In today’s edition of “This Week in Government Tech Media,” we look at coverage in the following areas:
- Election security
- FedRAMP
- CMMC
- Quantum computing
Election Security
As November draws nearer, election security has been a constant topic of coverage in government tech media outlets. At Nextgov/FCW, David DiMolfetta reported from the “Voting Village” at the DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas where researchers are scrambling to document voting machine vulnerabilities ahead of the election. Meanwhile, his colleague Edward Graham revealed login information was stolen from Democratic-aligned accounts ahead of the party’s upcoming convention.
At Route Fifty, Chris Teale reported that state governments that have refused private donations to assist with election security are now proving to be underfunded. Teale also published an article detailing how state governments are raising the alarm about AI-driven misinformation threatening trust in elections. On a positive note, Jarrod Echols, a former cyber official at the White House and Senate, wrote in Nextgov/FCW about how fusion centers have been assisting state governments with addressing election security issues.
FedRAMP
There were multiple reports related to FedRAMP this week. Jane Edwards at ExecutiveGov told readers the program is transitioning to a single designation of “FedRAMP Authorized” in an effort to accelerate federal agencies’ secure adoption of cloud services. In other related news, MeriTalk’s Grace Dille reported on a FedRAMP policy update to strengthen the program by “encouraging cloud providers to patch security vulnerabilities as a first priority, consistently use approved cryptography and focus on securing system components that protect federal information.” At FedScoop, Matt Bracken shared Microsoft’s news that its Azure OpenAI Service achieved FedRAMP High authorization, making it available for some of the federal government’s most sensitive datasets.
CMMC
Justin Doubleday at Federal News Network broke the news this week that the Defense Department released a proposed rule that will inject Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements into the contracting process. Washington Technology Editor Nick Wakeman weighed in with his perspective on the rule, noting that it will have a phased rollout after it is finalized, probably in early 2025.
Quantum Computing
Quantum computing was back in the headlines this week. Alexandra Kelley of Nextgov/FCW and Madison Alder at FedScoop both covered the agency’s approval of the first three post-quantum cryptographic algorithms necessary to prepare digital networks for the advent of a fault-tolerant quantum computer able to break through modern cryptography. Later in the week, Kelley reported on the Biden administration’s push for a swift deployment of the approved algorithms with help from private sector partners.
At MeriTalk, Dille focused on the White House’s National Science and Technology Council new report offering policy recommendations to advance international cooperation in quantum information science and technology. Caroline Nihill had the story for FedScoop. Dille also had the news that the Senate introduced legislation to advance quantum research at the Department of Energy by authorizing $2.5 billion in funding over the next five years.
Finally, we encourage you to tune into Fed Gov Today on Sunday, August 18 at 10:30 a.m. on ABC7 in the Washington, D.C. area and YouTube when host Francis Rose’s guests include IRS CFO Teresa Hunter and Scott Simpson, digital transformation lead at the Department of Homeland Security.