SubscribeMarch rollout for FBI’s data sharing system
February 21, 2008
“The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) plans to launch the first increment of its National Data Exchange (N-Dex) law enforcement information sharing system March 19, according to program manager Kevin Reid.
Speaking to GCN this afternoon in a telephone interview, Reid said that CJIS and the N-Dex vendor, Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, expected to bring in the first increment of N-Dex at a cost of about $41 million—approximately $3 million less than the project budget specified.” (Government Computer News)
Responders, managers team to control IT incidents
February 20, 2008
“They may be government information technology managers, but they talk like members of a SWAT team.
“We have capabilities in place to manage any type of incident,” Johan Bos-Beijer declares about the Education Department.
“We want to be able to isolate the problem, to address the problem where it exists before it impacts the rest of the organization,” Jaren Doherty says about the Health and Human Services Department.” (Federal Times)
DHS project delivers new malware capture method
February 19, 2008
“A project funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) promises to give security researchers a new way to kill botnets and targeted malware attacks before they infect computers.
This week, Endeavor Security plans to launch its Active Malware Protection (AMP) technology, which it developed as part of the DHS’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, at a DHS-sponsored event. Endeavor delivers AMP as a software-as-a-service product.” (SC Magazine)
Lockheed wins $1B biometrics deal
February 12, 2008
“The FBI on Tuesday selected Lockheed Martin for a $1 billion contract to build a database for fingerprints and other biometric information.
Lockheed Martin Corp., which built and maintains the FBI’s current 10-fingerprint database, was the expected winner among analysts. Making good on its incumbent status, the nation’s largest defense contractor will keep its hands on the Next Generation Identification system contract.” (Forbes)
DHS directorate elusive, CRS report states
February 12, 2008
“Industry executives find it difficult to work with the Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate because of the agency’s lack of responsiveness, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service.” (Federal Computer Week)
Biometrics registry proposed
February 11, 2008
“An interagency technology council has released a draft of a registry of biometric standards that could improve sharing of data between agencies.” (Government Computer News)
Homeland Security Seeks Funding To Support E-Verify System Expansion
February 6, 2008
“The U.S. federal government expects the number of employers using its electronic verification system for new job applicants to more than double this year to 100,000 and to climb to 300,000 by 2009.
To help support and promote that increased usage, the Department of Homeland
DHS, State push ‘passport-lite’
February 5, 2008
“As the Homeland Security Department moves forward with its People Access Security System (PASS) card, travel document security professionals inside and outside government continue to question the use of radio frequency identification technology in the cards.
The PASS card, which will enable U.S. citizens to enter the country by land and sea — but not air — from Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Mexico, is designed to be a cheaper alternative to a passport and speed border crossing times.” (GCN)
DHS: Searching for Non-Obvious Relationships
February 4, 2008
“The government has mounds of information in multiple databases residing in law enforcement and security or counterterrorism agencies from around the country. Often, the data is organized and formatted differently. Over the last couple of years efforts to create data fusion centers, and more recently, central location data brokerages, have been established to help make sense of the information from these many disparate sources, and make the data useful to the myriad users from the federal level down to the local municipal level. While there is some disagreement over the “best” method to accomplish the goal of seamless integration of information exchange, the need for this is not disputed.” (Threats Watch)
U.S. tests its hacker defenses
February 2, 2008
“In February 2006 the biggest-ever “Cyber Storm” war game was held to test the nation’s hacker defenses.
According to hundreds of pages of heavily censored files obtained by the Associated Press, the $3 million, invitation-only war game simulated what the U.S. describes as plausible attacks over five days against the technology industry, transportation lines and energy utilities by anti-globalization hackers.
The government is organizing a multimillion-dollar “Cyber Storm 2,” to take place in early March.” (The Arizona Republic)