Federal Newscast

Monday federal headlines – February 22, 2016

The IRS is reporting a dramatic increase in the number of phishing and malware schemes trying to trick citizens into giving up personal information.

Federal News Network Staff

February 22, 2016 9:47 am

3 min read

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive.

The IRS is reporting a dramatic increase in the number of phishing and malware schemes trying to trick citizens into giving up personal information. In January alone, the IRS said there were 1,026 incidents, up from 254 from a year earlier. The attacks continued into the first two weeks of February with 363 total malware and phishing incidents, compared to 201 for all of last February. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen is warning against citizens clicking on emails or links that spoof the IRS or tax preparers. (IRS)

The General Services Administration’s DigitalGov team has announced a new dropdown menu on its Analytics.USA.gov site. It will enable users to filter traffic data specific to 10 agencies. The team said these dashboard pages allow for greater insight into how the public interacts with specific agency websites as a complement to the aggregated view available on the analytics website. (DigitalGov)

The final of six GAO employees accused of scamming the Prince George’s County school system has been convicted. Lynette Munde was found guilty of collecting more than $1,700 worth of free and reduced lunches for her child between 2010 and 2015, even though she didn’t qualify for the lunch program. (WTOP)

A record number of people have applied for one of the government’s most coveted jobs. NASA received more than 18,300 applicants for the 2017 astronaut class. The previous record of 8,000 applications was set in 1978. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said he’s not surprised so many people have applied considering these astronauts would help blaze the trail to Mars. Applications opened on Dec. 14 and closed Feb. 18. (NASA)

The Army is looking to use drones to deliver supplies to soldiers on the battlefield. Computerworld reports the idea was floated by Larry Perecko, branch chief for Science and Technology at the Army’s Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) Sustainment Battle Lab in Fort Lee, Virginia. Perecko brought it up while speaking with soldiers who told of their frustration delivering supplies in mountainous terrain like in Afghanistan. (Computerworld)

Three Defense Department teams have been awarded the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition award for achieving acquisition excellence, efficiency and productivity. This year’s recipients were Space-Based Infrared System Geostationary Earth Orbit 5/6 team, the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar team and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles team. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that the teams are helping ensure that future defense secretaries will continue to lead the finest fighting force. (Defense Department)

The Federal Maritime Commission votes to change regulations on dock service contracts. It wants to modify filing requirements for them and to allow a 30-day window for filing changes to them. The commission also wants to update the way the agency’s fees are calculated. Law 360 reports the FMC approved advanced notices of proposed rule-making for all three proposals at a meeting last week. (Law 360)

A top Homeland Security Department cybersecurity official is leaving. Ann Barron-DeCamillo stepped down as chief of the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team. U.S. CERT made headlines last year when it investigated a breach at the Office of Personnel Management that resulted in the loss of 22 million peoples’ records. Barron-DeCamillo’s last day at work is Friday. Assistant DHS secretary Andy Ozment recently took over U.S. CERT’s parent organization, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. (Federal News Radio)