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Treasury, FSSCC Issue New Resources on Secure Cloud Adoption for Financial Services Sector
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Treasury, FSSCC Issue New Resources on Secure Cloud Adoption for Financial Services Sector

The Department of the Treasury and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, or FSSCC, have released a set of new resources meant to help financial service institutions implement effective practices to advance the secure adoption of cloud services.

The documents mark the continuing joint effort to address the gaps cited in the Treasury’s report on the financial sector’s cloud services adoption, the department said Wednesday.

Those gaps include the establishment of a common lexicon that could be used by financial regulators and institutions in cloud-related discussions, enhancement of information-sharing and coordination for examining cloud service providers and the assessment of existing authorities for CSP oversight.

Launched by the Treasury in May 2023, the Cloud Executive Steering Group published the documents, which were developed through a public-private partnership between FSSCC and the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee, or FBIIC.

“The completion of these two efforts is the culmination of nearly two years of collaboration to further protect our financial system,” said Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the Treasury. “The CESG is now a proven model and a new way for the financial services sector to effectively address our most significant cybersecurity challenges.”

FSSCC-led deliverables include the Cloud Profile 2.0, the Financial Sector Cloud Outsourcing Issues and Considerations document and the Transparency and Monitoring for Better “Secure-by-Design” document.

FBIIC-led workstreams include the Cloud Lexicon and the Coordinated Information Sharing and Examinations Initiative.

“Our financial system is essential infrastructure for the entire economy, and it is deeply reliant on a handful of powerful Big Tech cloud service providers,” said Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra. “Our work will help protect the financial industry from outages and disruption by leveling the playing field between financial firms of all sizes and big cloud service providers.”

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DARPA to Hold AI Cyber Challenge Semifinal Competition at DEF CON 32
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DARPA to Hold AI Cyber Challenge Semifinal Competition at DEF CON 32

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will hold the semifinal competition event for its AI Cyber Challenge, or AIxCC, at a cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas in August.

DARPA said Tuesday AIxCC is focused on the development of novel artificial intelligence systems capable of securing open-source software and the challenge’s semifinal round at the DEF CON 32 event will see AI and cybersecurity experts creating AI-driven cybersecurity technologies for critical infrastructure.

Semifinalist teams will develop a cyber reasoning system for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities. A set of challenge projects will be used to test each system.

“Through AIxCC, we’re exploring whether AI can help find and fix software vulnerabilities more effectively and usher in a future where we can stop attacks as fast as we can detect them,” said Andrew Carney, program manager for AIxCC. “Our goal is to inspire anyone who can advance AI-driven cybersecurity to get involved with efforts to secure the systems we all depend on.”

DARPA is partnering with the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health on AIxCC. DEF CON 32 will be held from Aug. 9 to 11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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CDAO Holds GIDE Industry Insights Forum to Accelerate Innovation for CJADC2
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CDAO Holds GIDE Industry Insights Forum to Accelerate Innovation for CJADC2

The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office has organized an industry insights forum to inform private companies about collaborative opportunities under the Global Information Dominance Experiments program, which aims to test various capabilities that could advance the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control development.

Attendees at the first GIDE Industry Insights Forum, held at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Virginia, learned about the Pentagon’s CJADC2-related technology needs to accelerate innovation and bring new capabilities to the hands of warfighters, the DOD said Tuesday.

According to the agency, the GIDE Forum is a key step to enabling the new Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories—or Open DAGIR—platform, which establishes a multivendor ecosystem allowing industry and government to securely integrate data platforms, development tools, services and applications to improve data, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities.

To strengthen commercial partnerships, the CDAO plans to organize similar events to keep the industry updated about the latest DOD technology and talent needs, enhance the Open DAGIR program and advance AI initiatives for the CJADC2 warfighting concept.

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Forcepoint Introduces Security System for GenAI Users
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Forcepoint Introduces Security System for GenAI Users

Cybersecurity company Forcepoint has debuted a generative AI security system.

The application is meant to bolster the security of data interactions to enforce transparency and control for organizations using genAI, the Austin, Texas-based company announced Thursday.

Karl Triebes, Forcepoint’s chief product officer, said the system will support generative AI integration by protecting the potentially sensitive data users input into programs like ChatGPT.

“Forcepoint’s GenAI Security solution offers real-time monitoring and unified management of access and data protection policies, preventing unauthorized data sharing and mitigating AI-related risks,” Triebes said. “Our data-first approach to Zero Trust ensures customers can confidently use AI websites and apps, knowing their digital assets are secure.”

Forcepoint’s genAI security system looks to summarize data flow and user conduct to facilitate activity tracking and geo-blocking implementation.

The new program combines the capabilities of existing security service edge, or SSE, technologies—Forcepoint ONE CASB, Forcepoint ONE Web Security, Forcepoint DSPM, Forcepoint ONE Data and Forcepoint Enterprise DLP—to facilitate data security policies across all generative AI platforms.

Forcepoint’s latest offering is compatible with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise Compliance API, which allows for the regulation of data interactions within the ChatGPT environment.

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Procentrix Enters Scaled Agile Partner Program
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Procentrix Enters Scaled Agile Partner Program

Procentrix, a technology and systems development company, has joined the Scaled Agile Partner Program.

Joining as a Silver Transformation Partner, Procentrix will leverage Scaled Agile’s SAFe, a system for business agility, to enhance economic growth, the Herndon, Virginia-based company told ExecutiveGov Thursday.

Chris James, CEO of Scaled Agile, said “the SAFe way” is a method for advancing business strategy into execution at all organizational levels.

“This enables even the largest organizations to accelerate digital transformation andmodernization, respond quickly to customer needs, and become more competitive in their industry,” James said.

“As a Partner, Procentrix is uniquely positioned to help their customers take full advantage of all that SAFe has to offer and accelerate their journey to business agility,” he added.

More than 20,000 organizations use SAFe and Scaled Agile’s Global Partner Network in pursuit of digital innovation.

Mike Hughes, president and CEO of Procentrix, said, “Being a Scaled Agile Partner unlocks significant opportunity as we continue to invest in advancing our solutions to expand enterprise potential.”

Procentrix is joining a global network of technology and service providers in the program.

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Navy Begins Market Research for Coalition Affordable Maritime Strike Weapon System
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Navy Begins Market Research for Coalition Affordable Maritime Strike Weapon System

The U.S. Navy has started soliciting information on potential industry sources with the capability, facilities and experience to rapidly develop, integrate, test, qualify and deploy prototype units of a short- to mid-range weapon system that could be launched from aircraft and surface platforms.

Mandatory and Desired CAMS Requirements

According to a sources sought notice published Tuesday, Naval Air Systems Command wants the Coalition Affordable Maritime Strike, or CAMS, weapon system to be developed using a model-based systems engineering environment.

CAMS should be capable of conducting lethal strikes at a minimum of 140 nautical miles, meet the Weapon Systems Explosives Safety Review Board requirements and comply with the Weapon Open System Architecture.

The weapons platform should use common support and test equipment, incorporate any guidance system that detects and targets moving surface targets, surface combatants and stationary ground targets and integrate a navigation system that could operate in a GPS degraded or denied environment.

The CAMS weapon system should cost approximately $1.5 million per all up round.

The service branch expects the contractor to produce a minimum of 250 rounds per year and intends to award a low-rate initial production contract no later than the first quarter of fiscal year 2027.

Requested Information on CAMS Development and Fielding

Interested stakeholders should discuss the approach to aircraft and surface integration, mission planning, modeling and digital engineering and other CAMS concepts, describe the components that could be interchangeable in the weapon system, provide the approach and methodology for using models and simulations and specify the Technology Readiness Level of the components.

NAVAIR also wants information on the estimated cost and schedule for developing the capability, facilities that would be used for the CAMS concept, expected partnerships with components and subsystems suppliers and collaboration activities with the Naval Aviation/Surface Warfare Centers.

Unclassified responses to the request for information should be submitted in an encrypted form by Sept. 16.

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DARPA Launches Quantum Benchmarking Initiative
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DARPA Launches Quantum Benchmarking Initiative

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has begun a new initiative to benchmark quantum computing algorithms and applications and assess the feasibility of building an industrial quantum computer.

DARPA said Tuesday the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, or QBI, has stemmed from two of the agency’s programs: Quantum Benchmarking and Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing.

According to the agency, QBI seeks to strengthen engagement with quantum computing hardware companies that believe that they could undergo DARPA’s validation and verification process.

“It is in the best interest of any company who thinks they can prove they are on the path to industrial quantum computing — definitely including companies who have previously applied to US2QC — to compete for QBI funding,” said Joe Altepeter, QBI program manager at DARPA.

According to a special notice published Monday on SAM.gov, QBI seeks to determine if any emerging quantum computing approaches can attain an “industrially useful operation much faster than conventional predictions.”

“The QBI program will verify and validate approaches that enable revolutionary advances in design, engineering, testing, and evaluation in the domain of fault-tolerant quantum computing and explore computational workflows that include quantum compute steps,” the notice reads.

In addition to launching the initiative, DARPA has partnered with the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to facilitate research, development, engineering and testing of quantum computing systems and teamed up with the state of Illinois to use the latter’s quantum computing infrastructure.

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GSA Says Line-Item Pricing Data Leads to Improvements in Small Business Participation, Cybersecurity
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GSA Says Line-Item Pricing Data Leads to Improvements in Small Business Participation, Cybersecurity

A program that collects transactional data at the line-item level is reportedly boosting the participation of small businesses in the government contracting market.

The General Services Administration said on Tuesday that the group, Transactional Data Reporting — dubbed TDR — led to small business sales exceeding large business sales by 22 percent on the Federal Acquisition Service’s 2nd Generation IT Products blanket purchase agreement, or 2GIT BPA, during the first quarter of 2024.

The 2GIT BPA team analyzed transactional data to identify high-demand items. They found that most of these items are being provided by large business resellers.

The team also discovered that small businesses are less likely to participate in the BPA because they lacked the letter of supply from the original equipment manufacturer. To boost small business participation, the team worked with OEMs to issue more letters of supply to small businesses.

The program also reportedly accelerated response to cyber incidents in GovCon.

According to GSA, an Office of Policy and Compliance supply chain risk management group used transactional data to trace and alert customers who have purchased products on a multiple-award schedule following an emergency directive from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The TDR program promotes transparency by requiring contractors to share sales data from governmentwide contracts. GSA plans to make more transactional data available in the coming years.

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USPTO Releases Guidance Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility; Kathi Vidal Quoted
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USPTO Releases Guidance Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility; Kathi Vidal Quoted

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has released updated guidance to help USPTO staff and stakeholders determine patent subject matter eligibility for artificial intelligence-related inventions and other innovations in critical and emerging technologies.

USPTO said Tuesday the update includes three examples of how to apply the subject matter eligibility guidance to a wide array of tech platforms and seeks to offer clarity on how the agency should assess the subject matter eligibility of claims in patent applications involving AI-related inventions.

“The USPTO remains committed to fostering and protecting innovation in critical and emerging technologies, including AI,” said Kathi Vidal, director of the USPTO and under secretary of Commerce for intellectual property.

The guidance update takes effect Wednesday, July 17.

“We look forward to hearing public feedback on this guidance update, which will provide further clarity on evaluating subject matter eligibility of AI inventions while incentivizing innovations needed to solve world and community problems,” added Vidal.

The document offers a background on USPTO’s efforts associated with AI and subject matter eligibility and includes discussions on the guidance’s certain aspects that are related to AI inventions, including discussions of Federal Circuit decisions on subject matter eligibility.

Public comments on the guidance update are due Sept. 16.

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DARPA Picks 2 Companies to Aid Supply Chain R&D Program
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DARPA Picks 2 Companies to Aid Supply Chain R&D Program

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency has chosen Exiger and MetalMiner to aid a supply chain-focused research and development program.

The Open Price Exploration for National security — a.k.a. OPEN — program is designed to strengthen the supply chain and homeland defense by creating a technology that offers accessible information on pricing and supply, demand and capacity, DARPA announced Wednesday.

Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger, said the company is honored to collaborate with MetalMiner to provide supply chain transparency that impacts national security.

“Base and rare earth metals and other key minerals are vital to U.S. defense operations and national security,” Daniels said. “But, opacity in these complex markets creates barriers to supply chain resilience.”

Exiger, a commercial risk artificial intelligence company, will work to leverage its conceptual computing services and experience overseeing multi-layered supply chains with MetalMiner’s knowledge of the commodities market to develop technology throughout the OPEN program.

Lisa Reisman, CEO of MetalMiner, said they look forward to joining forces with Exiger to build new systems for DARPA that promote sustainability and equip the commodities market with critical data.

“The combination of Exiger’s cognitive capabilities and MetalMiner’s time series forecasting ability will introduce a new level of accuracy, insight and sophistication to market pricing and forecasting,” Reisman stated.

Co-founded with the United States Geological Survey, the OPEN program is organized as a single-phase, 24-month effort that yields a seven-month base period with two options.

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