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Cybersecurity/News
CISA Releases Updated Emergency Directive to Patch Newly Found Ivanti Device Vulnerabilities
by Naomi Cooper
Published on February 12, 2024
CISA Releases Updated Emergency Directive to Patch Newly Found Ivanti Device Vulnerabilities

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released an updated emergency directive outlining measures to address a new vulnerability in Ivanti’s Connect Secure and Policy Secure platforms.

Ivanti disclosed that cyberthreat actors are using a new vulnerability affecting its devices to gain access to restricted resources without authentication, CISA said Friday.

CISA’s Supplemental Direction V2 provides new security measures to address the system weakness, including a requirement for federal civilian agencies running the affected software versions to apply appropriate security updates.

According to the directive, agencies must continue threat hunting on any systems connected to the affected Ivanti devices, monitor potentially exposed authentication and identity management services, isolate the systems from any enterprise resources and audit privilege-level access accounts.

The updated directive supersedes a previously released executive directive warning against Ivanti device vulnerabilities that enable malicious threat actors to exfiltrate data and establish persistent system access.

News
DISA Seeks Info on Cross Domain Enterprise Service – Engineering, Program Management Support
by Christine Thropp
Published on February 12, 2024
DISA Seeks Info on Cross Domain Enterprise Service – Engineering, Program Management Support

The Defense Information Systems Agency has released a sources sought notice for cross domain enterprise service with engineering and program management support requirements of Department of Defense customers.

According to the notice posted on SAM.gov, DISA is seeking information from small businesses about their availability and technical capability to provide DOD clients with enterprise, enterprise-hosted and mission-specific cross domain products and/or services in support of their mission requirements.

Interested parties are asked to detail their experience in handling and maintaining all security and accreditation material; assisting information system security officers in vulnerability tracking, system risk management analysis and information security strategy development; helping mission partners comply with DOD requirements and standards; supporting a production environment for process and technology monitoring and reporting; and utilizing cross domain products and/or enterprise services to drive the government’s cybersecurity initiative.

The agency anticipates the contract’s period of performance to start Sept. 16, 2024, and end Sept. 15, 2029, if all options are exercised.

Responses to the request for information are due March 9.

ASRC Federal and Leidos are the incumbent contractors for the requirement. The former’s work will run through Sept. 15, 2024, while the latter’s extends to Sept. 30, 2025.

News
Biden Administration Fuels Semiconductor Tech Center With $5B Funding for 2024
by Jamie Bennet
Published on February 12, 2024
Biden Administration Fuels Semiconductor Tech Center With $5B Funding for 2024

The Biden administration is investing a minimum of $5 billion in the National Semiconductor Technology Center as part of its 2024 roadmap to bolster domestic chips research and development.

The White House hosted government officials and industry and academic experts to discuss its plan for NSTC, including creating a workforce center for excellence and free pre-membership community of interest, the Department of Commerce announced Friday.

NSTC is a public-private consortium founded by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Defense Secretary and Wash100 awardee Lloyd Austin and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, along with National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan and National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology CEO Deirdre Hanford.

The latest investment will fund projects surrounding the design, prototyping and piloting of capabilities critical to semiconductor technologies. Part of the funding will be allocated to training and education programs and campaigns to develop skilled workforce in the chips industry.

The administration will also launch the NSTC Community of Interest where stakeholders can share their ideas on the center’s offerings and operational structure.

News
CENTCOM Hosts Counter-UAS Hackathon; Schuyler Moore Quoted
by Naomi Cooper
Published on February 12, 2024
CENTCOM Hosts Counter-UAS Hackathon; Schuyler Moore Quoted

U.S. Central Command has hosted a week-long hackathon called Sandtrap to develop new methods of advancing the process of identifying and defeating one-way unmanned aerial system attacks in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility.

Fifteen coders from across the Department of Defense participated in data and software challenges related to countering enemy drones in the region and built prototypes to enhance the accuracy and speed of counter-UAS processes, CENTCOM said Friday.

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, said the hackathon provided service members with the opportunity to “bring new and creative solutions to the table.”

“The SANDTRAP hackathon combined all three: exceptional coders, brilliant software prototypes, and a repeatable process that can give us creative solutions in the future,” said Schuyler Moore, chief technology officer at CENTCOM and a 2024 Wash100 Award recipient.

POC - Achieving Transformative Cooperation for National Defense Forum

Moore is set to speak at the Potomac Officers Club’s Achieving Transformative Cooperation for National Defense Forum on March 14. Register here to join and hear from military and industry leaders about the future and impact of the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative.

Financial Reports/News
GovCon Index Soared Upward Last Week
by Ireland Degges
Published on February 12, 2024
GovCon Index Soared Upward Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index rose by 0.89% last week, closing at $4,741.09 on Friday.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that tracks real-time data from 30 key government contractors, allowing users to gauge the performance of each company. With these insights, users are also able to assess the overall state of the GovCon market and identify key trends shaping the field.

Last week’s increase represents a 1.935% uptick from the week before and a continuation of a four-week growth trend.

GovCon Index began last week with a Monday slump, but quickly rebounded on Tuesday, when it grew by 0.90%. Palantir Technologies led this rise with an increase of 30.8% and Carlyle Group (+8.64%) ascended to first place on Wednesday. Palantir retook the lead on Thursday, and Mercury Systems (+11.7%) was Friday’s top gainer.

For a closer look at daily GovCon Index performance, check out last week’s market reports. To see the full list of tracked organizations, click here.

Cybersecurity/News
DOD CIO Publishes Cybersecurity Standards Guide for International Partners
by Naomi Cooper
Published on February 12, 2024
DOD CIO Publishes Cybersecurity Standards Guide for International Partners

The Department of Defense’s Chief Information Officer has released new guidance for sharing standards, best practices and training to international partners looking to develop their cybersecurity programs; cyber workforce; command, control and communications capabilities; and information enterprise.

The Standards Guide for Foreign Partners provides a compilation of readily available and unclassified resources to support efforts to build and operate trusted networks and ensure the security and availability of information systems used by international and U.S. stakeholders.

The document lists the cybersecurity policies, standards and procedures of agency partners, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Security Agency and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

“Our partnerships allow us to learn and benefit from each other, maintain a shared defense information advantage, and mutually advance warfighting superiority to achieve strategic outcomes. This guide reaches across the many technical areas of the DoD CIO organization. The guide will enable a coordinated, consistent, and effective approach to support our global engagements in direct backing of the National Defense Strategy,” the guide reads.

Acquisition & Procurement/News
State Department’s Acquisition Strategy Reorganization Includes Push for OTA, FFRDC Access; Michael Derrios Quoted
by Jamie Bennet
Published on February 12, 2024
State Department’s Acquisition Strategy Reorganization Includes Push for OTA, FFRDC Access; Michael Derrios Quoted

The Department of State is shifting its acquisition strategy in the next few years, seeking direct access to certain contract vehicles and focusing on security, overseas facilities, professional services and artificial intelligence and cyberdefense, said Michael Derrios, the agency’s senior procurement executive.

In an interview with Federal News Network, he gave an overview of the State Department’s new acquisition approach, which includes specialized federally funded research and development centers.

In October, the department received approval to begin direct relationships with FFRDCs instead of using other agencies’ contracts with such centers. Prior to the approval, the State Department was limited to other agencies’ FFRDC contract ceilings and get out-of-scope services through other agreements.

Derrios said they are also pushing for Congressional clearance to use other transaction agreements, which could help the agency procure some of their unique needs.

“Today we have to go to other agencies and try to get access to their FFRDCs. Now we will be able to have our own suite of FFRDC contractors,” Derrios said. “We just didn’t have our own indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity vehicles with the MITREs, LMIs or RANDs of the world. They provide great service in niche areas. The State Department’s mission is evolving. We are now doing things that the department wasn’t asked to do in year’s past.”

Cybersecurity/News
Proposed Legislation Calls for Cybersecurity Guidelines Governing Drones Used by Agencies
by Jerry Petersen
Published on February 12, 2024
Proposed Legislation Calls for Cybersecurity Guidelines Governing Drones Used by Agencies

Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Thune, R-S.D., have introduced new legislation that seeks to enhance the cybersecurity of unmanned systems used by the federal government.

The Office of Sen. Warner said Wednesday that the Drone Evaluation to Eliminate Cyber Threats Act of 2024 calls for the development by the National Institute of Standards and Technology of guidelines governing the cybersecurity of civilian drones, and the pilot testing and implementation of those guidelines by the Office of Management and Budget.

The DETECT Act also calls on the OMB to provide federal agencies with guidance on reporting security vulnerabilities in the drones they use. The proposed legislation mandates contractors that provide federal agencies with drones or drone-related services to report vulnerabilities that they might discover. Contractor reporting would be governed by regulations to be issued by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council.

According to Sen. Warner, ensuring the safety and security of drones is critical because of the transformative quality of the capabilities they offer.

“This legislation will establish sensible cybersecurity guidelines for drones used by the federal government to ensure that sensitive information is protected while we continue to invest in this new technology,” Warner added.

For his part, Sen. Thune said, “This common-sense legislation would require the federal government to follow stringent cybersecurity guidelines and protocols for drones and unmanned systems.”

Contract Awards/News
Ascentium Books Navy Contract for Automation & Analytics Support; Andrew Hong Quoted
by Ireland Degges
Published on February 12, 2024
Ascentium Books Navy Contract for Automation & Analytics Support; Andrew Hong Quoted

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Ascentium has secured a U.S. Navy contract to provide an automation and analytics product.

Ascentium’s Automated Information Datacenter Analysis platform is expected to lower the administrative burden for the service branch’s Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services system, the Fairfax, Virginia-based company announced on Monday.

“We are honored to leverage our advanced Agile Analytics methodology to enable the U.S. Navy to deliver rapid, incremental solutions,” said Ascentium President Andrew Hong.

Valued at multiple millions, this award is an extension of the SDVOSB’s ongoing work with the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic. Currently, Ascentium provides the unit with systems engineering, technical and management support services.

Under the new contract, Ascentium is responsible for developing, sustaining, deploying and modernizing the Orchestration/Dashboard capabilities for surface and submarine automated infrastructure network operations. Specifically, the company will automate the execution, logging and reporting of shipboard Maintenance Requirement Cards, which guide maintenance activities associated with the CANES network infrastructure.

“We are excited to continue our work with NIWC Atlantic to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of CANES operations,” Hong said.

News
US Navy, MDA Achieve Missile Interception ‘Milestone’; Lt. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted
by Jamie Bennet
Published on February 12, 2024
US Navy, MDA Achieve Missile Interception ‘Milestone’; Lt. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted

The U.S. Navy’s Standard Missile-3 Block IIA effectively intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile after being launched from the Aegis Weapon System on an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

SM-3 Blk IIA was part of the Stellar Sisyphus flight test conducted by the U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency, which announced the event’s results on Thursday.

The objective of the test was to gather data on complex target discrimination and interception from multiple sensors and varying viewing angles.

The Navy used the USS McCampbell and USS Jack Lucas to launch the weapon systems.

The demo “was a key milestone in giving our Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships increased sensing and tracking tools to combat threat proliferation,” remarked Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director of MDA. ”This was an incredible accomplishment and I commend the U.S. Navy Sailors, the MDA team and our industry partners,” the Wash100 winner added.

US Navy, MDA Achieve Missile Interception 'Milestone'; Lt. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted

Collins will deliver a keynote speech at the Potomac Officers Club’s Space Summit on March 5. Register here for this industry-leading gathering on all things shaping the GovCon space domain now!

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ExecutiveGov, published by Executive Mosaic, is a site dedicated to the news and headlines in the federal government. ExecutiveGov serves as a news source for the hot topics and issues facing federal government departments and agencies such as Gov 2.0, cybersecurity policy, health IT, green IT and national security. We also aim to spotlight various federal government employees and interview key government executives whose impact resonates beyond their agency.

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