Welcome to The Wrap for Wednesday, September 23!
From the newsroom at MeriTalk, it’s the quickest read in federal tech news. Here’s what you need to know today:
FBI Investigates Jobs Site Breach
The
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
has a cyber headache on its hands after ShinyHunters claimed FBI access through the bureau’s FBIJobs.gov portal and alleged it obtained sensitive information on employees and job applicants. The FBI says it is still tracing the alleged breach, including whether the point of entry was a third party or its own enterprise. As of Wednesday afternoon, the recruiting site remained offline. ShinyHunters says the operation was not about money. Instead, the group framed it as a response to an FBI announcement it says misrepresented its tactics and gave the bureau one week to make corrections. That’s right, no ransom.
Flashpoint
analysts told MeriTalk the group appears to be defending its reputation and rebuilding leverage with future victims, adding that if the FBI does not engage, a data leak may follow.
Federal employees may have to wait until the holiday stretch to learn whether Congress will undo the proposed pay freeze for 2027, with lawmakers pointing to post-election spending talks as the key battleground. The continuing resolution expires Dec. 11, creating a narrow opening to tackle federal pay through appropriations, an omnibus package, or yet another continuing resolution. Federal Workforce Caucus leaders are asking for 4.1%, with a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of 110 lawmakers backing that average increase under the FAIR Act. At minimum, supporters want federal workers to receive the same 3.8% increase proposed for federal law enforcement personnel. At a press briefing today on Capitol Hill, Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., cautioned that nothing is guaranteed, while Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., noted Congress will have only a few weeks to get it done. In other words, November and December could get busy fast.
The Pentagon does not want the United States tapping the brakes in the AI race, with one senior official arguing that Washington should keep AI moving fast rather than hand China an opening through “unilateral disarmament.” Cameron Stanley, the Defense Department’s chief digital intelligence officer, said today that maintaining U.S. dominance is the goal, and the Pentagon is already putting that philosophy into practice. GenAI.mil is scaling quickly, with up to 2 million users a week, while AI is also making its way into contracting, intelligence, logistics, and warfighting workflows. That puts DOD squarely on one side of a widening debate over whether advanced AI development should slow while safety safeguards mature. Stanley acknowledged technology risks but said stopping is the wrong answer. For the Pentagon, the AI race is apparently no place for a pit stop.
USPTO’s AI Helping Hand
The
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
is scaling a people-first AI approach that keeps patent examiners in the lead while artificial intelligence plays the supporting role. USPTO Chief Information Officer Deborah Stephens said today that the agency has launched more than 20 AI applications, including its internal generative AI tool Scout and DesignVision, an AI-based image search tool for design patent examiners. Stephens said Scout has grown to about 7,000 daily and weekly users, while another AI application that generates patent application summaries has already produced more than 100,000 summaries in just a few months. The agency is also backing the rollout with an enterprise adoption team and an AI academy to help employees implement the technology. Stephens summed up the philosophy simply: The examiner leads, and AI assists.
Once again, let’s “call IT a day,” but we’ll bring you more tomorrow. Until then, please check the MeriTalk breaking news website throughout the day for the latest on government IT people, progress, and policy.
And finally, please hit the news tip jar (with leads, breaking news, or simply your two cents) at newsstaff@meritalk.com.