Trumpâs CISA nominee to exit Coast Guard role, but still in running to lead cyber agency
Published: March 4, 2026 01:04
Sean Plankey has been serving in a Coast Guard advisory role for some months and is still set to be the nominee to lead CISA.
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Potential US-built hacking tools obtained by foreign spies and cybercriminals, research says
Published: March 3, 2026 22:50
iVerify has described the activity as the âfirst known mass iOS attackâ campaign of its kind. Google said fragments of the exploit first appeared last February, with ties to an unnamed âcustomer of a surveillance company.â
Energy announces $352M in funding for frontier science
https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2026/03/energy-announces-352m-funding-frontier-science/411843/
Published: March 3, 2026 19:03
The agency will make funding available to research teams looking to solve the scientific challenges underpinning next-generation energy technologies.
Why the convergence of AI and cybersecurity must be a top priority for the administration
Published: March 3, 2026 18:07
COMMENTARY | Hereâs what a strategy could look like.
CISA appoints new acting cyber chief after recent leadership shakeups
Published: March 3, 2026 17:15
Chris Butera is now serving as acting executive assistant director for CISAâs cybersecurity division, after its former occupant, Nick Andersen, stepped into the top leadership role at the cyber agency.
LGBTQ data is disappearing under Trump, reports find
Published: March 3, 2026 17:05
Government agencies have gotten rid of gender identity and sexual orientation data elements from over 360 data collections over the last year.
Agencies begin to shed Anthropic contracts following Trumpâs directive
Published: March 2, 2026 23:20
Officials from the departments of Treasury, State and Health and Human Services confirmed they would be acting to comply with the White House mandate.
How Cyber Command contributed to Operation Epic Fury against Iran
Published: March 2, 2026 22:20
The digital combatant command was among the âfirst moversâ in the operation against Iran, Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine said.
Intelligence firms watch for uptick in Iran cyber activity after US, Israel strikes
Published: March 2, 2026 17:36
Analysts say organizations should remain vigilant, though early indications show Iran-linked hackers have overstated their success.
What rights do AI companies have in government contracts?
Published: March 2, 2026 17:07
It depends on the acquisition pathway, the contract type and the contract terms.
Fake DOD memo about âcompromisedâ apps shows swift spread of deceptive messaging
Published: March 2, 2026 14:22
The message, widely circulated as the U.S. bombed Iran, shows how quickly unverified information can reach troops.
Strikes on Iran will test US cyber strategy abroad, and defenses at home
Published: February 28, 2026 23:16
The federal governmentâs cyber defense agency is short-staffed, and Tehran is known for its retaliatory cyberattacks.
Trump directs government to âimmediately ceaseâ using Anthropic technology
Published: February 27, 2026 23:26
Ban follows AI firmâs refusal to enable mass surveillance, autonomous weapons.
Tech bills of the week: Updated AI innovation; expanding cybersecurity for SNAP; and more
Published: February 27, 2026 19:18
This weekâs legislation addresses cybersecurity measures for EBT cards, pushes universal AI testing standards forward, and strengthens oversight of tech education programming for veterans.
These former government tech leaders are prepping day-one plans for a future administration
Published: February 27, 2026 17:34
Mikey Dickerson, the first head of the U.S. Digital Service, is a senior advisor for the effort, called the Tech Viaduct.
Memo to JD Vance: Fighting the war on waste
https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2026/02/memo-jd-vance-war-waste/411761/
Published: February 27, 2026 17:31
COMMENTARY | The White House's proposed war on fraud, waste and abuse is neither new nor an assured outcome for any presidential administration, but history offers some lessons that can help get started.
It would take the Pentagon months to replace Anthropicâs AI tools: sources
Published: February 27, 2026 13:20
AI maker digs in with Thursday statement rejecting DOD pleas for unfettered use.
CISA acting director moved to new DHS role
https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/02/cisa-acting-director-moved-new-dhs-role/411737/
Published: February 27, 2026 00:53
Madhu Gottumukkala will be moved into a strategic implementation role in the Department of Homeland Security. Nick Andersen will take his place.
Wyden to block confirmation for NSA director, citing lack of experience
Published: February 26, 2026 22:32
The senator, in part, took issue with Lt. Gen. Joshua Ruddâs responses to questions regarding civil liberties and oversight against unlawful surveillance.
Bipartisan lawmakers worried about shaky progress on modernized government worker background check system
Published: February 26, 2026 21:00
The IT system undergirding the overhauled background check program is nearly a decade behind schedule and billions over budget.
Air Force Research Lab seeks more national approach for innovation
Published: February 26, 2026 21:00
Lab officials give a first glimpse at how they want to expand on a pilot program for turning dual-use technology into operational capability.
Washington promises UFO disclosure. History suggests otherwise.
Published: February 26, 2026 20:34
Disclosure may not reveal alien visitors, but it will reveal something equally important: how science, measurement and skepticism slowly turn mystery into understanding.
White House âwar on fraudâ to begin with freezing Medicaid payments to Minnesota
Published: February 26, 2026 18:51
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the move âretribution.â
CISA CIO expected to leave agency after receiving transfer orders
Published: February 26, 2026 18:18
Last month, the cyber agencyâs acting director reportedly took steps to transfer Costello, but other political appointees blocked it.
White House seeks clean extension on controversial spying law
Published: February 25, 2026 22:36
Despite Donald Trumpâs previous misgivings, his administration is signaling confidence in the statute with its current stance.
Lawmakers from both parties back data center permitting reform
Published: February 25, 2026 22:29
Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., estimates the U.S. will need âabout 85 gigawatts [more] a year in order to keep pace with our demand.â
DOJ elevates deputy CIO to top IT role
https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/02/doj-elevates-deputy-cio-top-it-role/411697/
Published: February 25, 2026 22:12
Nikki Collier had been serving as the acting CIO since Melinda Rogers left the role last year, according to the CIO Councilâs website.
Hackers are exploiting exposed Cisco products, Five Eyes intelligence agencies say
Published: February 25, 2026 22:06
A Cisco threat intelligence report calls the cyberintruders âhighly sophisticatedâ but stops short of naming any affiliation with a foreign nation.
The diminished state of Defense IT acquisition and how to fix it
https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2026/02/diminished-state-defense-it-acquisition-and-how-fix-it/411695/
Published: February 25, 2026 21:58
COMMENTARY | Hereâs what the Defense Department can do to improve IT acquisition outcomes.
Trump unveils Big Tech pledge to offset rising data center energy costs
Published: February 25, 2026 05:03
President Donald Trumpâs national address touched on the rising energy costs incurred by increasing AI use, in addition to reinforcing his administrationâs imperative to tackle fraud in government programs.
House Democrats say TrumpRx portal exaggerates prescription discounts
Published: February 24, 2026 22:40
Despite the White Houseâs claim that the platform offers the worldâs lowest prices on prescriptions, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report saying âfor nearly half of the drugs listed on TrumpRx, that is either misleading orâŚ
CMS saved $2 billion by using AI to fight fraud, official says
Published: February 24, 2026 22:30
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services COO Kim Brandt talked about her agencyâs use cases for artificial intelligence in the ongoing battle against fraudulent medical claims.
Treasury sanctions Russian firm said to have stolen and sold US cyber tools
Published: February 24, 2026 21:13
The sanctions coincide with an FBI investigation into Peter Williams, a former employee of U.S. defense contractor L3Harris who pleaded guilty to selling cyber exploits to a Russian entity.
Critics sound alarm over HHS plans to restructure evaluation office
Published: February 24, 2026 16:23
A coalition of nonprofits, research institutions, child welfare advocates and more note that plans to push research out of the Administration for Children and Families and into the purview of political appointees jeopardize the credibility of that work.
New White House design team aims for âdelightfulâ websites â changing design ethos in the process
Published: February 23, 2026 19:43
Trumpâs chief design officer says that his work shouldnât be controversial, but his teamâs track record has raised questions about who their websites are for, who they leave out and whether the White House can garner trust based on sleek design alone.
Energy Department patched flaws enabling email impersonation in critical minerals system
Published: February 23, 2026 16:52
The vulnerabilities could have let malicious users masquerade as agency officials, potentially misleading researchers, contractors and others.
Top NSC cyber official returns to academia
https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/02/top-nsc-cyber-official-returns-academia/411601/
Published: February 23, 2026 16:33
For the last year, JD Work was a high-ranking official working on cyber policy within the White House National Security Council.
VA doesn't know how many calls its answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
Published: February 20, 2026 21:46
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
Tech bills of the week: AI training tax breaks; modernizing agriculture with emerging tech, and more
Published: February 20, 2026 21:44
The most recent AI legislation focuses on impact across different sectors and preparing the U.S. workforce to use it.
Targeted AI adoption can drive change, current and former officials say
Published: February 19, 2026 22:07
Agencies âdon't need the fanciest AI model on the marketplaceâ to enhance their customer-facing operations, according to former VA Chief Experience Officer John Boerstler.
Contract reviews continue at OMB, official says
https://www.nextgov.com/acquisition/2026/02/contract-reviews-continue-omb-official-says/411547/
Published: February 19, 2026 21:47
Deputy Director for Management Eric Ueland emphasized the need for CIOs to be empowered âat the beginning of conversationsâ for IT contracts.
Federal CIO tapped for dual-hatted role at GSA
https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/02/federal-cio-tapped-dual-hatted-role-gsa/411540/
Published: February 19, 2026 20:18
Greg Barbaccia will serve as the acting Technology Transformation Services director and senior advisor to the administrator at GSA, while its previous lead, Thomas Shedd, will remain with the agency in another role.
Republican governor asserts statesâ right to legislate AI
Published: February 19, 2026 17:31
Utah Governor Spencer Cox acknowledged the logic to the Trump administrationâs plan for U.S. AI dominance, but not at the expense of state laws ensuring safety.
Chinese telecom hackers likely holding stolen data âin perpetuityâ for later attempts, FBI official says
Published: February 19, 2026 16:53
âI think itâs important to say we do not know exactly what the [Peopleâs Republic of China] intends to do with a lot of this information,â said FBI cyber official Michael Machtinger.
US cyber responses will be âlinked to adversary actionsâ and involve industry coordination, official says
Published: February 19, 2026 15:37
That dynamic will be outlined in a national cyber strategy, which will be released âsoon,â said ONCDâs Alexandra Seymour.
Republican lawmakers ask GAO to review current AI regulatory landscape
Published: February 18, 2026 22:52
Leaders in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee have asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the regulatory landscape at both the state and federal level.
The Pentagon says itâs getting its AI providers on âthe same baselineâ
Published: February 18, 2026 22:00
Military is still abiding by ethics principles, according to DOD research head.
Labor launches new open data portal
https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2026/02/labor-launches-new-open-data-portal/411511/
Published: February 18, 2026 21:27
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the new portal features âbetter integration with other federal data sources and enhanced artificial intelligence compatibility for finding, visualizing and using data.â
New Treasury initiative targets improved cyber risk management for AI tools
Published: February 18, 2026 20:22
The department says it plans to release deliverables from a public-private working group in phases throughout the rest of February.
FAA launches competition to modernize aging IT portfolio
Published: February 18, 2026 20:00
The Federal Aviation Administration is using a challenge-based acquisition strategy that will require vendors to demonstrate, not just describe, their approach.
DEF CON bans hackers, technologists named in Epstein documents
Published: February 18, 2026 18:53
Vincenzo Iozzo, Joichi Ito and Pablos Holman are barred from future attendance after Justice Department files revealed their roles in efforts to secure Jeffrey Epsteinâs access to DEF CON.
HHS IT leadership experiences additional shakeup
https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/02/hhs-it-leadership-experiences-additional-shakeup/411480/
Published: February 17, 2026 22:40
Six of the eight top officials in the departmentâs Office of the Chief Information Officer are now holding at least one role in an acting capacity.
Lawmaker pitches blueprint for post-DOGE privacy overhaul
Published: February 17, 2026 21:18
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., wants to redo the government's main privacy law to ensure peopleâs information is âhandled responsiblyâ when in government hands.
2026 diplomacy: own the data layer before the AI layer
https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2026/02/2026-diplomacy-own-data-layer-ai-layer/411473/
Published: February 17, 2026 20:25
COMMENTARY | As global diplomacy enters 2026, infrastructure is destiny.
CISA threat-hunting leader to depart for private sector role
Published: February 17, 2026 14:35
Jermaine Roebuck announced his voluntary departure last week. The cyber agency has already lost a third of its workforce in the past year.
GSA aims to publish results on USAi program, official says
Published: February 13, 2026 21:31
The agencyâs chief AI officer discussed what GSA is learning from the new AI procurement program and how it plans to reveal those results.
Tech bills of the week: AI science challenge; protecting copyright content; and more
Published: February 13, 2026 21:08
Many of this weekâs proposals that deal with AI copyright material protections, tech for methane detection and environmental permitting modernization have bipartisan backing.
âSuicide is only one option': Social Security staff newly assigned to phone duties raise concerns over training
Published: February 13, 2026 20:32
Experts and SSA employees question wisdom of telling callers in crisis that suicide is an option.
OMB is hiring for a deputy federal chief information officer
https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/02/omb-hiring-deputy-federal-chief-information-officer/411433/
Published: February 13, 2026 20:02
âIf you know how to run large systems, cut through noise, and turn strategy into execution across government scale, this is that job,â Federal CIO Gregory Barbaccia said about the search for his deputy.
CISA to furlough most of its workforce under impending DHS shutdown
Published: February 13, 2026 16:39
The shutdown would also slow ongoing revamps of a major cyber incident reporting rule that was signed into law in 2022, acting director Madhu Gottumukkala said this week.
Senators demand to know the IRSâ path forward following the end of Direct File
Published: February 13, 2026 16:14
The IRS ended the online, direct-to-government filing program last fall and is doubling down on the free tax filing options it offers through tax prep companies in a partnership called Free File.
VA takes initial steps to create a centralized database of veteran research info, official says
Published: February 12, 2026 20:59
The department has created an internal working group to look at âdeveloping a singular database where we can capture veteran enrollment data in real time,â according to Liza Catucci, VAâs acting director of health systems research.