DISA's New Strategy Focuses on Simplifying, Securing Access to Key Systems

by  Edward Graham

The Defense Information Systems Agency's new five-year strategy prioritizes the “large-scale adoption of a common IT environment” across DOD.

A five-year strategy released by the Defense Information Systems Agency … calls for transforming the Pentagon's information network to better meet global challenges, including by prioritizing efforts to enhance communication across disparate military environments and adopting a secure cloud environment.

The strategy is designed to align the agency with the tenets of the Department of Defense's 2022 National Defense Strategy, which included a focus on maintaining DOD's global information advantage and securing its joint warfighting systems.

 Read full story at NextGov/FCW…

Leidos Secures $631M Army Sensor Integration Award

by  Ross Wilkers

The so-called DIABLO program eyes a platform-agnostic approach and extensive relationships with original equipment makers.

Leidos has booked a potential 10-year, $631 million contract for integration and logistics services to the Army that will focus on the service branch's sensors.

The DIABLO program — short for Development, Integration, Acquisitions, Bridging to Logistics & Operations — supports the Army's lineup of sensors and other integrated systems used for aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. DIABLO was originally awarded to Leidos in April.

 Read full story at Washington Technology…

Majority of Fed Cyber Experts Prioritizing OT, but Gaps Remain

by  MeriTalk Staff

Sixty-eight percent of Federal operational technology (OT) administrators and managers reported experiencing an OT cyber-incident in the past year, but only half felt confident they could detect or mitigate a threat today, according to new research from MeriTalk and Claroty.

The research report, “Guardians of Government: The State of Federal OT Security,” is based on a survey of 100 Federal security administrators and managers overseeing OT in Federal civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) organizations.

The good news is that more Federal agencies are focusing on OT cybersecurity, with 90 percent of Federal OT leaders reporting an increase in their agency's prioritization of OT cybersecurity in the past two years.

 Read full story at MeriTalk…

Apple Quietly Beefs Up Its AI Division With Acquisition of French Startup

by  Chris Morris

Datakalab specializes in data compression and image analysis.

Apple is far from the loudest voice in the world of artificial intelligence right now, but that doesn't mean it's planning to sit out the fight.

The company quietly acquired Paris-based AI startup Datakalab in December … Datakalab specializes in data compression and image analysis. On its LinkedIn page, the company describes itself as striving “to deploy embedded computer vision that is fast, cost-effective and precise.” Founded in 2016, it has between 11 and 50 employees. The deal follows news of Apple's purchase of Canadian AI startup DarwinAI earlier this year.

 Read full story at FastCompany…

Microsoft Edge Will Begin Blocking Screenshots on the Job

by  Mark Hachman

Soon, you won't be able to take a screenshot using Microsoft Edge for Business for your company says no

If you use the Microsoft Edge browser at work, your days of texting a screenshot of a web page to your spouse or coworker are nearly over. Microsoft is adding screenshot prevention controls to Edge.

It's all designed to prevent you from sharing screenshots with competitors, relatives, and journalists using Microsoft Edge for Business. “Screenshot prevention policies will secure against data exfiltration in the browser by blocking the ability to take screenshots on pages labeled as sensitive or protected, ”Microsoft said.

 Read full story at PCWorld…

Microsoft Is Changing How You Log in to Your Accounts

by  Tatum Hunter

Microsoft 365, Copilot and Skype accounts can now use “passkeys,”which are more secure than passwords. Here's how they work.

As passwords slowly go extinct, Microsoft is introducing another way to log in to your consumer account.

The company said Thursday that users logging in to Microsoft 365 workplace software, Copilot, Xbox and Skype can now use “passkeys” rather than traditional passwords or an authenticator app. That means whatever biometric authentication (such as a thumbprint or face ID) you use to open your phone or computer will be all you need to access your Microsoft account. Passkeys are available on desktop and mobile browsers starting Thursday, with support for mobile apps in the coming weeks, the company said.

 Read full story at Washington Post…

California Utilities Commission Votes to Approve $24 Fixed Monthly Charge

by Adam Beam

The new rates are meant to reduce how much families pay for electricity, but not everyone believes it will.

California regulators … voted to make it cheaper for people to charge electric cars and cool their homes in the summer, a decision heralded as part of the state's transition to clean energy but derided by others who warn it will raise prices for people who don't use as much energy.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted to let the state's big investor-owned utilities — including San Diego Gas & Electric — add a fixed charge to people's power bills each month to pay for installing and maintaining the equipment necessary to transmit electricity to homes.

For most people, the charge will be $24.15 per month and will take effect starting late next year. Others with lower incomes who are enrolled in one of two discount programs will pay less, either $6 or $12 per month.

 Read full story at NBC San Diego…

Cybersecurity in Electric Utilities: The Important Role of SBOMs

by  Finite State Team

As digital transformation sweeps through the electric utility sector, integrating operational technology (OT) more deeply than ever, the urgency for stringent cybersecurity measures escalates.

… In an era where cyber threats continue to evolve, the integrity of software supply chains becomes increasingly important. Embedded devices, which are integral to our nation's power infrastructure, require a well-rounded security strategy that recognizes and addresses software vulnerabilities.

 Read full story at Finite State…

FERC Passed Big Transmission Reforms; Now the Hard Part Begins

by  Jeff St. John

Utilities and regulators have a lot of work ahead to enact new federal grid planning reforms — and to overcome political and financial interests.

Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved FERC Order 1920, a 1,300-page regulation that will transform how the U.S. power grid is planned and paid for. Now comes the hard part — turning those reforms into the thousands of miles of power lines the U.S. needs to transition from fossil fuels to clean, cheap, and reliable power.

Clean energy investors, environmental groups, and grid reliability experts praised FERC's two-member Democratic majority for crafting new rules that give the country a chance to build power lines at the rate needed to meet climate goals. Republicans in Congress — and at FERC itself — attacked the order as an attempt to force the cost of meeting clean energy policies onto unwilling states and utility customers. Legal challenges are almost certain to emerge.

 Read full story at Canary Media…