CRANE, Ind. - Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) is using its expertise in cyber security to support Program Manager Marine Intelligence (PMMI) at Marine Corps Systems Command located in Quantico, Va.
NSWC Crane is supporting PMMI's proof of concept tests to improve their security posture by collaborating to engineer the strategic path forward, which could potentially enhance security across the Marine Corps, Department of Defense (DoD), and eventually other Government and non-Government entities.
As the threats of cyber warfare increase, the effort protect assets across government, industry and academia are becoming increasingly complex. NSWC Crane is connected to the DoD Cyber Security Range using a closed-loop internet protocol (IP) based network. This connection enables NSWC Crane to perform multiple tests between PMMI's tactical intelligence systems, such as penetration tests, source code analysis and PKI-enabled testing, among others, creating an emulated real-world environment for scenarios to take place. These scenarios are proving successful by allowing subject matter experts to identify issues and create solutions before systems are fielded to Marines.
"In an increasingly distributed information technology environment, information security is a critical foundational element of our system design and testing," states Jennifer Edgin, senior technical advisor to the Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Director of Intelligence. "To meet current and future threats we must think differently about how we manage our system baselines. The virtual approach being taken at NSWC Crane marries best commercial practices with traditional standards to continually asses the security posture in a resource efficient manner which is transformative for our baseline management."
NSWC Crane is performing continuous, uninterrupted scans for PMMI over a secure virtual private network through the use of the cyber security range. These scans prevent any time-lapse between known, identified threats and the automated deployment of required patches, which magnifies the security and safety of systems and in turn, saves time, money and potentially lives.
This testing allows NSWC Crane and PMMI to develop processes and procedures to support emerging requirements to include a policy shift from the current DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process system accreditation process to the Risk Management Framework process that includes continuous monitoring and more restrictive baseline management requirements. It is also allows subject matter experts to execute the program and train personnel in the use of new software tools to meet these requirements. In summary, it will allow a more efficient execution of life-cycle maintenance of tactical information systems.
This virtual capability saves travel time and dollars while maintaining system effectiveness. Without the secure network, couriers and engineers were required to travel back and forth to install patches and perform tests which incurred thousands of dollars in cost. This network and proof of concept is saves money and enables transactions to take place in minutes rather than weeks.
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command with focus areas in special missions, strategic missions and electronic warfare. The warfare center's research and development efforts support the warfighter by providing capabilities and resources to advance technologies for the military.
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