New Episode of The Cyber Show: #046 | S5 | In The Chair | Rebuilding US Government Tech | Part 1

In this episode of The Cyber Show, Kate and Milo from "We the Builders" discuss the challenges and opportunities related to modernizing the technological systems of the US government. "We the Builders" is a platform created by former employees of the U.S. Digital Service, focusing on communicating and explaining complex technical issues related to the government. Their goal is to make this information accessible to the general public, especially during times of confusion and panic. Kate and Milo emphasize that the US government has often failed to effectively communicate its positive achievements, leading to a negative perception among citizens. They explain that essential services such as emergency response, the Internet, and even digital camera technology were developed through government initiatives. However, these contributions are rarely highlighted, leaving citizens with a biased and negative view of the government. A central point of the discussion is the systematic deconstruction of the government's digital infrastructure by the current administration. Kate and Milo explain that this deconstruction is often justified by economic arguments but has deep social and economic implications. For example, the Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid systems represent more than one trillion dollars in annual payments, and their collapse would have catastrophic consequences for the global economy. The discussion then turns to the tactics used to target and fire federal employees, often for ideological or political reasons. The guests explain that employees in their probationary period are particularly vulnerable and that arbitrary and cruel firings are used to sow fear and confusion. They also mention specific examples of government systems being deliberately sabotaged, such as the Social Security Death Master File, used to target immigrants. On the technical side, Kate and Milo discuss the measures taken to infiltrate and exfiltrate data from government systems. They explain that high-level access is used to disable monitoring and logging, making the attackers' actions almost impossible to trace. They compare this to classic attacker behavior, highlighting that these actions are contrary to the transparency promised by the current administration. The conversation also addresses the national security implications of these actions, including the risk of leaking sensitive data to Russian IP addresses. The guests emphasize that while some protections exist, they are being actively dismantled, increasing the risks to national security. Finally, Kate and Milo offer a message of hope and inspiration. They stress that despite the current challenges, it is possible to rebuild and improve government systems. They cite past successes, such as the IRS's Direct File system, and encourage listeners to actively engage in defending and modernizing government systems. They also call for support for whistleblowers and journalists working to expose these issues. To listen to the full episode, visit: https://cybershow.uk/episodes.php?id=46