The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) is a network of enterprises that research, design, produce, and maintain systems to fulfill U.S. military needs. It includes Department of Defense (DoD) components, over 100,000 DIB companies, their subcontractors, and companies that provide incidental materials and services to the Department of Defense.
Why is the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) a target for cyberattacks?
The DIB is of great interest to cybercriminals because of the sensitive and valuable information it possesses. These include classified military technologies, intellectual property, plans and specifications for new and advanced defense systems, and other information related to national security.
Unauthorized access to such data can erode the US's military advantage, disrupt military operations and defense capabilities, or cause financial loss and reputational damage to DIB companies. Therefore, safeguarding the Digital Industrial Base from cyber threats is a national security priority.
Smaller businesses in the supply chain, which may have less robust cybersecurity measures, can be particularly attractive targets for cyber attackers aiming to gain entry into the larger network.
What Are the Most Common Cybersecurity Threats Facing the DIB?
By virtue of its underlying nature, DIB involves a broad, interconnected network of companies that often communicate and share data. Therefore, it presents multiple potential vulnerability points that cyber attackers may exploit.
As a result, DIB faces numerous cybersecurity threats, with the most common ones including:
- Phishing Attacks involve using malicious emails disguised as legitimate communications to trick recipients into sharing sensitive information or downloading malware.
- Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are long-term, targeted attacks in which hackers gain unauthorized access to a network and mine data without being detected.
- Ransomware Attacks: In these attacks, hackers infect a system with malware that encrypts files and demands a ransom in exchange for their release.
- Insider Threats: This attack involves employees or associates who intentionally or unintentionally compromise an organization's cybersecurity defenses from within.
- Supply Chain Attacks: This attack occurs when a hacker infiltrates an organization by exploiting vulnerabilities in its supply chain.
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks: In these attacks, hackers overwhelm a system’s resources, making a network or service unavailable to users.
- Malware: This refers to any intrusive software such as viruses, worms, and Trojans meant to damage or disrupt a computer system.
- Third-Party Risk: This involves the potential security compromise when sharing information and systems with third-party vendors or collaborators.
- Social Engineering: This involves psychologically manipulating people to disclose confidential information or perform actions that compromise security.
- Zero-day exploits occur when cyber attackers exploit a software vulnerability that the developers have not patched or addressed.
How Companies Can Improve Their DIB Cybersecurity Posture
Companies in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) can improve their cybersecurity posture in several ways:
Compliance with Standards: Companies should uphold the cybersecurity standards stipulated by the Department of Defense (DoD), such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements.
While mandatory for working with the DoD, these standards also represent best cybersecurity practices.
Cybersecurity Training: Organizations should provide regular cybersecurity training to their employees. Even the most advanced security systems can fail if an employee unknowingly clicks on a phishing email.
Regular training can also keep employees updated on the latest cyber threats and protection strategies.
Security Assessments and Audits: Regular security assessments can help identify vulnerabilities in an organization's digital infrastructure. These assessments could be internal or performed by third-party experts.
Incident Response Plan: Organizations should have a well-defined incident response plan. Speed is essential in the event of a breach, and knowing what steps to take can limit the damage.
Invest in Security Technologies: Companies should invest in advanced security technologies such as encryption, threat detection software, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, etc. It’s important to update these technologies to protect data against the latest threats.
Vendor Risk Management: Many cybersecurity incidents occur through third-party vendors. DIB companies should vet their vendors' security practices and have a plan for managing vendor risk.
Regular Backups: Regular backups of critical data can enable organizations to restore services quickly in case of a ransomware attack or data loss incident.
Cybersecurity Culture: It’s imperative to create a cybersecurity culture where everyone, from the top executives to the newest employees, understands the importance of cybersecurity can generate lasting improvements in an organization's security posture.
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and How It Affects DIB Contractors
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a cybersecurity standard developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to certify the cybersecurity readiness of companies within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) sector. It combines various cybersecurity standards and best practices into a comprehensive framework.
CMMC is structured into five maturity levels, each building upon the previous level's practices and processes. Level 1 is the most basic, covering essential cybersecurity suitable for small companies, while Level 5 includes advanced procedures for large or high-risk contractors.
The implementation of the CMMC significantly affects DIB contractors. They must meet the CMMC level appropriate to the sensitivity of the information they handle and specified in their contracts.
If a contractor fails to achieve the necessary CMMC level, they will not be allowed to bid on DoD contracts. This is a major change from the prior self-assessment model used for compliance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) cybersecurity framework.
Therefore, achieving and maintaining CMMC compliance has become a critical requirement for DIB contractors. It ensures they adequately protect sensitive data, which is necessary to sustain business with the DoD.
As a result, it leads to an increased focus on implementing robust cybersecurity measures and potential investments in their IT infrastructure.
How Does the Department of Defense (DoD) Strategy Influence DIB Cybersecurity?
The Department of Defense (DoD) strategy significantly influences Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity in several ways:
- Setting Standards and Requirements: The DoD strategy establishes the cybersecurity framework and standards that the DIB must adhere to. This can include the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards, stipulated requirements for protecting sensitive data, and measures for identifying, detecting, and managing cyber threats.
- Enhancing Cybersecurity Posture: The strategy aims to improve the cybersecurity posture of DIB contractors. This involves strengthening their ability to protect sensitive information, investing in advanced cybersecurity technologies, and implementing strategies to mitigate cyber risks.
- Maintaining Resilience: The strategy is designed to ensure the resilience of critical DIB capabilities in a cyber-contested environment. It promotes systems that can withstand and recover quickly from cyberattacks, potentially minimizing disruption to defense activities.
- Improving Collaboration: The DoD strategy encourages enhanced collaboration between the DoD and the DIB. This can involve exchanging threat intelligence information, conducting joint exercises and training, and collaborating on developing and implementing cybersecurity measures.
- Providing Cybersecurity-as-a-Service: The DoD strategy aims to offer Cybersecurity-as-a-Service to eligible DIB contractors, particularly smaller providers who may be more vulnerable to cyber threats due to resource constraints.
- Setting Governance Structures: The strategy enhances the DoD's governance structure in relation to DIB cybersecurity. This involves organizing inter-departmental activities, defining roles and responsibilities, and setting processes for monitoring and maintaining accountability in cybersecurity efforts.
The Key Components of a Robust DIB Cybersecurity Framework
A robust Defense Industrial Base (DIB) cybersecurity framework should include the following key components:
- Risk Assessment involves identifying and categorizing cybersecurity risks faced by the organization. This includes evaluating vulnerabilities in the internal network, potential threats from external sources, and risk factors associated with partners and suppliers.
- Policies and Procedures: Developing cybersecurity policies and procedures that set the standards for secure operations. These policies may cover areas like access controls, incident response, breach notification, device and network security, secure coding practices, etc.
- Cybersecurity Training: Regular training and awareness sessions for all employees to ensure they understand the cybersecurity policies and can identify and respond to cyber threats.
- Access Control: Implement secure access controls for networks, systems, and data. This includes securing physical access to networked devices, implementing strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, and setting up user permissions based on job responsibilities.
- Network Protection: Implementing measures to protect the network from attacks. This includes installing firewalls, using secure communication protocols, regular patching and updates, and using intrusion detection and prevention systems.
- Data Protection: Implementing measures to safeguard sensitive data. This includes encryption, secure storage solutions, backup and recovery plans, and secure disposal of old data or devices.
- Incident Response Plan: Having a detailed incident response plan to manage and mitigate a cybersecurity incident. This typically includes steps for identifying, containing, eradicating, and recovering from an incident, followed by a thorough analysis to prevent future occurrences.
- Compliance: Regular audits and reviews to ensure the organization is compliant with relevant cybersecurity standards, regulations, and contractual requirements.
- Vendor Management: Ensuring all partners, suppliers, or third-party vendors adhere to the same cybersecurity standards as the organization itself to prevent any weak links in the cybersecurity chain.
- Continuous Monitoring and Improvement: Consistently monitor the cybersecurity landscape for new threats and vulnerabilities and continuously improve and adapt cybersecurity measures based on these findings.
How DIB Contractors Can Ensure Compliance with DoD Cybersecurity Requirements
For DIB contractors, ensuring data compliance with Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity requirements involves several steps, like the following:
- Understand DoD Cybersecurity Requirements: Start by understanding the requirements primarily outlined in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).
- Implement NIST Standards: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established standards for protecting controlled unclassified information (CUI), as outlined in NIST SP 800-171. DIB contractors should implement these recommendations.
- Conduct a Gap Analysis: Contractors should conduct a gap analysis to identify areas of non-compliance. This involves comparing their current cybersecurity practices against the DoD’s requirements.
- Develop a System Security Plan (SSP): The SSP outlines your system boundaries, the operational environment, how security requirements are implemented, and the relationships with or connections to other systems.
- Create a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M): If you have any gaps in compliance, develop a POA&M. This document outlines the task needed to implement unmet security requirements, providing a projected completion date and any resources required to meet the task.
- Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits of your cybersecurity measures to ensure they remain compliant with DoD requirements. Moreover, being prepared for DoD-organized audits, like the CMMC assessment, is crucial for maintaining contracts.
- Continuous Training and Awareness: Regularly train personnel in cybersecurity awareness, as human error is often a vulnerability in cybersecurity. Make sure all staff understand the importance of compliance and the potential risks of non-compliance.
- Employ Cybersecurity Personnel or Partner with Cybersecurity Consultants: Have dedicated staff to focus on cybersecurity or engage consultants to help navigate the path to compliance.
- Incident Reporting: Handling incidents swiftly can prevent additional data loss and further damage. Therefore, in the event of an incident, you should respond to it promptly and report it as per DFARS clause 252.204-7012.
- Keep Up-To-Date: The cybersecurity environment and the DoD's requirements frequently change. Therefore, contractors must stay current with the latest updates to maintain compliance.
The Risks of Non-Compliance with DIB Cybersecurity Standards
Non-compliance with Defense Industrial Base (DIB) cybersecurity standards brings multiple risks:
- Loss of Contracts: Non-compliance could lead to a failure to win or renew Defense Department contracts.
- Legal and Financial Penalties: Non-compliant companies could face fines, legal action, or contractual penalties. They might be liable for losing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
- Reputational Damage: If a company fails to meet cybersecurity standards, it could affect its reputation, eventually leading to the loss of business opportunities.
- Increased Vulnerability to Cyber Threats: Non-compliance indicates weak cybersecurity, making the company an easy target for cybercriminals. This could result in intellectual property theft or interruption of business operations.
- National Security Threats: If a company in the defense industry fails to protect sensitive information, it might compromise national security.
- Loss of business from other sectors: Other industries might also avoid doing business with a company that demonstrates weak cybersecurity practices.
- Audit and Scrutiny: Non-compliant companies may also face increased scrutiny and audits from regulatory authorities.
DIB companies must avoid these risks by adopting proactive and robust cybersecurity measures outlined in the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).
Applying a Zero Trust Security Model To the Defense Industrial Base
The Zero Trust security model trusts nothing and verifies everything, treating every action in the network with skepticism.
Implementation of Zero Trust within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) can involve the following steps:
- Identify Sensitive Data: The first step involves identifying what data needs to be protected. In the case of the DIB, this could include classified military information, technical designs, or employee information.
- Map the Data Flows: The next step is understanding how this data moves within the network and who has access to it. This involves identifying every point of access.
- Build a Zero Trust Architecture: This involves creating an IT infrastructure that incorporates least privilege access (allowing users access to only what they need to do their jobs), multi-factor authentication, and micro-segmentation (dividing the network into smaller, secure zones).
- Continuously Monitor: The Zero Trust model requires continuous monitoring and logging of all network traffic, including the use of automated systems to analyze this data and identify suspicious behavior.
- Train Staff: Training and awareness are essential components of any cybersecurity strategy. Employees should be trained to recognize phishing attempts, use strong passwords, and report suspicious activity.
- Verify Identity and Device Security: Every user and device in the system must be authenticated. This includes verifying the person behind the actions and the security status of the device they are using.
- Cloaking and Segmentation: By "cloaking" critical applications, services, and resources behind identity-based access control, permissions are granted or denied based on the identity of the user or system trying to access them.
- Ensure End-to-End Visibility: Zero Trust necessitates complete visibility of network traffic and users, including ingress and egress traffic.
How Does the Evolving Threat Landscape Impact DIB Cybersecurity Measures?
The evolving threat landscape significantly impacts the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) cybersecurity measures in numerous ways:
Attack sophistication
The increasing sophistication of cyber threats, including advanced persistent threats (APTs), especially from state-sponsored actors, forces DIB organizations to evolve their defense mechanisms continually.
Consequently, they must employ advanced cybersecurity measures to detect, deter, and respond to these threats.
For instance, cybercriminals' increasing use and misuse of AI and machine learning to automate attacks has also increased the stakes. As a result, organizations must adapt and employ AI-driven security solutions for predictive threat intelligence and anomaly detection.
Ransomware as a common attack vector
The rise in ransomware attacks globally necessitates stronger cybersecurity protocols within DIB organizations. These organizations must ensure adequate defense measures, such as regular data backups, encryption, reliable recovery systems, and cyber insurance.
Increased Connectivity and IoT
The attack surface is expanding with the rise of connected devices and the Internet of Things (IoT) in defense operations. DIB organizations must incorporate security measures for these devices and systems.
Regulations and Standards
The evolution of cyber threats has also led to changes in cybersecurity standards and regulations. One example is the DoD's introduction of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which specifies cybersecurity standards for DIB organizations.
Discover How Digital Guardian Can Assist In Securing DIB
Securing the DIB is a complex challenge that requires combining the latest cybersecurity strategies, technologies, practices, and awareness to reduce the associated risks significantly.
Digital Guardian understands how to implement robust cybersecurity measures, monitor and manage risks, and ensure regulatory compliance to secure the DIB.
Schedule a demo with us today to learn more.
