event - September 16, Tysons Corner, VA 10am - 3pm The leading IT companies are seeking qualified Security Cleared professionals who hold an active clearance this September! Interview for 100's of positions with the industry's top Defense, Government & IT employers. Active Security Clearance Required. For more information on registration, exhibiting & attending TECHEXPO visit: www.TechExpoUSA.com
| > Whitepaper: ESG Solution Brief ESG details the current state of enterprises solving their mobility challenges and how to give users greater access to files and content from their mobile devices, maximizing employee productivity, while maintaining control over security and compliance. Download this brief today! | |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.