Briefly noted

Obama administration looks to fill more than 300 IT positions

The incoming administration is looking at more than 300 technology positions that are presidentially appointed, according to a job listing Congress released in November. Of those, 21 are listed as chief information officers.

Larger inmate population is boon to private prisons

Prison companies are preparing for a wave of new business as the economic downturn makes it increasingly difficult for federal and state government officials to build and operate their own jails. The Federal Bureau of Prisons and several state governments have sent thousands of inmates in recent months to prisons and detention centers run by Corrections Corp. of America, Geo Group Inc. and other private operators, as a crackdown on illegal immigration, a lengthening of mandatory sentences for certain crimes and other factors have overcrowded many government facilities.

More attacks on critical infrastructure?

Secure Computing’s third-quarter Internet Threat Report predicts that 2009 will see an increase in politically motivated attacks such as those experienced already in Estonia and Georgia (the nation, not the state). However, for the time being, the surreptitious theft of data from information technology systems, as Chinese hackers are alleged to have done in this country, is likely to remain a more serious threat.