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Cyber Security and Information Systems Information Analysis Center (CSIAC) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Information Analysis Center (IAC) sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). The CSIAC is a consolidation of three predecessor IACs: the Data & Analysis Center for Software (DACS), the Information Assurance Technology IAC (IATAC) and the Modeling & Simulation IAC (MSIAC), with the addition of the Knowledge Management and Information Sharing technical area. [1]
CSIAC, one of three IACs sponsored by DTIC, [2] performs the Basic Center of Operations (BCO) functions necessary to fulfill the mission and objectives applicable to the DoD Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) and Acquisition communities’ needs. [3] These activities focus on the collection, analysis, synthesizing, processing and dissemination of Scientific and Technical Information (STI).
The BCO functions, specifically the collection and dissemination of STI, produce several valuable resources (e.g., reports, tool databases, data collections, etc.) in the CSIAC's core technology areas (Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Software Engineering, Modeling & Simulation and Knowledge Management/Information Sharing).
CSIAC's mission is to provide the DoD with a central point of access for Information Assurance and Cybersecurity to include emerging technologies in system vulnerabilities, R&D, models and analysis to support the development and implementation of effective defense against information warfare attacks. [4]
The CSIAC is chartered to leverage best practices and expertise from government, industry and academia on cyber security and information technology.
The United States may be vulnerable to Information Warfare attacks due to the dependence of various infrastructures on timely and accurate information services. This is further complicated by the reliance of DoD information systems on commercial or proprietary networks that are accessible to both authorized users and potential adversaries. Identifying critical paths and vulnerabilities within the information infrastructure is a complex undertaking, and recent advances in information technology have made information systems easier to use, less expensive and more available to a wide spectrum of potential adversaries.
The security of the nation depends on the survivability, authenticity and continuity of DoD information systems. These systems are vulnerable to external attacks, due in part to their necessary dependence on commercial systems and the increased use of the Internet. The survivability, authenticity, and continuity of DoD information systems are crucial for the Warfighter. With the increasing amount of concern and Information Warfare activities requiring rapid responses, it is challenging to ensure that all appropriate agencies and organizations have the knowledge and tools to protect from, react to and defend against Information Warfare attacks. CSIAC has been established under the direction of the Defense Technical Information Center and the integrated sponsorship of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASDR&E); Assistant to Secretary of Defense/Networks and Information Integration; and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [5]
CSIAC provides centralized Cyber Security vulnerability data, information, methodologies, models, and analyses of emerging technologies to support the survivability, authenticity, and continuity of operation of Information Systems critical to the nation's defense. It serves as a specialized subject focal point, supplementing DTIC services within DoD Directive 3200.12, DoD Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP), dated February 11, 1998. [6] [5]
The United States is vulnerable to Information Warfare attacks due to its reliance on timely and accurate information services and recent advances in technology have made it easier for potential adversaries to access critical infrastructure. The security of the nation depends on the survivability, authenticity and continuity of DoD information systems, which are vulnerable to external attacks. CSIAC provides centralized Cyber Security vulnerability data and support to ensure the continuity of critical Information Systems for the nation's defense.
To address these vulnerabilities and threats, the United States employs a multi-faceted approach that includes cybersecurity policies, defense strategies, threat intelligence sharing and investments in technology and personnel. Continuous vigilance, collaboration among government agencies, private sector cooperation and international partnerships are essential to protect against information warfare attacks and ensure national security.
Given the evolving Defense environment, as well as recent congressional guidance, the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) recognized an opportunity to reshape the IACs to better respond to DoD mission needs. As a result, DTIC is realigning and consolidating the IAC program structure to achieve several objectives:
To achieve these objectives, DTIC is forming new, consolidated IAC Basic Centers of Operation (BCOs). The BCOs are managed by both industry and academia. The DoD establishes IAC BCOs in areas of strategic importance, such as cyber security and information systems. An IAC BCO serves as the center for its technical community, and, as such, must maintain a connection with all of the key stakeholders within that community, to understand ongoing activities, current information, future strategies, and information needs.
This mission remains unchanged in the new IAC structure. However, what the new approach brings is expanded scope, increased focus on technical information needs, and enhanced agility, as the Defense environment continues to evolve.
BCOs will still analyze and synthesize scientific and technical information (STI). However, they are also to take on an expanded role in program analysis and integration by assessing and shaping nearly $6 billion in Technical Area Tasks (TATs). TATs are a companion offering of the IAC Program, through which DTIC leverages industry and academia's best and brightest to conduct research and analysis, developing innovative solutions to the most challenging requirements. IAC BCOs will ensure consistency with and reduce duplication of prior or other ongoing work by helping to ensure TATs are more responsive both to customer needs and broader DoD imperatives. BCOs are also required to ensure that TAT results are properly documented and made available for broad dissemination. This approach both achieves cost savings and reduces risks, ensuring that in this time of shrinking budgets and evolving requirements, the Defense community leverages all available knowledge to identify and implement innovative solutions.
The CSIAC BCO represents the first awarded BCO under the new DTIC structure. As its name suggests, CSIAC's main technical focus is on Cyber Security and Information Systems. CSIAC merges the software engineering technology area of the DACS, the modeling & simulation technology area of the MSIAC, and the information assurance technology area of the IATAC together. It will also address two new technology focus areas: knowledge management and information sharing. Additionally, CSIAC will expand into other areas of importance and closely monitor new technologies as they emerge. [8]
CSIAC operates under the direction of our Government Steering Committee. The committee is made up of 19 individuals from the Government, DoD, and the research and development (R&D) communities, including representation from the Defense Information Assurance Program (DIAP), Joint Task Force for Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO), National Security Agency (NSA), Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and the Navy Information Operations Command - Norfolk, to name a few. The steering committee meets once a year and provides input and feedback to CSIAC's operations, particularly our information collection and dissemination efforts. Additionally, the topics of the technical reports that CSIAC authors write are dictated by the Steering Committee. [5]
The Cyber Security and Information Systems Information Analysis Center (CSIAC) is a U.S. Department of Defense Information Analysis Center (IAC) sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASDR&E). CSIAC is hosted by Quanterion Solutions Incorporated.
The CSIAC team members consist of a BCO, Tier 1 team members, and Tier 2 team members.
Quanterion Solutions Incorporated, a small business in Utica, New York was awarded the CSIAC contract in fall of 2012. [9]
In addition to the Tier One team members, the CSIAC team includes Tier Two organizations, that provide reach-back support with subject matter experts (SMEs) that assist with technical inquiries, State-of-the-Art reports (SOARs), and core Analysis Tasks (CATs). The Tier 2 organizations of the CSIAC team include:
CSIAC's strategy to address the broadened scopes of the three IACs (DACS, IATAC, MSIAC), as well as the new areas of knowledge management and information sharing is to build and facilitate a Community of Practice (CoP) for the cyber security and information systems community. [8]
The CSIAC website (www.thecsiac.com) provides the infrastructure for the CoP and serves as the catalyst. The CSIAC website is member driven and encourages participation from the CSIAC community supported by CSIAC resources and activities. The website emphasizes unifying CSIAC resources and its members by supporting conversions and collaborations. [8]
The CoP supports the entire operation of the CSIAC, including information collection, analysis, and dissemination. [8]
CSIAC's Subject Matter Expert (SME) Network is one of the most valuable resources to the user community.[ citation needed ] They provide a wealth of knowledge and information to the center through a variety of means. For example, SMEs are the main contributors of journal articles and webinar presentations. They are also available to respond to inquiries, assist with State-of-the-Art reports (SOARs), and perform research and analysis to support Core Analysis Tasks (CATs). [15]
CSIAC SMEs are those individuals who are considered to be experts in the fields that fall within the CSIAC's technical domain (i.e., cybersecurity, information assurance, software engineering, Modeling & Simulation, and Knowledge Management/Information Sharing). No single criterion provides the basis for being considered an expert, but instead it is based on a combination of factors, including an individual's:
The database consists of a wide range of SMEs from various backgrounds. Among those are members of the CSIAC's technical staff, key individuals from team member organizations, retired senior military leaders, leading academic researchers, and industry executives.
The CSIAC provides up to four hours of free technical inquiry research to answer users’ most pressing technical questions. Technical inquiries submitted online are sent directly to an analyst who identifies the staff member, CSIAC team member, or Subject Matter Expert (SME) that is best suited to answer the question. The completed response will be sent to the user, and can take up to 10 working days; though they are typically delivered sooner. [16]
Challenging technical problems that are beyond the scope of a basic inquiry (i.e., require more than four hours of research) can be solved by initiating a Core Analysis Task (CAT). CATs are separately funded work efforts over and above basic CSIAC products and services. Through the CAT program, the CSIAC can be utilized as a contracting vehicle, enabling the DoD to obtain specialized support for specific projects. These projects, however, must be within the CSIAC's technical domain (cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Software Engineering, Modeling & Simulation, and Knowledge Management/Information Sharing). [17]
Some of the advantages of the IAC CAT program include:
CSIAC collects IA/DIO related STI to share with the DoD, other federal agencies, their contractors, and the research and engineering (R&E) community. The STI program is governed by DoD Directive 3200.12, DoD STI Program. [18]
CSIAC has thousands of IA/DIO-related documents in their technical repository. [19] This collection is a combination of both classified and unclassified material. All of CSIAC's documents are uploaded to DTIC Online Access Control (DOAC), which is an online repository of STI from all of DTIC's IAC's. [20]
CSIAC's library facilitates knowledge sharing between diverse groups and organizations, and all STI is readily accessible to the IA/DIO community within the classification and secondary distribution instructions. [21]
All STI collected by CSIAC is relevant to IA/CS research, development, engineering, testing, evaluation, production, operation, use, or maintenance. STI is collected in many forms including text-based documents, multimedia, and rich media files. Some topic areas include: Biometrics, Computer Network Attack, Computer Network Defense, Cyber Terrorism, Hacking, Information Warfare, Network-centric Warfare, Malicious Code, Product Evaluations, among others. CSIAC collects unclassified submissions from across all of the IA/CS community.
The CSIAC maintains an online calendar of events related to the interests of its members. The Events Calendar is also available as an RSS feed or a HTML viewable from the CSIAC website. [22]
Software & Systems Cost & Performance Analysis Toolkit (S2CPAT) is a web-based toolkit with the goal of capturing and analyzing software engineering data from completed software projects that can be used to improve:
S2CPAT currently allows users to search for similar software projects and use the data to support:
The S2CPAT repository contains Software Resources Data Report (SRDR) [ permanent dead link ] data provided by the US Air Force. This data has been sanitized for public release by DoD and validated by a DoD-funded academic research team. [23]
CSIAC publishes three types of reports on current Cyber Security and Information Systems topics:
CSIAC's Journal of Cyber Security & Information Systems is a quarterly technical journal written from a DoD perspective and contains the following: synopses and critiques of significant, newly acquired reports and/or journal articles; summaries of the initiation of new R&D programs; listing or calendar of future conferences, symposia, etc.; and summaries of significant technological breakthroughs and significant new technological applications and highlights of any other outstanding developments. News from various DoD CSIAC programs that would be of interest to other DoD organizations may also be included. The journal is distributed in print and electronic format to registered CSIAC subscribers free of charge and is available for viewing and download from the CSIAC website. [30]
Journal sources are direct invitations, publishing "Call for Papers", and unsolicited submissions. Direct invites are the most common method, usually by contacting conference presenters and asking if they could write something based on their presentation. Authors are solicited for their expertise or experience relative to the theme of the journal issue.
The CSIAC's Information Assurance (IA) Digest is a semi-weekly news summary for information assurance and software reliability professionals protecting the Global Information Grid (GIG). It is transmitted in an HTML-formatted email and provides links to articles and news summaries across a spectrum of cyber security, information assurance, and information systems topics. [30]
Computer security, cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology security is the protection of computer systems and networks from attacks by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, theft of, or damage to hardware, software, or data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.
The SANS Institute is a private U.S. for-profit company founded in 1989 that specializes in information security, cybersecurity training, and selling certificates. Topics available for training include cyber and network defenses, penetration testing, incident response, digital forensics, and auditing. The information security courses are developed through a consensus process involving administrators, security managers, and information security professionals. The courses cover security fundamentals and technical aspects of information security. The institute has been recognized for its training programs and certification programs. Per 2021, SANS is the world’s largest cybersecurity research and training organization. SANS is an acronym for SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security.
The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) is a division of the Office of Cyber Security & Communications, within the United States Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Formed from the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, the National Infrastructure Protection Center, the Federal Computer Incident Response Center, and the National Communications System, NCSD opened on June 6, 2003. The NCSD mission is to collaborate with the private sector, government, military, and intelligence stakeholders to conduct risk assessments and mitigate vulnerabilities and threats to information technology assets and activities affecting the operation of the civilian government and private sector critical cyber infrastructures. NCSD also provides cyber threat and vulnerability analysis, early warning, and incident response assistance for public and private sector constituents. NCSD carries out the majority of DHS’ responsibilities under the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative. The FY 2011 budget request for NCSD is $378.744 million and includes 342 federal positions. The current director of the NCSD is John Streufert, former chief information security officer (CISO) for the United States Department of State, who assumed the position in January 2012.
Software assurance (SwA) is a critical process in software development that ensures the reliability, safety, and security of software products. It involves a variety of activities, including requirements analysis, design reviews, code inspections, testing, and formal verification. One crucial component of software assurance is secure coding practices, which follow industry-accepted standards and best practices, such as those outlined by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in their CERT Secure Coding Standards (SCS).
Information security standards or cyber security standards are techniques generally outlined in published materials that attempt to protect the cyber environment of a user or organization. This environment includes users themselves, networks, devices, all software, processes, information in storage or transit, applications, services, and systems that can be connected directly or indirectly to networks.
An information assurance vulnerability alert (IAVA) is an announcement of a computer application software or operating system vulnerability notification in the form of alerts, bulletins, and technical advisories identified by US-CERT, https://www.us-cert.gov/ US-CERT is managed by National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), which is part of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). CISA, which includes the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) realigned its organizational structure in 2017, integrating like functions previously performed independently by the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) and the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT). These selected vulnerabilities are the mandated baseline, or minimum configuration of all hosts residing on the GIG. US-CERT analyzes each vulnerability and determines if it is necessary or beneficial to the Department of Defense to release it as an IAVA. Implementation of IAVA policy will help ensure that DoD Components take appropriate mitigating actions against vulnerabilities to avoid serious compromises to DoD computer system assets that would potentially degrade mission performance.
The Defense Technical Information Center is the repository for research and engineering information for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DTIC's services are available to DoD personnel, federal government personnel, federal contractors and selected academic institutions. The general public can access unclassified information through its public website.
ManTech International Corporation is an American defense contracting firm based in Herndon, Virginia. It was co-founded in 1968 by Franc Wertheimer and George J. Pedersen. The company uses technology to help government and industry clients. The company name "ManTech" is a portmanteau formed through the combination of "management" and "technology."
The Data & Analysis Center for Software (DACS) was one of several United States Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored Information Analysis Centers (IACs), administered by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). It was managed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and operated by Quanterion Solutions Inc. under a long term DoD contract. This organization was consolidated into the Cyber Security and Information Systems Information Analysis Center (CSISAC).
DoDTechipedia is a wiki developed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), to facilitate increased communication and collaboration among DoD scientists, engineers, program managers, acquisition professionals and operational warfighters. DoDTechipedia is a living knowledge base that reduces duplication of effort, encourages collaboration among program areas and connects capability providers with technology developers. DoDTechipedia runs on Confluence wiki engine, unlike a number of MediaWiki-based government wikis like Diplopedia and Bureaupedia.
The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) is designated as a Federal Cyber Center by National Security Presidential Directive 54/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23, as a Department of Defense (DoD) Center Of Excellence for Digital and Multimedia (D/MM) forensics by DoD Directive 5505.13E, and serves as the operational focal point for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity program. DC3 operates as a Field Operating Agency (FOA) under the Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force.
Control system security, or industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity, is the prevention of interference with the proper operation of industrial automation and control systems. These control systems manage essential services including electricity, petroleum production, water, transportation, manufacturing, and communications. They rely on computers, networks, operating systems, applications, and programmable controllers, each of which could contain security vulnerabilities. The 2010 discovery of the Stuxnet worm demonstrated the vulnerability of these systems to cyber incidents. The United States and other governments have passed cyber-security regulations requiring enhanced protection for control systems operating critical infrastructure.
Information Assurance Technology Analysis Center (IATAC) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Government Organization. IATAC is an Information Assurance and Cyber Security (CS) Information Analysis Center (IAC), which is administered by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).
IEC 62443 is an international series of standards that address cybersecurity for operational technology in automation and control systems. The standard is divided into different sections and describes both technical and process-related aspects of automation and control systems cybersecurity.
A cyberattack is any offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, computer networks, infrastructures, personal computer devices, or smartphones. An attacker is a person or process that attempts to access data, functions, or other restricted areas of the system without authorization, potentially with malicious intent. Depending on the context, cyberattacks can be part of cyber warfare or cyberterrorism. A cyberattack can be employed by sovereign states, individuals, groups, societies or organizations and it may originate from an anonymous source. A product that facilitates a cyberattack is sometimes called a cyber weapon. Cyberattacks have increased over the last few years. A well-known example of a cyberattack is a distributed denial of service attack.
In cybersecurity, cyber self-defense refers to self-defense against cyberattack. While it generally emphasizes active cybersecurity measures by computer users themselves, cyber self-defense is sometimes used to refer to the self-defense of organizations as a whole, such as corporate entities or entire nations. Surveillance self-defense is a variant of cyber self-defense and largely overlaps with it. Active and passive cybersecurity measures provide defenders with higher levels of cybersecurity, intrusion detection, incident handling and remediation capabilities. Various sectors and organizations are legally obligated to adhere to cyber security standards.
Code Dx, Inc. was an American software technology company active from 2015 to 2021. The company's flagship product, Code Dx, is a vulnerability management system that combines and correlates the results generated by a wide variety of static and dynamic testing tools. In 2021, the company was acquired by Synopsys.
Assured Compliance Assessment Solution (ACAS) is a software set of information security tools used for vulnerability scanning and risk assessment by agencies of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It performs automated vulnerability scanning and device configuration assessment. ACAS was implemented by the DoD in 2012, with contracts awarded to Tenable, Inc. (then known as Tenable Network Security) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services to improve cybersecurity within the DoD. It is mandated by regulations for all DoD agencies and is deployed via download. Part of the ACAS software monitors passive network traffic, new network hosts, and applications that are vulnerable to compromise. It also generates required reports and data that are remotely accessible, with a centralized console, and is Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) compliant. The Defense Information Systems Agency's Cyber Development (CD) provides program management and support in the deployment of ACAS. The Army's Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate said in 2016 that ACAS gives the Army "a clear, specific and timely picture of cyber vulnerabilities and how they are being addressed. Not only does the technology streamline processes at the operator level, it also enables broader goals such as the Cybersecurity Scorecard and automated patching for improved mission assurance."
William "Chuck" Easttom II is an American computer scientist specializing in cyber security, cryptography, quantum computing, and systems engineering.
Kamal Toufic Jabbour is a retired member of the Scientific and Professional Career Service of the United States of America SES having served for 15 years as the United States Air Force Senior Scientist for Information Assurance. He is also the Founding Director of the Advanced Course in Engineering Cyber Security Boot Camp for ROTC cadets, developer of the Bachelor of Science in Cyber Engineering, and designer of the trademarked Cyber Blue Book for cyber vulnerability assessment of Air Force missions and weapons.
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