NIPRNet

Last updated

NIPRNet
Part of The United States Department of Defense Computer Networks
Based in United States
Site information
OperatorMultiple Operators
Controlled byThe United States Department of Defense
Open to
the public
No

The Non-classified Internet Protocol (IP) Router Network [1] (NIPRNet) is an IP network used to exchange unclassified information, including information subject to controls on distribution, [2] among the private network's users. The NIPRNet also provides its users access to the Internet.

Contents

It is one of the United States Department of Defense's three main networks. The others include SIPRNet and JWICS. [3]

History

NIPRNet is composed of Internet Protocol routers owned by the United States Department of Defense (DOD). It was created in the 1980s and managed by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to supersede the earlier MILNET. [4]

Security improvements

In the year leading up to 2010 NIPRNet has grown faster than the U.S. Department of Defense can monitor. DoD spent $10 million in 2010 to map out the current state of the NIPRNet, in an effort to analyze its expansion, and identify unauthorized users, who are suspected to have quietly joined the network. [4] The NIPRNet survey, which uses IPSonar software developed by Lumeta Corporation, also looked for weakness in security caused by network configuration. [5] The Department of Defense has made a major effort in the year leading up to 2010, to improve network security. The Pentagon announced it was requesting $2.3 billion in the 2012 budget to bolster network security within the Defense Department and to strengthen ties with its counterparts at the Department of Homeland Security. [6]

Alternative names

SIPRNet and NIPRNet are referred to colloquially as SIPPERnet and NIPPERnet (or simply sipper and nipper), respectively. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense Information Systems Agency</span> United States Department of Defense combat support agency

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), known as the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) until 1991, is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency composed of military, federal civilians, and contractors. DISA provides information technology (IT) and communications support to the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, the military services, the combatant commands, and any individual or system contributing to the defense of the United States.

The Defense Switched Network (DSN) is a primary information transfer network for the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) of the United States Department of Defense. The DSN provides the worldwide non-secure voice, secure voice, data, facsimile, and video teleconferencing services for DOD Command and Control (C2) elements, their supporting activities engaged in logistics, personnel, engineering, and intelligence, as well as other Federal agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet security</span> Branch of computer security

Internet security is a branch of computer security. It encompasses the Internet, browser security, web site security, and network security as it applies to other applications or operating systems as a whole. Its objective is to establish rules and measures to use against attacks over the Internet. The Internet is an inherently insecure channel for information exchange, with high risk of intrusion or fraud, such as phishing, online viruses, trojans, ransomware and worms.

The National Security Agency took over responsibility for all U.S. Government encryption systems when it was formed in 1952. The technical details of most NSA-approved systems are still classified, but much more about its early systems have become known and its most modern systems share at least some features with commercial products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIPRNet</span> Computer network used by the United States Government

The Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) is "a system of interconnected computer networks used by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State to transmit classified information by packet switching over the 'completely secure' environment". It also provides services such as hypertext document access and electronic mail. As such, SIPRNet is the DoD's classified version of the civilian Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intelink</span>

Intelink is a group of secure intranets used by the United States Intelligence Community. The first Intelink network was established in 1994 to take advantage of Internet technologies and services to promote intelligence dissemination and business workflow. Since then it has become an essential capability for the US intelligence community and its partners to share information, collaborate across agencies, and conduct business. Intelink refers to the web environment on protected top secret, secret, and unclassified networks. One of the key features of Intelink is Intellipedia, an online system for collaborative data sharing based on MediaWiki. Intelink uses WordPress as the basis of its blogging service.

The Defense Information System Network (DISN) has been the United States Department of Defense's enterprise telecommunications network for providing data, video, and voice services for 40 years.

The Defense Data Network (DDN) was a computer networking effort of the United States Department of Defense from 1983 through 1995. It was based on ARPANET technology.

The Global Information Grid Bandwidth Expansion (GIG-BE) Program was a major United States Department of Defense (DOD) net-centric transformational initiative executed by DISA. Part of the Global Information Grid project, GIG-BE created a ubiquitous "bandwidth-available" environment to improve national security intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, information assurance, as well as command and control. Through GIG-BE, DISA leveraged DOD's existing end-to-end information transport capabilities, significantly expanding capacity and reliability to select Joint Staff-approved locations worldwide. GIG-BE achieved Full Operational Capability (FOC) on December 20, 2005.

Global Command and Control System (GCCS) is the United States' armed forces DoD joint command and control (C2) system used to provide accurate, complete, and timely information for the operational chain of command for U.S. armed forces. "GCCS" is most often used to refer to the computer system, but actually consists of hardware, software, common procedures, appropriation, and numerous applications and interfaces that make up an "operational architecture" that provides worldwide connectivity with all levels of command. GCCS incorporates systems that provide situational awareness, support for intelligence, force planning, readiness assessment, and deployment applications that battlefield commanders require to effectively plan and execute joint military operations.

A High Assurance Guard (HAG) is a Multilevel security computer device which is used to communicate between different Security Domains, such as NIPRNet to SIPRNet. A HAG is one example of a Controlled Interface between security levels. HAGs are approved through the Common Criteria process.

A security domain is the determining factor in the classification of an enclave of servers/computers. A network with a different security domain is kept separate from other networks. For example, NIPRNet, SIPRNet, JWICS, and NSANet are all kept separate.

The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System is the United States Department of Defense's secure intranet system that houses top secret and sensitive compartmented information. JWICS superseded the earlier DSNET2 and DSNET3, the Top Secret and SCI levels of the Defense Data Network based on ARPANET technology.

The Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) program was a United States Department of Defense (DOD) program sponsored by the U.S. Air Force for a secure, high-capacity global communications network serving the Department of Defense, NASA and the United States Intelligence Community (IC). It was intended as an enabler of net-centric warfare that would facilitate defense and intelligence professionals making rapid decisions based on integrated, comprehensive information. In 2003, the estimated project costs for the period up to 2015 were estimated to US$ 12 billion. In October 2008, the DoD announced that it was postponing making a decision on choosing a contractor to build the system until 2010. In April 2009 Secretary of Defence Robert M. Gates asked that the project be canceled in its entirety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense Technical Information Center</span> US Department of Defense repository for research and engineering information

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Broadcast Service</span> U.S. defense communications project

The Global Broadcast Service (GBS) is a broadcast service rapidly transferring information, which may be classified, for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its deployed and garrisoned units worldwide. Information may include video and digital data. GBS has become a critical piece of the DoD's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture. An advancement in satellite communications, GBS fills two key military communications requirements:

The RIPRNet is a TCP/IP based computer network for joint South Korea-US access, analogous to the SIPRNet.

A variety of networks operating in special security domains handle classified information in the United States or sensitive but unclassified information, while other specialized networks are reserved specifically for unclassified use by the same agencies. Some sites accessed from these networks have been referred to as "classified websites" in official communications, such as the American embassy "Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/pinea/amman/" and "Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity" Some of these trace back to the Defense Data Network which split from the Internet in 1983.

The Host Based Security System (HBSS) is the official name given to the United States Department of Defense (DOD) commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) suite of software applications used within the DOD to monitor, detect, and defend the DOD computer networks and systems. The Enterprise-wide Information Assurance and computer Network Defense Solutions Steering Group (ESSG) sponsored the acquisition of the HBSS System for use within the DOD Enterprise Network. HBSS is deployed on both the Non-Classified Internet Protocol Routed Network (NIPRNet) and Secret Internet Protocol Routed Network (SIPRNet) networks, with priority given to installing it on the NIPRNet. HBSS is based on McAfee, Inc's ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) and other McAfee point product security applications such as Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS).

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to computer security:

References

  1. DISA acronym list
  2. DISA website, "Sensitive but Unclassified IP Data (formerly known as NIPRNet)"
  3. Clarke, R. A., Knake, R. K. (2012) Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to do About it. New York, United States: HarperCollins.
  4. 1 2 Anon, "Lost in the NIPRNET", January 2010, (Accessed 19 April 2011, 6:01pm PST)
  5. Mapping the Pentagon's Networks | Defense News. defensenews.com (24 February 2014). Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  6. ""Pentagon seeks $3.2 billion for revised cyber budget" March, 2011 (Accessed 19 April 2011)". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  7. "Definition of NIPRNet". PCMag. n.d. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. Harold F. Tipton; Micki Krause Nozaki (2010). Information Security Management Handbook, Volume 4 (6th ed.). CRC Press. p. 67. ISBN   9781439819036.