Michael A. Echols MBA CISSP

🚨 Good News for Federal Contractors: SHIELD IDIQ RFP Released The long-awaited SHIELD IDIQ is officially live — and the latest update signals that the government is making things easier for contractors to compete. 🔹 Corporate Experience (Attachment L-02) Errors corrected in multiple fields No character limit in Field 6 🔹 Prime Experience (L-3.0) Don’t have prime experience in 2+ work areas? You may now use subcontractor experience instead 🔹 Small Business Advantage Small businesses can leverage first-tier subcontractor experience — a major boost for teaming strategies 🔹 Key Dates 📅 Proposals Due: October 10, 2025, by 4:00 PM CT 🚀 Anticipated Start Date: December 5, 2025 📢 An amendment will follow to formally incorporate these changes If SHIELD is on your radar, this is the perfect moment to prepare your team. Proposal Support | Capture Strategy | Compliance Reviews Trusted by 600+ federal contractors. 👉 Know someone pursuing SHIELD IDIQ? Feel free to share or tag them. #federalcontracts #IDIQ #SHIELDIDIQ #govcon #proposalmanagement #smallbusiness #federalcontracting #GDIConsulting

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🚨 Today the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection held an important hearing, “In Defense of Defensive Measures: Reauthorizing Cybersecurity Information Sharing Activities that Underpin U.S. National Cyber Defense.” Business Roundtable submitted a statement for the record highlighting the critical need to reauthorize the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 and ensure there is no disruption in the critical information-sharing activities on which the public and private sectors depend to defend against escalating cyber threats: ▪️A lapse would damage preparedness for and response to cyber threats, and signal to malicious threat actors that, after September 30, 2025, the United States’ cybersecurity posture will weaken. ▪️Since enactment, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 has been instrumental in fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, enabling the timely sharing of cyber threat information and enhancing our collective defense mechanisms. With the cyber threat landscape evolving rapidly, maintaining and strengthening these information sharing partnerships is more important than ever. Together, we can ensure that our systems remain resilient against emerging threats. #Cybersecurity #InformationSharing

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T-Mobile for Government’s Public Safety team comprises around 50 retired law enforcement officers from local and state agencies. Together, they bring a wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience, enabling them to effectively discuss and address the critical pain points of lacking reliable connectivity. Among these officers is Reva Navarro, a retired captain of the New York State Police, who understands the vital importance of reliable connectivity for first responders.    Reva works alongside these team members, learning from each other’s experiences so they can channel that knowledge into solutions that solve pain points for first responders.     T-Priority is a perfect example. It's the nation's first network slice for first responders, enabled and empowered by T-Mobile's 5G standalone network. The slice directs network traffic to ensure first responders have the best possible experience, even in times of extreme congestion. It makes sure they get lower latency and faster 5G speeds more consistently for data-intensive communications by giving them up to five times the network resources of the average user.     T-Priority is a product built upon both advanced technology and the real-world experience of team members like Reva.     Read more about Reva and others working at T-Mobile to keep first responders of today connected like never before: https://lnkd.in/gRBTKyFz

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🚨 The Secret Service’s takedown of a massive SIM-farm in New York should be a wake-up call for every agency and program that manages government benefits. I suspect there is more to this story that will emerge post DHS criminal investigation. These SIM farms — racks of gateways loaded with tens of thousands of SIM cards — let criminals: • Hijack MFA codes and account resets • Spin up fake phone identities at scale • Automate benefit fraud and account takeovers 👉 The installation in New York reportedly cost millions to build  and around $5K/month in utilities — well within reach of organized fraud groups. Here’s the risk: it all starts with referential data and self-reported information that’s too easy to fake. Once a fraudster ports or swaps a number into their farm, SMS-based MFA is useless. What’s needed is a multi-layered identity strategy: Authoritative data + cross-checks (LexisNexis TrueID, InstantID, ThreatMetrix) Fraud analytics (FraudPoint, Emailage) Behavioral biometrics (BehavioSec) Device / digital signals to detect anomalies in real time ✅ The lesson: stop trusting SMS alone. Build defenses that combine referential + device + behavioral layers to truly confirm identity. This isn’t theoretical. Yesterday’s takedown proves criminals are investing heavily to bypass weak identity flows. Government benefit programs — and anyone relying on SMS verification — should act now. #FraudPrevention #Cybersecurity #IdentityVerification #GovTech #MFA

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These are some great insights from Kshemendra Paul, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Inspector General for Cyber Assesments and Data Analytics, on the impact of data in the federal government. "It’s time to strengthen the use of data, evidence and transparency to stop driving with mud on the windshield," he writes. A really worthy read at Federal News Network: https://lnkd.in/dWqKwbwJ #data #governance #federalgovernment #govcon #commentary

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National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) just released an updated version of Managing Misuse Risk for Dual-Use Foundation Models. Comments are being accepted until March 15th. Key updates: - Detailing Best Practices for Model Evaluations: New appendix that provides an overview of existing approaches to measuring misuse risk. - Expanding Domain-Specific Guidelines on Cyber and Chemical and Biological Risk: Two appendices were added – one on chemical and biological misuse risk and a second on cybersecurity misuse risk. - Underscoring a Marginal Risk Framework: Clarified the importance of a "marginal risk" framework for assessing and managing risk. - Addressing Open Models: Updated to support their proportional application to and usefulness for open model developers. - Managing Risk Across the AI Supply Chain: Expanded risk management practices to include more of the AI supply chain. Submit comments to NISTAI800-1@nist.gov or online at regulations.gov. Press Release: https://lnkd.in/eMVrdwXF Full Publication: https://lnkd.in/eraCAi4q

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The latest Cybersecurity Executive Order mandates stronger federal vulnerability management practices, especially for AI software. Tenable stands ready to help agencies meet these urgent requirements with advanced exposure management, AI-aware capabilities, and a future-ready approach to post-quantum threats. Read more about the EO and how Tenable can support your AI security strategy. https://lnkd.in/eVUCSD87

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An effective NG911 system is one of the most critical public safety tools for any state. The best way to ensure success, fiscal responsibility, and innovation is through a full, open, and competitive procurement process. When projects of this magnitude are sole-sourced or stick with incumbent vendors despite years of documented delays and failures, it puts public safety at risk and wastes taxpayer dollars. California deserves a transparent process to get the best possible solution.

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