• phishing emails (JLStock/Shutterstock.com)

    States weigh bans on ransomware payoffs

    While prohibiting ransom payments could help deter attacks, some cybersecurity experts say it’s a bad idea because local governments, particularly smaller ones, may not be able to restore or rebuild their computer networks quickly, resulting in more costs and disruption than paying a ransom.

  • Soldiers testing AR/VR (US Army)

    DOD rolls out AR/VR technology at 5G testbed

    The Defense Department has begun deploying 5G-powered augmented reality/virtual reality systems for mission planning and training at some of its 5G testbed sites. 07/23/2021

  • Crowdsourcing the Louisiana flood response

    Army tests HPC climate model in Azure cloud

    The Army Engineer Research and Development Center will test the scalability of its coastal storm modeling system, CSTORM-MS -- previously run on high-performance computers -- inside Microsoft’s Azure Government cloud. 07/23/2021

  • EV charging (Zentangle/Shutterstock.com)

    Open-source model finds best places for EV charging stations

    Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a modeling tool that helps transportation planners decide where to place electric vehicle charging stations to encourage intercity driving. 07/23/2021

  • Detecting, blocking grid cyberattacks

    To prevent damage to power equipment from cyberattacks, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have developed a device that autonomously reviews and filters commands being sent to a power grid’s relay devices. 07/23/2021

  • broadband (alphaspirit/Shutterstock.com)

    California funds broadband infrastructure expansion

    A $6 billion multi-year investment will support construction of a state-owned, open-access middle-mile fiber network and last-mile projects. 07/22/2021

  • accessibility (ShutterStock image)

    Colorado requires accessibility to state, local government websites

    A new law calls for the state’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) to develop web accessibility standards and hire a software developer to help state agencies implement them. 07/22/2021

  • water treatment plant (Kekyalyaynen/Shutterstock.com)

    Rural water utilities vulnerable to cyberattacks

    With few employees and little federal compliance training, some small-town water utilities may be unable to defend themselves from cyberattacks. 07/22/2021

  • election security (Shutterstock.com)

    Tabletop exercise tests election security

    At Tabletop the Vote, federal, state and local officials worked through scenarios that might impact future election operations and shared best practices. 07/22/2021

  • INDUSTRY INSIGHT
    health data (everything

    With billions available for public health, it’s time to rebuild

    Funding infusions from the American Rescue Plan creates a tremendous opportunity to fix one of public health’s biggest problems -- a technology infrastructure featuring aging legacy systems, enormous data silos, lack of interoperability and many other challenges. 07/22/2021

  • military communications blockchain

    ‘Blockchain light’ may help Army ensure data trustworthiness

    To make it easier for warfighters and commanders to trust the data they receive, the Army is testing a customized “blockchain-light” technology that helps verify the provenance of data without the compute requirements of traditional blockchain applications. 07/21/2021

  • pipeline (Kodda/Shutterstock.com)

    TSA tightens cyber rules for pipelines

    A new directive requires operators of “critical” pipelines to review their current cybersecurity architecture, implement mitigation measures against known threats to IT and operational technology systems and establish plans to recover from a cyberattack. 07/21/2021

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