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News | Sept. 7, 2017

Cyber inspection to test DCMA readiness

By Air Force Maj. Shane Huff, DCMA Information Technology DCMA

Defense Contract Management Agency is scheduled for a Command Cyber Readiness Inspection September 18-29. Defense Information Systems Agency representatives will be here conducting the inspection and interacting with employees during that time. Network scans, a part of the inspection process, will begin as early as September 11.

While the CCRI is meant to identify network vulnerabilities, Navy Vice Adm. David Lewis, DCMA director, stresses the workforce should already be practicing good security habits every day.

“There are very real threats, and it’s too easy to get complacent,” Lewis said. “Let’s use the coming inspection as an opportunity to refresh our understanding of individual cybersecurity requirements.”

The CCRI is mandated by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is intended to provide leadership with visibility of key deficiencies in the agency’s cyber environment. The inspection includes an entire scan of DCMA’s network, which has over 13,000 users, 300 servers and over 15,000 other assets.

Robert Annicelli, acting director and chief information officer of DCMA’s Information Technology Directorate, emphasizes that cybersecurity is at the forefront of day-to-day operations for the agency. The security of the networks is key because they contain over 335,000 active contracts, equating to over $5 trillion.

“It’s vital that all DCMA personnel conduct the most secure practices every day when operating on our network,” said Annicelli, whose team produced a video message (login required) giving employees tips about good practices. “Cyber threats from our adversaries are very real, and I cannot stress the importance of security enough.”

The Department of Defense recently initiated the process of elevating U.S. Cyber Command to a unified combatant command in order to strengthen cyberspace operations due to increasing threats. As technology has increased its prominent role in defense, cybersecurity has become a 24/7 responsibility required to safeguard DoD networks from adversarial attacks.

“Cybersecurity is now more of a culture and way of doing business rather than a single activity,” DCMA Senior Information Security Officer Darren King said. “The number and sophistication of attacks has increased over time that we need everyone to understand they have a role and responsibility in keeping our data and system protected.”

DCMA employees at all levels are encouraged to stay up to date on good security practices by going to the IT Education, Training and Awareness page for more training materials.