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NIST Publishes 2 Final Documents on Patch Management
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NIST Publishes 2 Final Documents on Patch Management

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published two new documents underscoring the necessity of timely patching to ensure organizations continue to have a strengthened cybersecurity posture.

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence said Wednesday one final publication, “Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Planning: Preventive Maintenance for Technology”, recommends creating and implementing a strategy for simplifying and running patches and lessening risks related to doing computer preventive maintenance efforts.

The mentioned NIST Special Publication 800-40 Revision 4 is meant for organization leadership, business owners and security or technology management groups. The guide was initially released in 2013.

Another final publication is NIST SP 1800-31 titled “Improving Enterprise Patching for General IT Systems: Utilizing Existing Tools and Performing Processes in Better Ways”. It offers more information on how to enhance the use of patching capabilities, building upon the SP 800-40 Revisions 3 and 4 work.

In addition, the release tackles patching situations where commercial tools were used for routine and emergency maintenance, as well as presents temporary patching alternatives.

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DISA Authorizes CrowdStrike Platform for Controlled Unclassified Defense Info Protection
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DISA Authorizes CrowdStrike Platform for Controlled Unclassified Defense Info Protection

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has cleared a cloud-based CrowdStrike technology product to support cybersecurity of the Department of Defense’s controlled unclassified data.

CrowdStrike received one-year provisional authorization to operate that allows the company to help DOD customers adopt its endpoint security platform to handle Impact Level 4 information, DISA said Wednesday.

DISA set March 24, 2023, as the expiration date on CrowdStrike’s P-ATO.

The software-as-a-service offering is certified under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s Moderate Impact baseline, hosted in the AWS GovCloud region and designed to help organizations protect devices, workload and user identities.

For Crowdstrike, the clearance from DISA marks a milestone in the company’s push to expand the public sector market reach of its Falcon cybersecurity platform.

The technology vendor said Thursday it aims to secure IL-5 authorization to help DOD secure national security systems.

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Johns Hopkins Team Upgrading MOSAICS Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Tech
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Johns Hopkins Team Upgrading MOSAICS Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Tech

A team led by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is working on more functionalities for an industrial control system cybersecurity prototype currently used by the U.S. Navy.

APL cybersecurity engineer Harley Parkes said in a Tuesday statement that development is focused on making the More Situational Awareness for Industrial Control Systems technology deployable in new locations without the laboratory’s help.

MOSAICS provides capabilities for detecting and characterizing cyberattacks on military systems, with the technology successfully identifying malicious activities during initial testing at Naval Facilities Southwest in California in August.

Such a performance pushed the Navy to license the technology for additional one-year use and seek funding for deployments on additional bases.

“Beyond the success of the planned testing, the incident with the contractor demonstrated the true value of MOSAICS — it can help operators determine, when they see a physical effect on their system, whether that’s due to mechanical failure or a cyberattack,” shared Parkes.

According to Ray Yuan, APL’s cyber operations mission area executive, future work on MOSAICS would involve incorporating autonomous features that would enable defense and repair operations without human intervention.

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Bob Girrier Named VP Overseeing Global Developments, Joint Integration at Cypress International; David D. Halverson Quoted
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Bob Girrier Named VP Overseeing Global Developments, Joint Integration at Cypress International; David D. Halverson Quoted

U.S. Navy veteran Bob Girrier has been appointed vice president for global trends, joint integration and autonomy at Cypress International.

Retired Rear Admiral Girrier’s instatement was effective April 1. In his new position, he will be in charge of expanding the company’s global footprint and leading strategic planning efforts.

David D. Halverson, CEO and chairman of Cypress, emphasized Girrier’s nearly four decades of leadership experience.

“[Girrier’s] demonstrated expertise in applying new technology and innovation to growing global security challenges is an excellent addition to the Cypress team.”

Girrier served 18 years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer, commanding two carrier strike groups, global mine warfare operations and a destroyer squadron, as well as a destroyer and a mine countermeasures ship. In this time he accrued experience with integrated air and missile defense in addition to strike, anti-submarine and anti-surface combat.

He also organized and oversaw the Navy’s first office focused on the design, prototyping and testing of maritime unmanned, air, surface and undersea systems. Additionally, he brings knowledge of joint operations to Cypress from his positions as deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet and director of operations for the Pacific Command.

Since 2020, Girrier has been a senior fellow in the China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division at the Center for Naval Analyses. Prior to joining Cypress, he spent three years as CEO and president of Pacific Forum. The nonprofit research institute is centered on foreign policy and its team of analysts offer updates on political, security and strategic occurences in the Indo-Pacific arena.

The former rear admiral also co-wrote editions of seven different instructional naval texts such as the third edition of Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations and the sixth and seventh editions of Command at Sea.

Girrier’s deep knowledge base of international affairs and naval protocol will be an asset as he leads the global trends, joint integration and autonomy segment for Cypress, which offers consultant services to primarily Department of Defense customers.

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David Gauthier: NGA More Than Doubles EO Imagery Purchases to Help Ukraine
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David Gauthier: NGA More Than Doubles EO Imagery Purchases to Help Ukraine

David Gauthier, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s director of commercial and business operations, said the NGA significantly increased its procurement of electro-optical imagery systems amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Defense News reported Thursday.

Gauthier said at the Space Symposium that the agency purchased electro-optical technology from Maxar, BlackSky and other companies in the U.S.

The director’s team had Ukrainian analysts connect with companies to speed up service deliveries. NGA is also accelerating efforts to procure new commercial services in support of humanitarian activities.

“We really do need a spectrum across the board that lets us bring new commercial solutions to the fight almost instantly,” Gauthier said.

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US, UK Militaries Agree to Cooperate More in Space
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US, UK Militaries Agree to Cooperate More in Space

The U.S Space Command has signed a memorandum of agreement with its U.K. counterpart to increase their collaborative military efforts in space.

USSPACECOM said Wednesday it will work with the U.K. Space Command on improving information sharing, synchronizing space requirements and identifying potential joint initiatives under the non-legally binding framework.

The efforts are aimed at securing operational freedom in space and enhancing resource use and mission assurance and resilience in the domain outside Earth.

Gen. James Dickinson, commander of USSPACECOM, and Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, commander of UKSpaceCom, inked the deal during the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The MOU followed a statement of intent from the Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defence in December.

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Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Todd III: Innovation Needed for Future Military Success
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Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Todd III: Innovation Needed for Future Military Success

Lt. Gen. Thomas Todd III, chief innovation officer of the U.S. Army Futures Command, has called for breakthrough technologies in the aviation sphere to ensure the future success of the service branch. 

He told attendees of the 2022 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in Tennesse that ambitious innovations such as air-launched effects and directed energy weapons would help the military secure decisive victories, the Army said Wednesday.

In line with his innovative idea, Todd, also AFC’s deputy commanding general for acquisition and systems and chief innovation officer, shared with attending aviation leaders, experts and aficionados that his command has been working on experiments every year to help suggest integrated capabilities to leaders annually.

“Speed, range, convergence, decision dominance and overmatch — we work hard each and every day at Army Futures Command to make that a reality,” explained Todd.

He pointed out that partnerships with the industry are necessary to complete innovative projects such as the next-generation aircraft, long-range fires and advanced aviation and missile technologies.

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NASA Taps 5 Universities to Plan Experiments for ISS
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NASA Taps 5 Universities to Plan Experiments for ISS

NASA has selected five universities to design research experiments that will take place on the International Space Station.

Each awardee will receive approximately $100,000 to formulate these experiments under the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research or EPSCoR program, the space agency said Thursday.

EPSCoR, led by Kennedy Space Center, aims to extend opportunities to institutions that do not normally have the jurisdiction to participate in aerospace research efforts.

Projects under EPSCoR align with NASA’s efforts, including Artemis, to pursue deep-space exploration and long-term lunar presence.

Among awardees, the University of Nebraska will demonstrate its robotic technology designed to perform surgery in space. This project aims to determine how much force is needed for an operation with this technology in a microgravity environment.

The awardees are:

  • Montana State University, Bozeman
  • New Mexico State University, Las Cruces
  • University of Delaware, Newark
  • University of Idaho, Moscow
  • University of Nebraska, Omaha
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Air Force Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien Nominated as Joint Staff CIO, J6 Director
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Air Force Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien Nominated as Joint Staff CIO, J6 Director

Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, has announced the nomination of Air Force Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien to serve as chief information officer and director for command, control, communications and computers at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

O’Brien, who serves as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations at the U.S. Air Force headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, is also nominated for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

In her current role, O’Brien oversees six directorates and supports the Air Force’s 73,000-person intelligence and cyber operations team.

If confirmed by the Senate, O’Brien will replace Lt. Gen. Dennis Crall, a fellow 2022 Wash100 Award winner, who has held the role since 2020.

The Joint Staff J6 advises the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on advancing cyber defense, interoperability and command and control capabilities to maintain national security.

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Heidi Shyu Highlights Need for Strong R&D Foundation, Offers Updates on Critical Tech Areas
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Heidi Shyu Highlights Need for Strong R&D Foundation, Offers Updates on Critical Tech Areas

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, on Wednesday appeared before a Senate Armed Services Committee subpanel to discuss DOD’s efforts to advance innovation and deliver capabilities to warfighters.

Shyu told lawmakers about the need to have a robust research and development foundation in order for the U.S. military to maintain its technological advantage.

“We must make a commitment to science and technology, especially in basic research. We also have to attract and retain the best and brightest people while supplying them with world-class research and development infrastructure,” Shyu told members of the Senate panel’s emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee.

“And the Department will rapidly prototype and perform joint experimentation and collaborate across the technology ecosystem,” she added.

In a written testimony, Shyu provided updates on developments in 5G, hypersonics, biotechnology, microelectronics and other critical technology areas in support of the National Defense Strategy.

She said more than 65 5G-related contracts involving over 100 companies have been awarded to date, and DOD is conducting experiments with seven 5G use cases to help address warfighting requirements in smart warehouse and logistics, augmented reality and dynamic spectrum sharing, among others.

For hypersonics, Shyu said the department is expediting plans to facilitate rapid development of hypersonic weapons to enable the deployment of operational prototypes by the mid-2020s.

She also highlighted the need to improve partnerships between public and private sectors and expand collaboration with academic institutions, allies and partners.

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