A recent report from the Government Accountability Office reveals that NASA completed some cybersecurity tasks for its major projects, but did not fully execute key elements of its cybersecurity risk management program.
The report, released on Wednesday, is based on GAO’s evaluation of NASA’s cybersecurity policies and risk management processes for four selected systems. According to the government watchdog, the space agency has yet to conduct an organization-wide risk assessment, a vital step for identifying and mitigating high-priority cyber threats across its systems.
GAO also found that selected NASA systems did not document system-level continuous monitoring strategies due to the lack of guidance on how to do so. “Without documented strategies that are fully understood by key cyber personnel, organizations face increased risks of data breaches, delayed detection of threats, and slower responses to attacks,” the report said.
The space agency’s cybersecurity risk management program follows guidelines from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which outlines seven key steps for risk management: prepare, categorize systems, select controls, implement controls, assess control implementation, authorize systems, and continuously monitor security controls. The report found that while NASA had partially or fully implemented most steps, important activities within these steps remained incomplete.
NASA to Invest $80B in Space Exploration Projects
GAO said a comprehensive cybersecurity risk management program is critical to protecting NASA’s systems and information, particularly as the agency plans to invest $80 billion in developing spacecraft and systems for exploring the Earth, the moon and the solar system.
GAO issued 16 recommendations for NASA to address cybersecurity weaknesses. Among the key recommendations are conducting an organization-wide risk assessment, improving the documentation of control assessments, and ensuring that critical controls are properly applied and monitored.
NASA concurred with seven recommendations, partially concurred with four recommendations, and did not concur with the remaining five recommendations.
