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Cyberthreat agency navigates growing pains
IN THE IT PIPELINE
WHAT: The Department of Homeland Security’s Science andTechnology Directorate issued a solicitation designed to attract companies that haven’t participated in government contracting to work on secu- rity solutions for the Internet of Things.
WHY: The OtherTransaction Solicitation is designed to give DHS the flexibility to work with tech startups on innovations that meet growing security needs. In addition to the Internet ofThings, the program will issue awards in the areas of avia-
tion security, border security, cybersecurity, counterterrorism and more.The plan is to use “other transaction” contracting methods to avoid the traditional slow, requirements-driven pro- curement process.
The program will support three- to six-month develop- ment periods, with short-term awards tied to additional add-on development and funding.The framework is a streamlined applications process with fast- track selection timelines, faster payment and quick feedback.
For the Internet ofThings, DHS wants to help its IT and critical infrastructure managers conduct comprehensive and nearly continuous assessments of IoT systems that affect critical operations and assets.
Detecting, authenticating and updating IoT components and connections are among the initial technical areas being explored.
READTHE NOTICE:
is.gd/FCW_DHS
The Obama administration reported- ly gave the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence little to no notice before announcing the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center last February, irking lawmakers and possibly contributing to an inter-branch disagreement over the fiscal 2016 intel- ligence authorization bill.
Nearly a year later, there is agree- ment on Capitol Hill on the need for CTIIC, according to an administra- tion official involved in establishing the agency.
President Barack Obama ordered the center to be housed at the Lib- erty Crossing Intelligence campus in McLean, Va., which is also home to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counter- terrorism Center. The goal is to have CTIIC fully operational by the end of fiscal 2016.
DHS officials were initially con- cerned that CTIIC would replace or supplant DHS’ National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cen- ter, said James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Inter- national Studies. A former DHS official echoed that concern.
However, the administration official, who spoke on the condition of ano- nymity, said any early skepticism from DHS officials has dissipated.
The two centers have different missions. NCCIC is an inward-facing intelligence mechanism, while CTIIC is charged with disseminating cyberthreat information to the private sector. The omnibus package signed into law in December solidifies NCCIC’s lead role in the public/private exchange of cyber- threat data. However, administration officials say there is a need for a new clearinghouse for cyberthreat intelli- gence, a point made painfully clear by the Sony hack and its aftermath.
There was no single place the presi- dent could turn when seeking to assign blame for that incident, which officials have attributed to North Korea. As Lewis put it, administration officials “couldn’t get a coherent intelligence picture,” and DHS lacks the kind of actionable intelligence needed.
CTIIC will fuse analyses from several centers, including NCCIC, the National Security Agency’s Threat Operations Center and the FBI’s National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.
— Sean Lyngaas
jamestownsend
@jamestownsend
What’s the worst that could happen? DOD looking to put classified data in commercial cloud — FCW https://fcw.com/ articles/2015/12/11/lyngaas-dod-classified-data-commercial- cloud.aspx?m=2 ... via @FCWnow
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