Congress confronts US cybersecurity weaknesses in wake of SolarWinds hacking campaign
Entrenched problems in cybersecurity contributed to the massive breach, lawmakers and tech execs say before the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees. Listen - 03:24
US lawmakers and company heads discussed the problems that led to the hacking campaign that compromised SolarWinds software possible at hearings Wednesday and Friday. Angela Lang/CNET
The biggest problems in cybersecurity contributed to the ongoing hacking campaign that weaponized a product update from IT software company SolarWinds, lawmakers and witnesses said at a hearing Friday before the House Oversight and Homeland Securities committees. Whether it s a lack of cybersecurity personnel, poor communication between private companies and the federal government, or the absence of global standards for acceptable espionage hacking
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New guidance for federal hiring and firing puts less emphasis on marijuana use as a disqualifier
Eric Yoder, The Washington Post
Feb. 26, 2021
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WASHINGTON - Federal agencies should not automatically disqualify job applicants or take disciplinary actions against current employees for using or possessing marijuana, the government s central personnel agency has said.
A memo from the Office of Personnel Management released Friday lays out additional considerations for what the government calls suitability decisions related to marijuana for both new and continued employment.
Federal employees remain bound by a federal law defining marijuana as a controlled substance, even though growing numbers of state and local jurisdictions have decriminalized it for medical or recreational purposes.
By Adam Mazmanian
Protesters rally in support of marijuana legalization in front of the White House in April, 2016. (Image credit: Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com)
The Democratic Party platform in 2020 called for the decriminalization of marijuana use, but that doesn t mean the Biden administration is welcoming recreational use among federal employees – even where the substance is legal.
The use of marijuana and cannabis-derived products for medical purposes has a legal basis in all but three states; 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws decriminalizing or legalizing the recreational use of pot. Virginia is on the cusp of conferencing marijuana bills passed in the state s House and Senate in the closing days of the legislative session.
Smoked Pot? Biden Administration Could Still Hire You
02/26/21 AT 1:52 PM
While still categorized at the federal level as an illicit drug alongside heroin, the Biden administration on Friday said past marijuana use will no longer be an automatic disqualifier for certain federal jobs.
NBC News on Friday recounted an “intensive consultation with security officials” vetting personnel who used marijuana on a “limited” basis. A waiver on past marijuana use could be limited to those federal employees that don’t require a security clearance.
Eleven states legalized marijuana for recreational use and dozens of others allow use for medicinal purposes. At the federal level, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, alongside heroin, as a substance or chemical with no accepted medicinal use or one with a high potential for abuse.