It can help the company effectively navigate this situation and minimize damage. An engineering workstation provides a means to monitor and troubleshoot various aspects of the system operation, install and update program elements, recover from failures, and miscellaneous tasks associated with system administration. In the Defense Department, it allows the military to gain informational advantage, strike targets remotely and work from anywhere in the world. Figure 1. See James D. Fearon, Signaling Foreign Policy Interests: Tying Hands Versus Sinking Costs,, 41, no. The business firewall is administered by the corporate IT staff and the control system firewall is administered by the control system staff. See also Alexander L. George, William E. Simons, and David I. As businesses become increasingly dependent on technology, they also reach out to new service providers that can help them handle their security needs better. Streamlining public-private information-sharing. Inevitably, there is an inherent tension between Congresss efforts to act in an oversight capacity and create additional requirements for DOD, and the latters desire for greater autonomy. A mission-critical control system is typically configured in a fully-redundant architecture allowing quick recovery from loss of various components in the system. Some reports estimate that one in every 99 emails is indeed a phishing attack. . While hackers come up with new ways to threaten systems every day, some classic ones stick around. For example, Erik Gartzke and Jon Lindsay explore how offensive cyber operations that target a states nuclear command, control, and communications could undermine strategic deterrence and increase the risk of war.32 Similarly, Austin Long notes potential pathways from offensive cyber operations to inadvertent escalation (which is by definition a failure of deterrence) if attacks on even nonmilitary critical systems (for example, power supplies) could impact military capabilities or stoke fears that military networks had likewise been compromised.33. However, GAO reported in 2018 that DOD was routinely finding cyber vulnerabilities late in its development process. A skilled attacker can reconfigure or compromise those pieces of communications gear to control field communications (see Figure 9). Information Systems Security Developer Work Role ID: 631 (NIST: SP-SYS-001) Workforce Element: Cybersecurity. 3 (2017), 454455. Operational Considerations for Strategic Offensive Cyber Planning,, See, for example, Emily O. Goldman and Michael Warner, Why a Digital Pearl Harbor Makes Sense . Capabilities are going to be more diverse and adaptable. To strengthen congressional oversight and drive continued progress and attention toward these issues, the requirement to conduct periodic vulnerability assessments should also include an after-action report that includes current and planned efforts to address cyber vulnerabilities of interdependent and networked weapons systems in broader mission areas, with an intent to gain mission assurance of these platforms. Rules added to the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) looking for those files are effective in spotting attackers. Cyber vulnerabilities to DOD Systems may include many risks that CMMC compliance addresses. Indeed, Nyes extension of deterrence to cyberspace incorporates four deterrence mechanisms: threat of punishment, denial by defense, entanglement, and normative taboos.13 This is precisely because of the challenges associated with relying solely on military power and punishment logics to achieve cyber deterrence. Part of this is about conducting campaigns to address IP theft from the DIB. Federal and private contractor systems have been the targets of widespread and sophisticated cyber intrusions. To understand the vulnerabilities associated with control systems you must know the types of communications and operations associated with the control system as well as have an understanding of the how attackers are using the system vulnerabilities to their advantage. On the communications protocol level, the devices are simply referred to by number. See, for example, Martin C. Libicki, (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2013); Brendan Rittenhouse Green and Austin Long, Conceal or Reveal? Additionally, cyber-enabled espionage conducted against these systems could allow adversaries to replicate cutting-edge U.S. defense technology without comparable investments in research and development and could inform the development of adversary offset capabilities. By Mark Montgomery and Erica Borghard
DOD and the Department of Energy have been concerned about vulnerabilities within the acquisitions process for emerging technologies for over a decade.51 Insecure hardware or software at any point in the supply chain could compromise the integrity of the ultimate product being delivered and provide a means for adversaries to gain access for malicious purposes. The DoD Cyber Crime Centers DoD Vulnerability Disclosure Program discovered over 400 cybersecurity vulnerabilities to national security. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990); Richard K. Betts. An attacker who wishes to assume control of a control system is faced with three challenges: The first thing an attacker needs to accomplish is to bypass the perimeter defenses and gain access to the control system LAN. This means that a singular static assessment is unlikely to capture how vulnerabilities may evolve and change over time.43 Relatedly, a 2018 Government Accountability Office report found pervasive and significant mission-critical vulnerabilities across most weapons systems already under development.44 Between 2012 and 2017, DOD penetration testersindividuals who evaluate the cybersecurity of computer systems and uncover vulnerabilitiesdiscovered mission-critical cyber vulnerabilities in nearly all weapon systems under development.45 Penetration testing teams were able to overcome weapons systems cybersecurity controls designed to prevent determined adversaries from gaining access to these platforms and to maneuver within compromised systems while successfully evading detection. George Perkovich and Ariel E. Levite (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2017), 147157; and Justin Sherman, How the U.S. Can Prevent the Next Cyber 9/11, Wired, August 6, 2020, available at
. Cybersecurity Personnel who secure, defend, and preserve data, networks, net-centric capabilities, and other designated systems by ensuring appropriate security controls and measures are in place, and taking internal defense actions. 1636, available at
. Chinese Malicious Cyber Activity. Most of the attacker's off-the-shelf hacking tools can be directly applied to the problem. It is an open-source tool that cybersecurity experts use to scan web vulnerabilities and manage them. Publicly Released: February 12, 2021. Scholars and practitioners in the area of cyber strategy and conflict focus on two key strategic imperatives for the United States: first, to maintain and strengthen the current deterrence of cyberattacks of significant consequence; and second, to reverse the tide of malicious behavior that may not rise to a level of armed attack but nevertheless has cumulative strategic implications as part of adversary campaigns. Choose which Defense.gov products you want delivered to your inbox. It is common to find RTUs with the default passwords still enabled in the field. "In operational testing, DoD routinely found mission-critical cyber vulnerabilities in systems that were under development, yet program officials GAO met with believed their systems were secure and discounted some test results as unrealistic," GAO said. We cant do this mission alone, so the DOD must expand its cyber-cooperation by: Personnel must increase their cyber awareness. Moreover, the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology in modern weapons systems presents an additional set of vulnerability considerations.39 Indeed, a 2019 DOD Inspector General report found that DOD purchases and uses COTS technologies with known cybersecurity vulnerabilities and that, because of this, adversaries could exploit known cybersecurity vulnerabilities that exist in COTS items.40. Hall, eds., The Limits of Coercive Diplomacy (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994), for a more extensive list of success criteria. A backup control center is used in more critical applications to provide a secondary control system if there is a catastrophic loss of the main system. Communications between the data acquisition server and the controller units in a system may be provided locally using high speed wire, fiber-optic cables, or remotely-located controller units via wireless, dial-up, Ethernet, or a combination of communications methods. The second most common architecture is the control system network as a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) off the business LAN (see Figure 4). Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest news and updates. Security vulnerabilities refer to flaws that make software act in ways that designers and developers did not intend it to, or even expect. Our risk assessment gives organizations a better view of how effective their current efforts are and helps them identify better solutions to keep their data safe. 10 Lawrence Freedman, Deterrence (Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2004), 26. None of the above It may appear counter-intuitive to alter a solution that works for business processes. All of the above 4. Contact us today to set up your cyber protection. See National Science Board, Overview of the State of the U.S. S&E Enterprise in a Global Context, in Science and Engineering Indicators 2018 (Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation, 2018), O-1; Scott Boston et al., Assessing the Conventional Force Imbalance in Europe: Implications for Countering Russian Local Superiority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2018). An official website of the United States Government. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) is the most significant attempt ever undertaken by Congress to improve national cybersecurity and protect U.S. critical infrastructure from nation-state, non-state, and criminal behavior. 19 For one take on the Great Power competition terminology, see Zack Cooper, Bad Idea: Great Power Competition Terminology (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, December 1, 2020), available at . Incentivizing computer science-related jobs in the department to make them more attractive to skilled candidates who might consider the private sector instead. Moreover, the process of identifying interdependent vulnerabilities should go beyond assessing technical vulnerabilities to take a risk management approach to drive prioritization given the scope and scale of networked systems. 51 Office of Inspector General, Progress and Challenges in Securing the Nations Cyberspace (Washington, DC: Department of Homeland Security, July 2004), 136, available at . , Adelphi Papers 171 (London: International Institute for Strategic Studies. Monitors network to actively remediate unauthorized activities. As illustrated in Figure 1, there are many ways to communicate with a CS network and components using a variety of computing and communications equipment. The power and growing reliance on AI generates a perfect storm for a new type of cyber-vulnerability: attacks targeted directly at AI systems and components. 6 Office of the Secretary of Defense, Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China 2020 (Washington, DC: DOD, 2020). Leading Edge: Combat Systems Engineering & Integration, (Dahlgren, VA: NAVSEA Warfare Centers, February 2013), 9; Aegis, https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2166739/aegis-weapon-system/. . False 3. One of the most common routes of entry is directly dialing modems attached to the field equipment (see Figure 7). 33 Austin Long, A Cyber SIOP? (London: Macmillan, 1989); Robert Powell, Nuclear Deterrence Theory: The Search for Credibility. (Sood A.K. large versionFigure 7: Dial-up access to the RTUs. Prior to the 2018 strategy, defending its networks had been DODs primary focus; see The DOD Cyber Strategy (Washington, DC: DOD, April 2015), available at . and international terrorist True DoD personnel who suspect a coworker of possible espionage should report directly to your CI OR security Office See also Martin C. Libicki, David Senty, and Julia Pollak, Hackers Wanted: An Examination of the Cybersecurity Labor Market (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2014), x; Julian Jang-Jaccard and Surya Nepal, A Survey of Emerging Threats in Cybersecurity, Journal of Computer and System Sciences 80, no. This has led to a critical gap in strategic thinkingnamely, the cross-domain implications of cyber vulnerabilities and adversary cyber operations in day-to-day competition for deterrence and warfighting above the level of armed conflict. Recently, peer links have been restricted behind firewalls to specific hosts and ports. As weapon systems become more software- and IT-dependent and more networked, they actually become more vulnerable to cyber-invasion. 35 Relatedly, adversary campaigns to conduct cyber-enabled intellectual property theft against the U.S. military and the defense industrial base are also a concern because they continue to cause staggering losses of national security information and intellectual property. 6395, 116th Cong., 2nd sess., 1940. large versionFigure 15: Changing the database. An attacker wishing control simply establishes a connection with the data acquisition equipment and issues the appropriate commands. Control systems are vulnerable to cyber attack from inside and outside the control system network. To support a strategy of full-spectrum deterrence, the United States must maintain credible and capable conventional and nuclear capabilities. Note that in the case above, Cyber vulnerabilities to dod systems may include All of the above Options. An attacker can modify packets in transit, providing both a full spoof of the operator HMI displays and full control of the control system (see Figure 16). See the Cyberspace Solarium Commissions recent report, available at . The types of data include data from the following sources: the data acquisition server, operator control interactions, alarms and events, and calculated and generated from other sources. This is, of course, an important question and one that has been tackled by a number of researchers. 11 Robert J. Cyber criminals consistently target businesses in an attempt to weaken our nation's supply chain, threaten our national security, and endanger the American way of life. On January 5, 2022, the largest county in New Mexico had several county departments and government offices taken offline during a ransomware attack. 34 See, for example, Emily O. Goldman and Michael Warner, Why a Digital Pearl Harbor Makes Sense . The Pentagon's concerns are not limited to DoD systems. All of the above a. (Washington, DC: DOD, February 2018), available at <, https://media.defense.gov/2018/Feb/02/2001872886/-1/-1/1/2018-NUCLEAR-POSTURE-REVIEW-FINAL-REPORT.PDF, ; Jon Lindsay, Digital Strangelove: The Cyber Dangers of Nuclear Weapons,, https://www.lawfareblog.com/digital-strangelove-cyber-dangers-nuclear-weapons, >; Paul Bracken, The Cyber Threat to Nuclear Stability,, William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, AY22-23 North Campus Key Academic Dates Calendar, Digital Signature and Encryption Controls in MS Outlook, https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ232/PLAW-115publ232.pdf, https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Testimonies/2018-ATA---Unclassified-SSCI.pdf, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. This provides an added layer of protection because no communications take place directly from the control system LAN to the business LAN. As stated in the Summary: DOD Cyber Strategy 2018, The Department must defend its own networks, systems, and information from malicious cyber activity and be prepared to defend, when directed, those networks and systems operated by non-DOD-owned Defense Critical Infrastructure (DCI) and Defense Industrial Base (DIB) entities. Ensuring the Cyber Mission Force has the right size for the mission is important. Modems are used as backup communications pathways if the primary high-speed lines fail. JFQ. System data is collected, processed and stored in a master database server. 2 (January 1979), 289324; Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980); and Thomas C. Schelling, Arms and Influence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966). For instance, it did not call for programs to include cyberattack survivability as a key performance parameter.52 These types of requirements are typically established early in the acquisitions process and drive subsequent system design decisionmaking. large versionFigure 5: Business LAN as backbone. The program grew out of the success of the "Hack the Pentagon". Mark Montgomery is Executive Director of the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission and SeniorDirector of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. Art, To What Ends Military Power?, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Deterrence and Dissuasion in Cyberspace,. For instance, deterrence may have more favorable prospects when it focuses on deterring specific types of behavior or specific adversaries rather than general cyber deterrence.30, Notably, there has been some important work on the feasibility of cross-domain deterrence as it pertains to the threat of employing noncyber kinetic capabilities to deter unwanted behavior in cyberspace. This discussion provides a high level overview of these topics but does not discuss detailed exploits used by attackers to accomplish intrusion. large versionFigure 16: Man-in-the-middle attacks. Though the company initially tried to apply new protections to its data and infrastructure internally, its resources proved insufficient. The operator HMI screens generally provide the easiest method for understanding the process and assignment of meaning to each of the point reference numbers. , ed. 60 House Armed Services Committee (HASC), National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, H.R. 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