IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The government has introduced the first phase of an accreditation plan designed to build trust in IT security and ensure products and services meet basic quality standards.

The Cabinet Office's Central Sponsor for Information Assurance (CSIA) group, which co-ordinates information security projects across government, has started certifying internet security products frequently used by public sector organisations.

Local authorities are migrating their services online as part of a national strategy to provide an ‘e-government’ touchpoint for constituents, with many providing mobile internet services through WAP portals. Transactional mobile applications are seen as the next step, providing another avenue for constituents to monitor and settle council payments. Local authorities looking to deploy these payment services need first to put in place the type of security procedures adopted by the commercial sector.

The government's plans for a public sector network (PSN) that will change the way data is shared between departments and outside agencies has come under fire from experts who have warned it is being rushed through.

The PSN will replace the large numbers of individual networks owned by public bodies with a single telecoms infrastructure that will host the new Government Cloud.

As well as establishing data-sharing efficiencies between government departments, local authorities and the third sector, the government claimed that PSN will deliver at least £500m in savings per year.

Technology experts have raised concerns about the security of the City of London’s new WiFi network.

The network, turned on last week (Computing, 26 April), covers the heart of London’s financial district, serving more than 350,000 people, comprising 127 nodes, and offering 95 per cent coverage to the area.

Das Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ist ein Monstrum. Mit 180.000 Beamten soll die Behörde nach dem Willen von Präsident George W. Bush das Land vor Bedrohungen wie den Attacken vom 11. September 2001 schützen. Das Ministerium entstand aus 22 verschiedenen Bundesbehörden, die am 1. März 2003 in der größten staatlichen Neuorganisation der USA seit 50 Jahren zum DHS verschmolzen wurden, um künftige Terrorakte zu verhindern. Ein wichtiges Ziel dabei: die Abwehr von Cyberterrorismus, also der Schutz der Informations- und Datennetze der USA.

Die US-Regierung plant ein Cyberabwehrprogramm für staatliche und private Betreiber von kritischen Infrastrukturen, berichtet das Wall Street Journal unter Berufung auf Quellen, die mit der Materie vertraut sind. Federführend für das Projekt, das den Namen Perfect Citizen trägt, ist der US-Geheimdienst National Security Agency (NSA).

Streetlight conversion will expand to include additional smart city elements leading to brighter and safer streets

CIMCON, the leading global provider of smart city technologies, announced that Spencer, Massachusetts, a town of approximately 12,000 people, is planning to add road condition monitoring as part of its recent LED streetlight conversion project. Town officials are undertaking this initiative to improve driver safety, meet state environmental guidelines, and reduce costs associated with ineffective road monitoring and maintenance.

While the federal government works on big-picture solutions, state and local government agencies are under tremendous pressure to secure critical data, infrastructure and services.

In his January State of the Union address, President Obama called for a strong bipartisan effort to address cybersecurity challenges nationwide, touching on such issues as student privacy, breach notification and information sharing. Many applauded the president’s proposals and welcomed the widespread exposure for these urgent issues. Given the current political climate, however, no one is expecting Congress to enact comprehensive cybersecurity legislation anytime soon.

World governments face a tidal wave of sobering news on the cybersecurity front. Reuters claimed in July that Britain was losing the war against cybercrime, and that same month The Hill reported that cybercrime may cost the United States up to $100 billion a year.

Playhouse Child Care Center already had a keypad that required parents to enter a four-digit code. But Ward said she liked the peace of mind that comes with knowing that anyone picking up a child from the center must first prove their identity.

"I'm all about more security when it comes to my kids," Ward said.

Public safety is a priority for communities and citizens alike, especially those living in metropolitan areas. While an issue as complex as public safety doesn’t have an easy fix, cities worldwide are thinking outside the box to create programs that build safer communities. For many, this includes embracing smart technology.

Sensors, for example, are widely used to manage the impact of natural disasters, as well as ongoing support efforts such as air quality improvement, traffic management and water conservation. At the same time, smart city technologies are evolving to address public safety issues beyond the scope of natural disasters. This includes a compelling use case: gunshot detection.

The new initiative aims to enhance Michigan’s protection of computer systems and sensitive data by pairing cybersecurity resources -- a full curriculum of meetings and workshops, and critical cybersecurity training and awareness tools -- with hands-on training opportunities. For instance, students can perform lab exercises and out-of-class work that uses the range’s virtual environment and text, video chat and Web conferencing capabilities. The range helps individuals and organizations develop detection and reaction skills through simulations and exercises.

The State of Maryland and Montgomery County, MD, are co-sponsoring the center with NIST, which will work to strengthen U.S. economic growth by supporting automated and trustworthy e-government and e-commerce.

The IRS reports federal tax information (FTI) to a handful of Oregon state agencies, including the departments of Revenue, Employment, Justice and Human Services. Those agencies must comply with IRS’s daunting information security requirements, which are promulgated in the IRS’s 128-page Publication 1075, “Tax Information Security Guidelines for Federal, State and Local Agencies” (.pdf)

Cities, in collaboration with the private sector and technology providers, will be creating ecosystems of systems

According to a report released by the UN in 2018, more than half of the world’s population lives in an urban area or city. This number is expected to rise to almost 70 percent in the next 30 years. While people move to cities for a variety of reasons, we all have one expectation in common: that we will be safe.

Arizona State University’s North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) conducted the report which identifies that securing the flow of people, goods and business between the two countries requires the integration and interconnectivity of vital communications technologies – a system of systems – among and between ports, check points, and law enforcement agencies along the border. The study also issued some key recommendations that can help to achieve that objective.

Soumya Das, the chief marketing officer for security provider SecureAuth, feels that government agencies should adjust their mobile security techniques to match society’s changing Web consumption habits. According to Das, network administrators shouldn’t focus so heavily on locking down mobile endpoints; they should focus on managing the central access control technology efficiently, which would make the mobile devices themselves less important.