Federal Daily - February 17, 2010

FEW Releases Congressional Scorecard

Federally Employed Women has released its congressional scorecard on how well lawmakers in the first session of the 111th Congress supported efforts to level the playing field in the workplace.

FEW said an unprecedented 52 legislators in the House scored a perfect 100 percent on 10 bills that FEW viewed as important to reducing employment discrimination. On the Senate side, nine senators scored an impressive 90 percent on 10 bills, FEW said.

One of the bills on which FEW measured the lawmakers, for example, is the Lilly Ledbetter/Fair Pay Act, which stated that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination resets with each new discriminatory paycheck. It was passed by the Senate, 61-36, and by the House, 247-171. President Obama signed the measure into law in January 2009.

To see how the organization graded lawmakers, go to: www.few.org/docs/legislative/FEWScorecard111.pdf.

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Group Takes Aim at Coast Guard Budget Cuts

The Fleet Reserve Association was sharply critical of a proposed $75 million cut in the Coast Guard’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Under President Obama’s budget request, the Coast Guard would receive $8.47 billion, compared to $8.54 billion in FY 2010—and reduce staff by about 1,100.

Most of the proposed Reduction-in-Force would come through the decommissioning of five cutters, five maritime safety and security teams and nine aircraft. Current USCG active-duty personnel are estimated at a little over 41,000.

“FRA believes the proposed budget is inadequate to sustain mission readiness and morale within the service’s active duty and Reserve communities,” said Joe Barnes, FRA executive director. “The expanding role of the Coast Guard requires resources and personnel to replace aging infrastructure and execute the service’s multiple missions.”

Barnes pointed out that the Coast Guard has grown beyond its traditional roles of monitoring marine safety, supporting drug and migrant interdiction, aiding commercial navigation and enforcing environmental regulations. For example, the service now also is participating in security missions in Iraq, offering aid in Haiti and providing air defense for the National Capitol Region.

However, the Obama budget blueprint did offer some good news, FRA said, noting that it includes $14 million to improve Coast Guard housing. FRA survey responses revealed that housing is a particular concern for Coast Guard personnel, who often are assigned to high-cost, coastal areas that are far from military infrastructure.

To see more, go to: www.fra.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News&CONTENTID=
9809&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

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Information Task Force Issues Phishing Warning

Government employees should take a moment to think before they click on email attachments or open seemingly harmless documents sent to them by a friend or coworker.

That friend or coworker actually could be a computer hacker using new techniques to steal identities or make off with sensitive government information, according to a new warning posted Feb. 12 by the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations.

The task force particularly warned of a highly-targeted phishing technique called spear fishing. While normal phishing is almost always for the purpose of identity theft, spear phishing on government systems is usually an attempt to gather information and intelligence, said JTF-GNO officials.

A spear phisher often will use the victim's name, organization, and even relevant jargon to make the e-mail appear legitimate, officials said. Usually, they will make an email look as though it came from a coworker or friend.

The e-mail usually includes an attachment or Web link that will load—when clicked upon—malicious code onto a user’s computer, generally a key logger program that records keystrokes and sends the data to the phisher.

Government systems are not the only computers targeted in these schemes. Military members can be targeted at home as well.

There are some warning signs, such as spelling mistakes in the body of the email. Also, phishing emails won’t be digitally signed because, officials said, hackers haven’t yet figured out a way to fraudulently replicate a digital signature from a trusted site. Officials reminded that all network users should digitally sign and encrypt their e-mails.

To see more, go to: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123190411

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