Debt Deal Could Be a Blow for Cybersecurity

A look at the week of August 8 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, cuts in the debt deal could hurt federal cybersecurity programs.  Steven VanRoekel, formerly of Microsoft, is the new White House CIO.  Experts offered predictions and advice on mobile security at the CompTIA Tech Summit on cybersecurity.



Debt Deal Could Be a Blow for Cybersecurity — The $2.1 trillion debt-cap pact that Congress passed could hurt economic and national security as agencies postpone plans to invest in cybersecurity technology and hire more network specialists due to uncertainty over potential program cuts, computer security advisers say. The legislation automatically chops about $1 trillion from federal activities outside of entitlement programs through spending caps between 2012 and 2021, Nextgov.com reports.



White House Names New CIO — Steven VanRoekel, a former Microsoft executive, will become the next chief information officer for the federal government — a bigger, more policy-oriented technology job than any he held at the software giant.  VanRoekel, who joined the Obama Administration from Microsoft in 2009 as managing director of the Federal Communications Commission, will succeed Vivek Kundra, says The New York Times.

Mobile Security 'Dicey' But Doable — Mobile devices are fraught with security risks, but it is still possible to develop secure mobile applications if developers are willing to invest the time and apply the proper auditing and testing techniques, according to security experts at CompTIA’s Tech Summit on Cybersecurity in Washington, according to Government Computer News and PC World.