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Victoria Coleman: USAF Must Adopt Zero-Trust Approach for Microchip Security
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Victoria Coleman: USAF Must Adopt Zero-Trust Approach for Microchip Security

Victoria Coleman, chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force, has urged the service branch to adopt a zero-trust approach for securing microprocessor chips in military computing and weapon systems, FedScoop reported Monday.

The former Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency director noted that a zero-trust architecture has the potential to avert the domino effect that a compromised part could have on a whole system.

“You don’t have to wait too long before another news story comes out about another vulnerability that was just discovered,” Coleman said at a Hudson Institute-hosted virtual event Monday.

USAF began migrating some mission-critical applications to a zero-trust environment in January as part of its push for tighter network security amid remote work arrangements.

Separately, the Defense Information Systems Agency released DOD’s initial zero-trust reference architecture in May to help military branches prevent unauthorized access to mission-critical assets.

The Hanscom AF Base in Massachusetts recently teamed up with the Air Combat Command’s cyberspace and information dominance unit to develop a software-based perimeter with zero-trust tools.

Victoria Coleman: USAF Must Adopt Zero-Trust Approach for Microchip Security

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Planet Lab’s Federal Arm to Integrate Basemaps Into NASS Agricultural Monitoring Process
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Planet Lab’s Federal Arm to Integrate Basemaps Into NASS Agricultural Monitoring Process

The federal business of Planet Labs has secured a contract to provide satellite imagery products to the Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service for use in crop production assessments at the state and country level. 

NASS will incorporate basemaps into its data collection and analysis workflows as the agency is seeking spatial and temporal granularities for this year's domestic farming season, Planet said Monday.

The company intends for its satellite data to help NASS analyze observations of disaster response scenarios that are hard to do with a medium-resolution optical system.

Rick Mueller, head of the spatial analysis research section at NASS, said using datasets from Planet will allow the agency to "understand and quantify trends in upcoming growing seasons, identify regions prone to drought stress and natural disasters, and provide high resolution assessments of crop production.”

“It’s encouraging to see this group integrate commercial datasets and products into their workflows, and we’re eager to see how accurate and timely Planet data contributes to their 2021 growing season assessment," said Vince Hurley, the company's federal civilian account executive.

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OIG Calls for USAID to Implement Additional Privacy Controls to Protect Personal Data
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OIG Calls for USAID to Implement Additional Privacy Controls to Protect Personal Data

The office of inspector general at the U.S. Agency for International Development has issued an audit report saying USAID has implemented key components of an effective privacy program but needs to carry out additional controls to safeguard personally identifiable information and mitigate the risk of a privacy breach.

OIG offered five recommendations for USAID’s chief information officer to enhance the effectiveness of the agency’s privacy program, including developing and implementing written procedures to periodically assess the effectiveness of the rules for its data loss prevention tool, according to the report published Aug. 11.

USAID should also offer role-based privacy training to staff by revising the “Information Technology Security Training – Policy, Standards, Guidelines, and Plan” and update and implement the agency's Social Security number reduction plan and system of records notice standard operating procedure to align with current requirements for assessing and updating SORNs.

The IG called on the director of web management within the agency’s bureau of legislative and public affairs to create and implement a plan to keep a complete inventory of third-party websites.

“These key elements of a privacy program are needed to protect PII and provide the public with sufficient information about records containing their information so that they know how their PII is safeguarded against misuse. Acting now would also guard against loss, unauthorized use, and lack of trust in the organization and limit risks related to litigation and compensation to the victims,” the report reads.

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations

ExecutiveBiz, sister site of GovConDaily and part of the Executive Mosaic digital media umbrella, will host a virtual event about securing the supply chain on Oct. 26. Visit ExecutiveBiz.com to sign up for the “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” event.

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IG Offers Recommendations for State Dept’s Office of Science and Technology Adviser
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IG Offers Recommendations for State Dept’s Office of Science and Technology Adviser

The State Department’s office of inspector general has recommended that the office of the science and technology adviser to the secretary come up and communicate to personnel a plan to implement its functional bureau strategy and develop and train staff on clearance procedures in compliance with the department’s guidelines.

STAS should create procedures that delineate the responsibilities and roles of regional technology and regional environmental, science, technology and health officers, submit a statement of policy areas of responsibilities and nominate a contracting officer’s representative to help manage contracts associated with American Association for the Advancement of Science and Jefferson Science Fellowship programs, according to an IG report published in August.

STAS, which advises the department’s leadership on artificial intelligence, 5G, quantum computing and other emerging technologies, agreed with all five recommendations and noted that it expects to address them before the end of 2021.

OIG examined STAS’ policy implementation, executive direction, resource management and operational effectiveness and found that frequent leadership turnover resulted in challenges for the office. The inspector general also found that STAS did not use its FBS to facilitate and enhance office performance.

The report also noted accomplishments to meet U.S. data integrity goals, such as STAS' efforts to work with other government agencies, academia and nongovernmental institutions “to advance the candidacy of the United States as the new host of the World Data System’s International Program Office.”

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US, Singapore Strengthen Cybersecurity Cooperation; Jen Easterly Quoted
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US, Singapore Strengthen Cybersecurity Cooperation; Jen Easterly Quoted

The U.S. and Singapore will expand cybersecurity cooperation under a memorandum of understanding.

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and David Koh, CEO of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, signed the MOU that seeks to promote information sharing, facilitate collaboration through joint exercises, advance cyber exchanges between the two countries and expand research and development efforts, CISA said Monday.

“The MOU allows us to strengthen our existing partnership with Singapore so that we can more effectively work together to collectively defend against the threats of today and secure against the risks of tomorrow,” said Easterly.

“Singapore and the United States share deep mutual interests in enhancing cybersecurity cooperation, particularly as cybersecurity has become a key enabler for both countries to leverage the benefits of digitalization to grow our economies and improve the lives of our people,” Koh said.

CISA said the MOU on cybersecurity is one of the agreements announced during Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Singapore.

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations

ExecutiveBiz, sister site of GovConDaily and part of the Executive Mosaic digital media umbrella, will host a virtual event about securing the supply chain on Oct. 26. Visit ExecutiveBiz.com to sign up for the “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” event.

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STARCOM Launches as Space Force’s Final Field Command; Gen. John Raymond Quoted
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STARCOM Launches as Space Force’s Final Field Command; Gen. John Raymond Quoted

The Department of the Air Force officially launched the U.S. Space Force’s final field command during a ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Monday.

Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Shawn Bratton assumed leadership of Space Training and Readiness Command after Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 awardee, approved STARCOM’s organizational structure on Aug. 13, the Space Force said Monday.

“The stand-up of STARCOM is a critical step in aligning education, training, and test and evaluation units under one command, in support of the nation’s newest military Service,” said Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, chief of space operations and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner.

“With our three field commands and commanders now in place, we continue to transition from inventing the force to integrating it, with a targeted focus on developing combat-ready space forces and delivering critical space warfighting capabilities to joint and coalition forces,” added Raymond.

Col. Todd Moore will elevate to the rank of brigadier general in September and serve as deputy commander of STARCOM. Chief Master Sgt. James Seballes will serve as the new field command’s senior enlisted leader.

STARCOM will be composed of five subordinate deltas. Space Delta 1 will focus on training, Delta 10 on doctrine and wargaming, Delta 11 on range and aggressor, Delta 12 on test and evaluation and Delta 13 on education.

Delta 1 will operate at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The locations of the new command’s headquarters and the other four deltas have yet to be determined.

Space Acquisition Forum

GovCon Wire will hold its Space Acquisition Forum on Sept. 14. Click here to register for the virtual forum to hear from defense officials as they share their insights on military acquisition reform and modernization efforts.

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DHS Taps Oceanit to Develop Sensor Spoofing Detection Tech; Kathryn Coulter Mitchell Quoted
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DHS Taps Oceanit to Develop Sensor Spoofing Detection Tech; Kathryn Coulter Mitchell Quoted

Oceanit Laboratories has received a $949,999 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to develop spoof-resistant sensor technology as part of the Small Business Innovation Research Program.

Under the 24-month contract, Oceanit will aim to create a prototype for the second phase of its remote sensor spoofing detection and correction project with the department, DHS said Monday.

The goal of the project is to address the physical and security limitations that make networked sensors spoof-vulnerable in austere environments.

"The development of an advanced system that not only provides valuable data but also protects it from manipulation will allow law enforcement to accurately and efficiently monitor operational situations," said Kathryn Coulter Mitchell, senior official performing the duties of the DHS undersecretary for science and technology.

DHS asked Oceanit to continue research and development work after the company demonstrated the feasibility of its Remote Sensor Data Protection and Anti-Spoofing concept during the SBIR Program's first phase.

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NASA Tests Vibration Modes of SLS Rocket; Chief Engineer John Blevins Quoted
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NASA Tests Vibration Modes of SLS Rocket; Chief Engineer John Blevins Quoted

NASA’s Florida-based Kennedy Space Center is now testing different vibration modes of the Space Launch System, a rocket designed to launch the Orion spacecraft to the Moon.

Distinguishing between SLS's natural and vibration frequencies can help the rocket's flight software and navigation system safely control flight, the space agency said Friday.

“The information will also be fed into the flight computers so when SLS is flying, the computers know which vibrations are natural to the rocket and which are caused by external forces,” said John Blevins, chief engineer for the SLS.

The testing effort will take 10 hours a day over a series of several, consecutive days. Sensors will continue data collection during the roll-out of SLS's flight stack, after the testing campaign.

NASA will also practice the launch countdown in a wet dress rehearsal, where sensors will continue to gather data.

The vibration modal testing serves as a preparatory activity for Artemis I, where SLS will lift an uncrewed Orion unit for a lunar flyby demonstration.

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DHS Seeks Technologies to Perform Crowd Counting, Analysis; Tyler Mackanin Quoted
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DHS Seeks Technologies to Perform Crowd Counting, Analysis; Tyler Mackanin Quoted

The Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate is seeking proposals for technologies that can perform crowd count and analysis aimed at providing first responders with enhanced situational awareness. 

The technologies will be considered for inclusion in the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory’s (NUSTL) market survey intended for law enforcement and emergency response agencies, the DHS said Friday. 

The proposals being sought must be able to conduct video and post-event analysis and not rely on facial recognition systems. 

“Utilizing real-time crowd analysis technology could allow for more accurate and efficient response operations to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” said Tyler Mackanin, NUSTL engineer. 

The DHS said the market survey report will be posted to the document library of the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders program. The deadline for submission is on Sept. 17 and offerors can visit the request for information notice on the sam.gov website.

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Angelica Phaneuf Leads Army Software Factory’s Information Security
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Angelica Phaneuf Leads Army Software Factory’s Information Security

Angelica Phaneuf, formerly chief of cybersecurity engineering for the U.S. Air Force's Kessel Run software development unit, has been named chief information security officer of the U.S. Army's software factory.

Her LinkedIn page indicates that she has been the software factory's CISO since June this year.

Phaneuf is now responsible for implementing a security plan for the unit, which facilitates collaborative software development between military, commercial and civilian entities, Meritalk reported Friday.

She spent over two years at Kessel Run, where she held cybersecurity leadership roles. Her career also includes work as a cybersecurity engineer at Oasis Systems and as a freelance web designer.

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