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NCCoE Requests Comments on Draft NIST Hybrid Satellite Networks Cybersecurity Framework
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NCCoE Requests Comments on Draft NIST Hybrid Satellite Networks Cybersecurity Framework

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence is seeking comments on the initial public draft of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s cybersecurity framework profile for hybrid satellite networks.

The NIST Interagency Report 8441 will work as a practical tool for organizations involved in the design, acquisition, operation and security of satellite payloads involving HSN, the NCCoE said Tuesday.

Space stakeholders may use the framework to identify data, assets and risks from the CSF that pertain to HSN; use cybersecurity principles and self-assessment to protect HSN; detect cybersecurity-related disturbances of HSN; respond to data anomalies; and resume HSN operations after a cybersecurity incident.

NIST developed the framework in collaboration with subject matter experts including satellite builders, consultants, acquisition authorities, commercial and government operators, academia and other stakeholders.

Interested parties have until July 5 to submit comments on the draft framework.

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CSC 2.0 Report Recommends Ways to Reshape Public-Private Sector Collaboration to Improve Critical Infrastructure Protection
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CSC 2.0 Report Recommends Ways to Reshape Public-Private Sector Collaboration to Improve Critical Infrastructure Protection

The CSC 2.0 project, the successor to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, has released a report offering recommendations to improve collaboration between the public and private sectors in protecting U.S. critical infrastructure and address considerations that require an update to the Presidential Policy Directive 21.

According to the report, PPD-21 created strategic goals for safeguarding critical infrastructure, designated 16 critical infrastructure sectors and assigned a sector-specific agency to each sector.

The report calls for the current administration to rewrite PPD-21 by identifying strategic changes and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as the national risk management agency. It also tasks the administration with facilitating accountability and addressing questions around the organization and designation of critical infrastructure sectors and assigned sector risk management agencies, CSC 2.0 said Wednesday.

According to the document, the White House and Congress should support the PPD-21 rewrite and strengthen the effectiveness of public-private collaboration with several measures.

These include strengthening CISA’s capabilities to carry out its responsibilities as NRMA, resourcing SRMAs for the responsibilities they have and developing a functional capacity to facilitate information sharing across all sectors, as well as organizing public-private collaboration to mitigate systemic and cross-sector risks, identifying a way to support, catalog and protect priority infrastructure and ensuring an effective emergency response.

In April, CSC 2.0 issued a report concluding that space systems should be designated as a U.S. critical infrastructure sector.

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GSA’s Laura Stanton: Automated Contact Center Solutions SIN Could Help Agencies Enhance Citizen Satisfaction
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GSA’s Laura Stanton: Automated Contact Center Solutions SIN Could Help Agencies Enhance Citizen Satisfaction

Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the office of information technology category at the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, said federal agencies that intend to improve citizen experience, increase efficiency and streamline communications should consider using Automated Contact Center Solutions Special Item Number on the Multiple Award Schedule.

The ACCS SIN could enable citizens to quickly access information through a range of voice response options and help agencies automate call routing, call back and other routine activities while allowing agents to focus more on complex tasks, Stanton wrote in a blog post published Monday.

She mentioned that agencies spent over $385 million through the ACCS SIN in 2022 and highlighted the scalability, cost savings and analytics capabilities the special item number offers.

“ACCS provides detailed analytics that can help agencies to identify patterns, track performance, and optimize their call center operations. This data can also be used to identify areas where additional resources may be needed, such as staffing or training,” Stanton noted.

Stanton discussed how a government agency used the special item number to gain additional call center support for hurricane response efforts from small businesses.

“ACCS supports providing the public with ready access to government information and services and helping agencies ensure timely, consistent, and accurate responses to citizen inquiries,” she stated.

DCSA Recognizes 19 Contractors for Meeting Industrial Security Standards
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DCSA Recognizes 19 Contractors for Meeting Industrial Security Standards

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has recognized 19 companies with the 2023 James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award for complying with industrial security review standards.

BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, DCS Corporation, Leonardo DRS, Inmarsat Government and Charles River Analytics were among the recipients of the award recognizing efforts in meeting national industrial security program requirements, DCSA said Wednesday.

According to the agency, the recipients were selected from nearly 12,500 cleared contractors that have maintained their security program management, oversight and implementation capabilities.

Established in 1966, the Cogswell Award’s namesake is the late Air Force Col. James S. Cogswell, the first chief of the Unified Office of Industrial Security.

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Senate Confirms David Crane as DOE Infrastructure Undersecretary; Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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Senate Confirms David Crane as DOE Infrastructure Undersecretary; Jennifer Granholm Quoted

David Crane, a three-decade energy sector veteran, has received confirmation from the Senate to serve as undersecretary for infrastructure at the Department of Energy.

He will oversee clean energy infrastructure deployment initiatives that aim to accelerate job creation, expand the domestic manufacturing sector and manage the climate crisis, , DOE announced Wednesday..

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Crane will be instrumental in helping DOE realize the goals of President Biden’s Invest in America Agenda and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Prior to his confirmation, Crane served as director of DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

Elsewhere in his career, he held chief executive roles at Climate Real Impact Solutions, International Power, NRG Energy and NRG Yield.

Crane also served on the boards of Heliogen, Source Global, Tata Steel and JERA, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric and Chubu Electric.

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President Biden Nominates Senate Committee Staff Director Michael Casey as NCSC Head
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President Biden Nominates Senate Committee Staff Director Michael Casey as NCSC Head

Michael Colin Casey, staff director of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has been nominated by President Joe Biden as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.

The White House on Wednesday announced the nomination for new leadership in the NCSC, a unit within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Casey has been working in his current capacity since January 2016. He coordinates with the minority staff director in leading the committee’s team, and oversees the panel’s daily operations and security.

He previously served as a professional staff member in the House Armed Services Committee, and as legislative director to then Rep. Victor Snyder, D-Ark.

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CISA, FBI Issue Cybersecurity Advisory Against CL0P Ransomware Gang Following MOVEit Attack
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CISA, FBI Issue Cybersecurity Advisory Against CL0P Ransomware Gang Following MOVEit Attack

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have jointly published recommendations to protect organizations against potential attacks by a group called CL0P Ransomware Gang.

CISA announced Wednesday that its new cybersecurity advisory is meant to warn and guide companies and other institutions after Internet-facing web applications were infected with malware traced from the cybercriminals.

The CL0P Ransomware Gang reportedly exploited a vulnerability in a structured query language in MOVEit, a managed file transfer platform developed by Progress Software. Beginning last month, the group infected web applications that used MOVEit and stole data from their underlying databases.

CISA and FBI urged organizations to conduct an inventory that identifies their authorized and unauthorized devices and software. The agencies also reminded that administrator privileges and access should be limited and granted only when necessary.

Software and applications should always be patched and updated to the latest version, and vulnerability assessments should be performed regularly, according to the advisory. The agencies stressed that firewalls, routers and other network infrastructure devices should be strengthened with security configurations and monitored habitually.

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Mark Borkowski to Retire as CBP Chief Acquisition Officer
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Mark Borkowski to Retire as CBP Chief Acquisition Officer

Mark Borkowski, chief acquisition officer and assistant commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, will retire on June 30 after more than four decades of federal service, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

In an email to CBP personnel, he recalled the establishment of the acquisition office 13 years ago, including the development of governance structures and acquisition competencies.

“I have been thinking about retiring for the last several years — but the volatility we have been experiencing (most notably, the COVID pandemic), made me think it was better to stick around for the sake of stability. Now that we are coming to post-pandemic equilibrium, this is a good time for me to leave,” Borkowski wrote in the email obtained by FNN.

Borkowski has led the office of acquisition at CBP since June 2016. Prior to this role, he was assistant commissioner for the office of technology innovation and acquisition. He also served as executive director of the Secure Border Initiative and head of mission support at headquarters for CBP’s Border Patrol.

Prior to CBP, he held the positions of program executive for the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program at NASA’s exploration systems mission directorate and coordinator for the space agency’s Exploration Transportation Strategic Roadmap.

Borkowski is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who served for more than two decades within the service branch.

Gen. Charles Brown Says Multiyear Missile Purchases Key to Stabilize Demand Signal
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Gen. Charles Brown Says Multiyear Missile Purchases Key to Stabilize Demand Signal

Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, said the Department of Defense needs to communicate a steady demand signal to help the defense industrial base keep up with the U.S. military’s demand for missiles, munitions and spare parts, DefenseNews reported Thursday.

Brown said the Air Force is proposing multiyear procurements of Raytheon Technologies‘ AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile and Lockheed Martin‘s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile to establish a steady flow of weapons production.

The Air Force has the authority to make multiyear purchases for weapons under the fiscal year National Defense Authorization Act.

In its budget proposal for FY 2024, the Air Force wants to roughly double its overall missile spending to $4.7 billion from $2.3 billion in the previous year.

“We’ve got to look at multiyear procurements so that it helps give a predictable demand signal to industry,” Brown said.

“And it’s not just the prime [contractors], it’s all the subs below them so they actually have supply chains laid in, they’re [set up with the proper facilities], they have the workforce, and it’s not a little bit up and down and unpredictability,” he added.

In late May, Brown received nomination from President Biden to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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Akima Selects Maria Karisik as GM of Cloud Lake Technology Subsidiary
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Akima Selects Maria Karisik as GM of Cloud Lake Technology Subsidiary

Maria Karisik has been appointed as general manager of Akima subsidiary Cloud Lake Technology, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience to the company.

In her new role, Karisik will drive the delivery of information and operational technology offerings to steer Cloud Lake Technology’s public sector customers toward mission success, the Herndon, Virginia-based organization announced on Wednesday.

“Maria has vast technology expertise and proven experience leading teams that solve complex problems for a wide-range of government customers. Our mission-critical IT business is well-positioned for future growth under her leadership,” said Akima Emerging Markets Group President Barry Smallwood.

Throughout her career, Karisik has assisted a variety of federal clients with high-level technology projects. In her most recent position as vice president of solutions and service delivery at Foxhole Technology, she oversaw cybersecurity and agile software development contracts for both federal civilian and defense customers and led organic and new business growth initiatives.

Previously, Karisik served as director of federal civilian cyber operations at Jacobs, where she was responsible for a portfolio of cybersecurity contracts worth over $100 million.

Earlier, she was a partner for Blue Canopy Group, a woman-owned small business. She joined the company in 2003 as one of its first employees and stayed until it was acquired by Jacobs in 2017.

Alongside her role at Cloud Lake Technology, Karisik will take up the general manager post at fellow Akima subsidiary North Edge Technology.

Akima has recently made multiple executive leadership changes. In February, the organization selected Ross Berkoff as general manager of its RiverTech subsidiary, and a month earlier, Robin Dewar joined Akima as vice president of business development.

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