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ITI Offers Recommendations to Improve NIST Guidance on Dual-Use Foundation Model Risks
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ITI Offers Recommendations to Improve NIST Guidance on Dual-Use Foundation Model Risks

The National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s AI Safety Institute should work to support organizations seeking to ensure the security of artificial intelligence systems by developing additional technical red-teaming guidance for dual-use foundation models.

Global technology trade association ITI said Thursday it had made this recommendation in response to the AISI’s consultation regarding a draft document it had released on the management of risks to dual-use foundation models, a type of AI technology underpinning a variety of common applications like internet search but also possessing the potential for advanced benefits like accelerated research.

ITI also proposed that the guidance tackle the roles, responsibilities and capabilities of various actors in the AI value chain and identify where responsibility-taking can occur.

Concerning transparency and disclosure, the guidance should also list the information to be disclosed by organizations and to whom they should be disclosed.

According to ITI Vice President of Policy Courtney Lang, having “a consistent understanding of misuse risks and ways to address them” is key to AI safety.

“By incorporating the tech industry’s feedback, NIST can strengthen its guidance document and provide a playbook for stakeholders, ensuring consistency, bolstering accountability, and mitigating risks for consumers and businesses,” Lang added.

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Post-Quantum Cryptography Coalition Publishes Comparison of Global PQC Standards
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Post-Quantum Cryptography Coalition Publishes Comparison of Global PQC Standards

The Post-Quantum Cryptography Coalition has released a comparison of PQC standards from international government regulatory bodies, with contributions from over 125 cyber researchers.

The coalition is working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to provide the cyber community with comprehensive guidance for the post-quantum transition, MITRE said.

Led by MITRE and SandboxAQ, the coalition intends to accelerate the implementation of quantum-resistant methods to address the anticipated cyberthreats posed by quantum technology.

According to Matt Mickelson, lead coordinator of the coalition and senior cyber principal for science and technology at MITRE, national and international PQC standards establish a common framework for addressing the upcoming risks to personal, commercial, military and intelligence data.

He noted that the threats also target “the digital signatures that identify trusted entities and contracts.”

Established in September 2023, the global coalition of experts, technologists and researchers seeks to enhance the public understanding and adoption of PQC.

At present, coalition participants are collaborating on workstreams regarding standards, education, implementation and agility to help countries around the world prepare for the post-quantum transition.

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US, German Researchers Launch Hypersonic Flight Test to Study Airflow Physics
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US, German Researchers Launch Hypersonic Flight Test to Study Airflow Physics

U.S. and German researchers launched the Boundary Layer Transition 1B hypersonic experiment from Andoya Space in Andenes, Norway on Monday.

A joint research project of the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and the German Aerospace Center, BOLT-1B flew over the Norwegian Sea at a speed of Mach 7.2, Johns Hopkins said.

The flight test delivered critical information on airflow physics at hypersonic speeds, the laboratory added.

According to Brad Wheaton, chief scientist at Johns Hopkins APL, the experiment will inform efforts to improve the design of future hypersonic vehicles.

The collected data will be used to reduce modeling uncertainties for hypersonic vehicles and optimize their performance, he added.

Johns Hopkins noted that BOLT-1B aims to better understand the airflow around a hypersonic vehicle’s skin, called boundary layer transition, which increases vehicle drag and aerodynamic heating.

During the flight experiment, BOLT-1B’s advanced instruments performed over 400 measurements and recorded the scientific data before hitting the ocean. Researchers will use the data to validate more accurate modeling and prediction methods for engineering hypersonic vehicles.

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NSF Allocates Funds for EducateAI to Help Develop Future AI Workforce
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NSF Allocates Funds for EducateAI to Help Develop Future AI Workforce

The National Science Foundation is funding the EducateAI awards to develop a well-trained AI workforce for the future.

The agency said Wednesday it is investing an estimated $8 million in the Educate AI program, launched by its Computer and Information Science and Engineering and STEM Education directorates.

Educate AI aims to lay the groundwork for a future federal workforce of AI experts, starting their training from the K-12 level. Through the initiative, a national infrastructure will provide access to computational data, software, models and training materials essential for AI research.

The funding will be allocated to five projects, which will also benefit from the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot.

The awardees are as follows:

  • NSF Artificial Intelligence Entry Pathways
  • NSF Expanding the Undergraduate AI Talent Pipeline by Democratizing Access to Instructional Capabilities across Institutions of Higher Education
  • NSF Integrating Artificial Intelligence Literacy into Community College Programs
  • LEVEL UP AI: Developing Strategies to Increase Capacity and Inclusion in AI Education
  • Mobilizing CAHSI Institutions to Infuse Ethical Reasoning in CS Curricula through Contextualized AI Scenarios

Greg Hager, assistant director for CISE, noting the need for a diverse, AI-ready workforce, said, “Through the EducateAI initiative, we are investing in AI educational programs that both complement and amplify our continuing efforts to broaden access to AI research resources.”  

“These investments not only advance our commitment to fostering innovation in emerging technologies but also ensure inclusive access to AI research resources,” commented Katie Antypas, director of the NSF Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. 

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NASA & DARPA Collaborate on Orbital Satellite Servicing Capability Demonstrator
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NASA & DARPA Collaborate on Orbital Satellite Servicing Capability Demonstrator

NASA will provide subject matter expertise in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency‘s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites, or RSGS, program under an agreement between the two agencies.

The aim of the collaboration is the technological development, integration, testing and demonstration in geosynchronous Earth orbit of the RSGS servicing spacecraft, which is expected to advance the inspection, repair and upgrade of satellites while they are in orbit, NASA said Thursday.

The effort is expected to benefit from the expertise NASA has gained from various relevant efforts like the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 project.

Regarding the collaboration, NASA Deputy Administrator and past Wash100 Award winner Pam Melroy said her agency “is excited to support our long-term partner and advance important technologies poised to benefit commercial, civil, and national objectives.”

“Together, we will make meaningful, long-lasting contributions to the nation’s in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities,” Melroy added.

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US Navy Supply Chain Software Modernization Underway Through New NAVSUP Unit
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US Navy Supply Chain Software Modernization Underway Through New NAVSUP Unit

The Naval Supply Systems Command’s Business Systems Center is banking on its newly formed modernization solutions department for custom software solutions to enhance the U.S. Navy’s supply chain information network. 

Capt. Juan Carlos Uribe, NAVSUP BSC commanding officer, called the new unit’s formation an “integrated approach” providing many advantages, including the capability for rapid software deployment, DVIDS reported.

Launched on Aug. 25, the new BSC department distributes its functions among three divisions, with one focused on custom platforms and services, such as developing and implementing tools and procedures for DevSecOps.

Another division is in charge of providing no-code/low-code platforms geared for accelerating enterprise-wide adoption while ensuring conformance with industry standards.  

The department’s third division handles robotic process automation to boost the efficiency and accuracy of repetitive and rule-based procedures. NAVSUP is currently looking into 15 software application robots, with six already cleared, to support the Navy’s supply chain enterprise.  

Besides supply chain management, NAVSUP BSC’s organization has been streamlined to meet the evolving Navy information systems requirements in logistics, transportation, finance and accounting.  

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How a ‘Digital Village’ Shaped Intel Community’s IT Vision
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How a ‘Digital Village’ Shaped Intel Community’s IT Vision

The Intelligence Community achieved a significant milestone in its digital transformation journey with the May release of the Vision for the IC Information Environment. This comprehensive document lays out specific goals to guide the community toward information technology excellence, and according to IC Chief Information Officer Adele Merritt, it took a “digital village” to make it happen.

How a ‘Digital Village’ Shaped Intel Community’s IT Vision

Learn about the IC’s efforts to revolutionize its IT capabilities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19, where government and industry leaders will come together to tackle the IC’s top challenges and priorities. To learn more and register for the event, click here.

“We [designed it] in a very collaborative way because we recognized that we couldn’t write a roadmap and dictate to everybody where they needed to go,” Merritt said during a webinar hosted by the Intelligence & National Security Alliance in August. 

IC Turns to Industry Partners

To create the document, the IC reached beyond its 18 components and extended a hand to the private sector, which the organization’s IT leadership recognized for its long history as a partner to the U.S. government. This experience, said Merritt, made it clear that industry could help the IC tackle its IT challenges, many of which it shares with other agencies.

Building the roadmap began “with an industry-informed look at the landscape.” To gain a commercial perspective, the IC asked its partners to take a survey about “where industry feels that they are going in the future.”

“We needed to be informed by their missions, by the technology that they think they need for their future needs,” she said.

The responses were instrumental in determining the timeline for the roadmap, which, after much deliberation, was set to five years.

“We looked at one year, two years, five years and 10 years out, and when we were developing the scope for the roadmap, we didn’t want it to be science fiction,” Merritt explained. “We also didn’t want to make it two years because that was too close — we needed this to be a strategic planning document.”

These conversations also helped the IC consolidate the roadmap’s objectives. 

“We decided that we could really only handle five focus areas, maybe with five sub areas to it, and when you see the final document, it has five focus areas with a collection of 19 key initiatives,” said Merritt. “We realized that if we were biting off more than that, we might not have a chance of achieving them.”

Accessibility was a major consideration as the IC worked through this process. The roadmap was made available online, which “was done by design.”

“We need to be talking with our partners at an unclassified level, letting them know where we’re going so there’s not a classified compendium of this,” said Merritt. “This was not written on the high side and downgraded for the low side — we designed this from the beginning to be available and accessible to the public.”

Learn More About Intel Community’s IT Transformation

How a ‘Digital Village’ Shaped Intel Community’s IT Vision
Adele Merritt delivers a keynote address at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 CIO Summit.

Numerous IC officials and industry experts will gather at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit to discuss current and future IC goals. The event will feature numerous IT leaders and include a panel discussion on how the IC can accelerate IT modernization. To gain access to all the 2024 Intel Summit has to offer, register to attend the event on the Potomac Officers Club website.

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Office of National Cyber Director Unveils Service for America Hiring Sprint
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Office of National Cyber Director Unveils Service for America Hiring Sprint

The White House Office of the National Cyber Director, or ONCD, has launched a hiring sprint, called Service for America, to link U.S. citizens to cybersecurity, technology and artificial intelligence jobs as part of efforts to protect national security while helping Americans chart a career path.

In a blog post published Wednesday, National Cyber Director Harry Coker wrote that ONCD is partnering with the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management on the recruitment sprint.

According to Coker, there are about 500,000 open cyber jobs in the U.S., highlighting the country’s critical need for cyber talent.

“ONCD and its partners will be sharing information about career fairs, job postings, and other resources to connect job seekers with employers and help them on their journey into cyber,” he wrote.

The cyber chief noted that his office has promoted best practices to make cyber jobs more accessible as part of the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, such as removing unnecessary degree requirements, transitioning to a skills-based approach and expanding work-based learning.

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National Labor Relations Board to Receive Technology Modernization Fund Investment
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National Labor Relations Board to Receive Technology Modernization Fund Investment

The National Labor Relations Board will receive an investment from the Technology Modernization Fund to modernize its case management system by implementing a cloud-based platform designed to facilitate the processing of labor disputes.

The General Services Administration said the $23 million TMF investment will support the development of e-filing capabilities to speed up the submission of labor-related documents and improve access to case statuses and critical data.

The modernization effort will also include the adoption of data analytics tools to help identify trends and better allocate resources and advance scalability to streamline the integration of future tech advancements in response to evolving labor requirements.

“This investment exemplifies the transformative power of strategic IT modernization,” said Clare Martorana, chair of the TMF Board and federal chief information officer. 

“By leveraging TMF, we’ve accelerated NLRB’s digital transformation, significantly enhancing its operational capabilities. The shift to a cloud-based solution isn’t just replacing legacy infrastructure – it’s unlocking new levels of scalability, security, and accessibility,” added Martorana, a previous Wash100 awardee.

In 2023, NLRB reportedly processed more than 22,000 cases and recovered over $56 million for workers.

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US, International Agencies Release Advisory on Russian Military Threat Actors
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US, International Agencies Release Advisory on Russian Military Threat Actors

The National Security Agency, FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and international allies have issued a joint advisory on a group of Russian military cyberthreat actors targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad as part of efforts to conduct espionage, reputational harm and sabotage.

NSA said Thursday the cyber actors linked to the Russian GRU Unit 29155 are responsible for deploying the WhisperGate malware against victim organizations in Ukraine as early as January 2022 and have performed malicious computer network operations against several NATO member countries.

According to the advisory, the malicious actors’ activities include data exfiltration, infrastructure scanning, data leak operations and website defacements.

Since early 2022, the threat actors have been focused on disrupting efforts to deliver aid to Ukraine.

The advisory includes recommendations to mitigate malicious cyber activities, such as prioritizing routine system updates and remediating known exploited vulnerabilities, segmenting networks and enabling phishing-resistant multifactor authentication for all externally facing account services.

POC - 2024 Intel Summit

Register here to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19 and hear top U.S. intelligence community officials and industry executives discuss the challenges, opportunities and innovation shaping the future of American intelligence.

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