By Justin Katz
A government watchdog says federal civilian agencies are largely failing to appropriately manage supply chain risks associated with information and communications technology.
Congress asked the Government Accountability Office to review the extent to which 23 federal agencies are implementing best practices for supply chain risk management. To do that, GAO compiled seven practices from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology s guidance and compared them to current policies. None of the 23 agencies fully implemented all of the [supply chain risk management] practices and 14 of the 23 agencies had not implemented any of the practices, according to the report.
GAO cites a September 2019 report from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that found that federal agencies face approximately 180 different ICT supply chain-related threats.
Heinrich, Portman Secure Major Advancements For Artificial Intelligence In FY21 National Defense Authorization Act
Senators spearhead effort to create national strategy for AI, authorize $1.5B for AI initiatives
WASHINGTON (Dec. 15, 2020) – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the co-founders of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, have secured the most significant advancements for Artificial Intelligence (AI) ever included in a defense policy bill.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21 NDAA) authorizes versions of four major pieces of legislation championed by Senators Heinrich and Portman. The four major pieces of legislation include:
Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act (AI-IA)
As China Leads Quantum Computing Race, U.S. Spies Plan for a World with Fewer Secrets
On 12/14/20 at 5:00 AM EST
As China leads in the race to quantum computing edge, US spies plan for a world with few secrets.
Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty
Back in 1994, when quantum computers existed only as so much chalk on a blackboard, mathematician Peter Shor invented what may soon prove to be their killer app.
Shor trained his efforts on a calculation called factoring, which ordinarily nobody but a mathematician would care about, except it just happens to be an Achilles heel of the internet. If someone were to invent a computer that could perform this operation quickly, messages that are currently hidden from hackers, terrorists, military adversaries, governments and competitors would be as easy to read as a Stephen King novel.