Yesterday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Cyber Diplomacy Act, clearing the path for a new cyber ambassador. If signed into law, the act would establish an Office of Cyber Issues within the State Department and give the office’s head the status and rank of an ambassador. […]
Agencies are looking at ways to secure the edge of their systems in order to support a more mobile workforce. “The edge is where the mission happens,” said Max Everett, CIO of the Department of Energy. “We’re in the midst of a transformation. It’s modernization with a plan.” […]
Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan invited 48 international women leaders in the STEM field to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program, and attend the Hidden No More event in Washington, D.C. “We know that we have more to do to remove barriers to women in STEM,” Sullivan said. “Our fundamental belief is that when women do better, families do better, countries do better, and the world does better.” […]
The State Department is seeking to use blockchain technology to improve its IT platforms and to restructure the agency. The reorganization plan seeks to reduce the workforce, save Federal money, and maximize employee productivity. […]
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Oct. 6 that the Federal government needs to classify cyberattacks on the United States as acts of war. Clinton referred to the Russian hacks on the Democratic National Committee as a reason for the U.S. to retaliate against such breaches. […]
The State Department’s plan to fold the cyber office and position of cybersecurity coordinator into the bureau of business and economic affairs is just the beginning of a plan to elevate cybersecurity concerns within the department, according to Department of State Deputy Secretary John Sullivan. […]
The State Department led a STEAM camp in Malawi in August to enhance high school girls’ skills in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The State Department began the WiSci or Women in Science STEAM Camp in Rwanda in 2015 following the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. This year’s program was the third iteration of the WiSci camps. […]
Christopher Painter made the case for cyber diplomacy after stepping down as cyber coordinator for the State Department in July. Painter wrote a blog post saying that cyber issues continue to grow, which increases the need for global discussions on cybersecurity. Yet Politico reported that the State Department is considering getting rid of its cybersecurity department. […]
The United States and Japan on July 24 held a joint cyber dialogue, where the countries spoke about information sharing and strengthening international cybersecurity. […]
The State Department announced that teenage girls from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia will participate in the TechGirls exchange program July 12-Aug. 3, as the agency scrambles to grant visas to other countries. […]
The State Department’s cyber coordinator will be stepping down at the end of this month, according to reports from Politico. Chris Painter has been creating a strategic framework for cybersecurity during peacetime and gaining support from other countries. […]
The State Department announced that the United States and Argentina will establish an intergovernmental, bilateral Cyber Policy Working Group. […]
The State Department announced its partnership with HackerNest in order to host Fishackathon, an event that uses digital solutions to address sustainable fishery challenges. […]
The Diplomatic Security Service Women in Security Engineering group serves as a support system for security engineering officers and security technical specialists working overseas for the State Department. […]
The State Department is sharing ideas with Kenyan leaders about technology sector growth as the country positions itself as the top IT hub in Africa. […]
The Department of State is working to engage the technology sector in countering violent extremism online. […]
The State Department hosted a technology camp in India, which focused on projects to combat violent extremism. The participants worked on online campaigns, digital storytelling, data visualization, and using online education tools to promote peace and understanding in their communities. […]
The State Department met with representatives from the European Union to discuss preparedness for cyberattacks and the U.S. National Cyber Incident Response Plan. […]
Frontis Wiggins, chief information officer (CIO) of the State Department, released his strategic plan for Fiscal Years 2017-2019 on Dec. 8. […]
The Department of State released new features Friday on its website, State.gov, including a fully responsive design that can be viewed on all devices, a more streamlined navigational structure, and increased integration with the agency’s social media accounts. […]
Agency Twitter use has become an important factor in communication between the Federal community and the public. Agencies that have the best Twitter strategy, such as the State Department, tend to have been present on Twitter for the longest and have picked up the most followers. […]
The Department of State has moved from leased data center facilities to data centers on government property by using a modular approach. […]
The Department of State Foreign Affairs Cybersecurity Center is working with the Bureau of Information Resource Management to create a joint office for cybersecurity. […]
The State Department is gaining support from other nations for its framework for international cyber stability, which outlines responsible conduct in cyberspace. […]
The White House announced Friday that the Global Connect Initiative is working to connect 1.5 billion people to the Internet worldwide by 2020. […]
The Department of State is supporting open data initiatives to work to end world hunger, such as Feed the Future and Project 8. […]
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for a response to cyberattacks that mirrored military responses to other attacks against the United States. […]
Data can be a huge benefit to foreign aid programs, but only if the systems are in place to effectively collect and process that data, according to experts at an ITIF panel. […]
Due to its relatively new and complex nature, there is no straightforward method for categorizing a cyberattack as a digital act of war, according to witnesses at a House Oversight Committee hearing. […]
The United States and Germany are meeting to discuss international security in cyberspace, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection, cyber defense, combating cyber crime, Internet freedom, and Internet governance. The meetings build off of June 2014 discussions held in Berlin, which focused on collaboration in key cyber issues over the last decade. […]