Weekly Roundup: May 23 - June 3, 2016

OMB Software License Guidance Is Out. According to Federal Computer Week, “The White House is directing agencies to pick chief software managers, inventory their existing software licenses and look ahead to a more unified government approach to software acquisition. . . . Federal CIO Tony Scott and Chief Acquisition Officer Anne Rung have previously decried the billions spent annually on fragmented government software purchases.”  The  official guidance was released June 2.

Extend Life of US Digital Service.  FedScoop reports: “Rep. Suzan DelBene wants President Barack Obama's tech fix-it team to last at least another 10 years, saying "we should not waste this opportunity" to make use of such talented tech minds.”  She has introduced legislation to do so.

DATA Act Nudge.  Federal News Radio reports: “One of the original backers of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act says he will be a shepherd and watchdog for federal agencies as they work toward full implementation of the law by next May. . . Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told Federal News Radio he wants to see agency updates and a plan to ensure the law’s rollout isn’t lost amid the election season. . . .“I’m still cautiously optimistic,” Warner said.

Demand for Internet of Things Is Rising in Government.  According to NextGov: “Federal agencies are spending more money on sensor-driven technology, a new report shows. . . .The government spent $8.8 billion on the internet of things in fiscal 2015, driven mostly by defense spending, according a report from research analysis firm Govini. . . . .That's a 20 percent increase from fiscal 2014, according to the report.”

Congress Leads on Open Data.  According to FedScoop, “Congressional staffers and experts agree that Congress has its open data issues, but it's still miles ahead of state and local legislatures.”

IT Modernization Fund Needed.  This past week, a congressional committee held a hearing to better understand the need for a $3 billion IT infrastructure modernization fund requested by the Administration.

GAO testified about antiquated systems more than 50 years old still using punch cards and other systems using old 8-inch floppy disks to operate mission-critical systems. About 75 percent of IT spending is to maintain legacy systems instead of replacing them.  A series of interesting articles resulted, and skeptical Members of Congress became more understanding:

• GAO Report:  Federal Agencies Need to Address Aging Systems

• FCW: Congress probes legacy systems 

• Federal News Radio: Huge bill coming due for out-of-date technology

• FedScoop:  Congress Presses for Answers

• NextGov:  The 10 Oldest Legacy System

• Federal News Radio: Opposition Begins to Thaw

Reform “Omnibus” Bill.  Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman has introduced a bill that rolls together 19 separate reform bills that range from banning oil paintings of agency heads to software license reform to reducing improper payments to additional powers for agency inspectors general.

Program Management Execs Needed? An op-ed by Howard Risher in Government Executive highlights another reform bill: “The Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act (S. 1550), would require agencies to designate staff responsible for bolstering and documenting performance of this vital bureaucratic function.” Risher says good program management is important but questions whether it can be legislated by designating new executive leaders.

Federal Real Estate Reform. In yet another reform bill,  Government Executive reports: “the House on Monday unanimously passed two bills aimed at accelerating the process of disposing of unneeded agency buildings, restructuring the General Services Administration and creating a new buildings authority. . . . backers said together the bipartisan bills would save taxpayers billions of dollars.”

Do We Need an 18F for Cyber? FedScoop reports: “The first-ever executive director of 18F, the Obama administration's IT tiger team, envisions a new federal cybersecurity fix-it organization that could parachute into agencies to help boost their digital defenses. . . . Reflecting on his vision for the future of digital citizen services, and on his time with the federal government, Greg Godbout said there’s a need for a U.S. “cybersecurity service” as an adjunct to the administration's U.S. Digital Service.”

DATA Act Worries. According to FedScoop, Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Darrell Issa voiced concern recently that “more work needs to be done to make sure the law doesn’t fall by the wayside when the next administration takes over.” 

John Lainhart

Reuters: Federal Reserve Records Reveal More Than 50 Cyber Breaches in 2011-15.  The U.S. Federal Reserve has recorded more than 50 cybersecurity breaches from 2011 through 2015, Reuters reported Wednesday. Reuters obtained Federal Reserve records which cover cyber attacks that affected the Board of Governors since it is subject to public records laws, Jason Lange and Dustin Volz wrote. The central bank’s national cybersecurity team identified majority of the recorded breaches as “malicious code” while four attacks in 2012 were described as “espionage,” Reuters said.

Hackers Remember Your MySpace Password, Steal from Military Base Exchanges, and Force Reddit to Reset Your Password. The same person who was selling data on more than 164 million LinkedIn users (cleaved from a 2012 breach), now claims to have 360 million emails and passwords of MySpace users. Known as Peace, the hacker says it’s from a past, unreported, breach. Four Army National Guard members from the Washington area are accused of using Bitcoin to buy stolen credit and debit card numbers from foreign websites. The suspects allegedly then re-encoded plastic cards with their own names using the stolen numbers, and then fraudulently bought items at Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores on military bases and elsewhere for use and resale. Kansas Heart Hospital was the latest victim of ransomware. The health care center was held hostage by hackers and denied access to its files until it paid them. But even after the hospital paid, the hackers didn't return full access to the files. Instead, they demanded another ransom. The hospital says it will not pay again. Reddit has had to reset the passwords of 100,000 users in two weeks, because of hacks. The company disclosed May 26 there has been a jump in account hijackings by malicious -- or at best spammy -- third parties. 

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The Business of Government Radio Show.  In an era of fiscal austerity, DoD must continue to maintain operations and modernize forces in order to support national security. What acquisition challenges are facing the U.S. Department of Defense? What actions can be taken to improve defense acquisition and the Defense Industrial Base? Join host Michael Keegan as he explore these questions and more with Profs. Jack Gansler and Bill Lucyshyn, authors of the IBM Center report, Eight Actions to Improve Defense Acquisition. That's next week on The Business of Government Hour.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED.

If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org.