Security odds n' sods
The IBM
z/OS operating system (version 1.7) has been awarded Common Criteria certification at evaluation assurance level (EAL) 4+,
trumpeted Atsec Information Security Corp., of Austin, Texas. Atsec, which conducted the evaluation, has called the z/OS the world's most complex OS. Big Blue itself
FIPS 140-2 validation for the
OpenSSL open-source security modules are cursing their plight these days. Back in January, the
received certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. That premonition turned out to be premature, though. Shortly after the announcement, the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (a joint program between NIST and the Canadian Communications Security Establishment that validates products) requested additional changes to OpenSSL documentation and source-code packaging. The team has submitted those changes and is awaiting NIST response,
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Telecommunications
Agencies are getting up to three more years on existing telecom contracts before having to shift to the $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions vehicle.
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Workforce
The federal government is taking steps to fill high-demand, skills-gap positions in tech by retraining employees already working within agencies without a cyber or IT background.
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Acquisition
The General Services Administration plans to consolidate dozens of its buying schedules across product areas including IT and services to reduce duplication.