“Hack DHS” program to become permanent fixture at agency

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• The Department of Homeland Security is making its bug bounty pilot a permanent program. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said “Hack DHS” will launch in the new year. DHS had been piloting the idea since 2019. The initiative lets white-hat hackers probe DHS systems for cybersecurity vulnerabilities. They’re paid bounties for the bugs they identify. It’s modeled after the “Hack the Pentagon” program. Mayorkas said DHS is looking to set an example for the rest of the government to adopt similar programs.

• Agencies are grappling with what officials say is an “extremely concerning” cybersecurity vulnerability. No agencies are known to be compromised by the “Log4J” vulnerability at this point. But the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is raising alarm bells CISA’s Eric Goldstein said a dizzying number of products and services rely on the open source software, and hackers are ready to pounce. “What we have here is an extremely widespread, easy to exploit and potentially highly damaging vulnerability, that certainly could be utilized by adversaries to cause real harm.” Agencies have until Dec. 24 to take mitigation actions. (Federal News Network)

• DoD’s financial management community is moving from “score-keeping” to more of a business partner role, said the deputy comptroller for enterprise data and business performance. Gregory Little — in the in the Office of the Secretary of Defense – Comptroller — said the financial manager of the future will wear two hats: one focused on traditional auditing responsibilities, and one that’s more a of a business roll, linking Defense financial data to business data like IT acquisition and real property. Little said it comes down to linking the boardroom with the battle space. (Federal News Network)

• The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination of Navy Admiral Christopher Grady to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Grady will now face a vote from the full Senate before taking over the positions from Air Force General John Hyten. Grady is currently the commander of Fleet Forces Command where he allocates Navy resources around the world.

• One military service is starting its crackdown on airmen refusing to get the COVID vaccine. The Air Force discharged 27 of its service members, making them the first troops to be fired from the military for disobeying the order to get the COVID-19 shots. The Air Force gave its troops until November second to get fully vaccinated. An Air Force spokeswoman said all of the discharged airmen were in there first term of enlistment and therefore were lower ranking personnel. None of the 27 airmen sought religious, medical or administrative exemptions from the vaccine. As of last week, at least 97% of the active duty Air Force had gotten at least one vaccine shot. (Federal News Network)

• The efforts to train software developers in the Army and Air Force is getting a big boost from Congress. In the 2022 Defense authorization bill, lawmakers are directing the Defense Department to take these type of efforts agency-wide. DoD’s under secretary of acquisition and sustainment will create a training program for civilian and uniformed members to include a career path, talent management and other assistance to improve how the military develops and implements software. DoD will pay for the program with money from its Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account.

• The first piece of a new cloud services contract will be in place by early 2022. Starting in January, agencies will have a new contract to buy infrastructure and platform-as-a-service from under the schedules contract. The General Services Administration detailed its timeline to set up this new blanket purchase agreement with the first awards coming next month. GSA said it will make phase 2 awards for software-as-a-service and phase 3 awards for cloud IT professional services later in 2022. The decision to create this BPA comes after GSA released a request for information in May, seeking to make cloud buying more efficient. Industry expressed concerns earlier this year about the BPA saying it may cause duplication and administrative burdens.

• Top HR leaders spent hours this year debating future of work policies for the federal workforce. Members of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council met on an almost weekly basis to work through future of work policy challenges with the Office of Personnel Management. And they played a hand in crafting recent telework and remote work guidance. OPM said it’s all part of an ongoing effort to elevate workforce discussions in the federal government. The council spent the last year writing a new charter to better respond to emerging workforce challenges. (Federal News Network)

• The Senior Executives Association is launching a new awards program to recognize overlooked leaders. SEA said the goal is to recognize senior executives who might not rise to the level of a Presidential Rank Award, or come from small agencies that don’t have the funding to pay out large cash bonuses. SEA will open up a formal nomination period next month. It will hand out awards for an outstanding executive of the year and excellence in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. It will recognize a senior executive for their career achievements.

• Senators warn the Postal Service and Customs and Border Protecting are falling short on legislation to stop opioids in the mail. The Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention, or STOP Act Congress passed in 2018 requires foreign post offices to include advanced electronic data (AED) on all U.S.-bound packages coming through the Postal Service. But more than 130 countries have been granted a one year exception to those requirements. The bill’s original sponsors, Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), urge CBP to exercise restraint and ensure that any waivers meet the strict requirements under the STOP Act. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports U-S hit the largest number of overdose deaths in a 12-month period between this year and last year. (Federal News Network)

• The Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development expand their partnership to improve access to affordable, accessible housing. The new National Housing and Services Resource Center will be the hub for this partnership, coordinating resources, program guidance, training and technical assistance to public housing providers. The center’s website also offers webinars and a peer-to-peer learning collaborative to help users find the housing and Medicaid services they need. It is made possible in part by the American Rescue Plan.

• The Justice Department sees artificial intelligence as a valuable tool for federal law enforcement. But its Civil Rights Division is taking steps to ensure DOJ and other agencies use AI tools responsibly. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is working with several agencies to develop AI ethical frameworks and guidelines. Clarke said DOJ is also reviewing its guidance on algorithmic fairness to better determine when law enforcement’s use of A-I is considered necessary and effective.

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