Changes in DFARS Cybersecurity Enforcement Likely to Impact DoD Contractors
Government's "Deliver Uncompromised" initiative to adopt recommendations described in recent MITRE advisory, making security a "fourth pillar" in procurement actions; webinar Sept. 5 will explain how contractors may be impacted
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the frequency and severity of cyber threats increases, the Department of Defense has imposed regulations to bring about improvements in cybersecurity practices throughout the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). A recent advisory1 from MITRE Corporation has found that current gaps in cybersecurity, especially among the thousands of small and medium sized subcontractors within the defense supply chain, pose a significant risk to national security.
The advisory makes several recommendations for implementing the DoD's "Deliver Uncompromised" policy, designed to serve as a guideline for DoD acquisitions, and a recommendation to elevate security to the position of a "Fourth Pillar" in the acquisition process, equal in importance to cost, schedule, and performance. The advisory also recommends greater oversight and enforcement of the DFARS 252.204-7012 cybersecurity clause now found in virtually all DoD solicitations, and emphasizes the responsibility Prime contractors now bear to ensure the compliance of their subcontractors.
To explain how these recommendations are shaping the future of defense acquisition and how the "Deliver Uncompromised" policy, along with increased enforcement of DFARS regulations, can be expected to impact defense contractors and their suppliers, the Cyber Collaboration Center and eResilience are partnering with Robert Metzger, J.D., of the law firm RJO, to produce and deliver a webinar on this topic, to be broadcast on Wednesday September 5th at 4:00 PM EDT / 1:00 PM PDT. Mr. Metzger is one of the authors of the MITRE advisory report and widely recognized as one of the nation's leading experts in defense supply chain cybersecurity and contract law.
"We're very pleased to have Bob Metzger joining us for this sixth session in our DFARS webinar series," said Gloria Shomo of the non-profit Cyber Collaboration Center. "Bob's insight into how these regulatory and policy changes can translate into real-world impacts for defense contractors is profound, and the content of this session should be very useful to companies of all sizes and types – especially those involved in prime contractor / subcontractor teaming relationships."
More information and registration for the no-cost educational session is available online at www.cybercollaborationcenter.org
About Cyber Collaboration Center (www.cybercollaborationcenter.org): CCC is a non-profit organization established in 2011 to enable security experts from government, academia, and industry to collaborate on critical cybersecurity concerns threatening our nation's networks and IT modernization.
About eResilience (www.eresilience.com): eResilience is a division of Referentia Systems, a National Security Agency (NSA) Trusted Integrator, focused on commercial cybersecurity solutions and risk management, which includes the defense contractor / Defense Industrial Base (DIB) market segment. For DIB clients, eResilience helps defense contractors accelerate the process of meeting all 110+ DFARS 7012 requirements, and provides situational awareness of supply-chain compliance using automated tools and technologies.
About Robert Metzger (https://www.rjo.com/attorneys/robert-s-metzger/): Bob Metzger is one of the top rated defense contract law experts in the country. Named a 2016 " Federal 100 " awardee, Federal Computer Week cited Bob for his "ability to integrate policy, regulation and technology." Chambers USA (2018) ranks Bob among top government contracts lawyers and said that "[h]e is particularly noted for his expertise in cyber and supply chain security with clients regarding him as the 'preeminent expert in cybersecurity regulations and how they affect government contractors.'" He was a member of the task force that produced the 2017 Defense Science Board Cyber Supply Chain Study. Bob is a frequent contributor to defense industry publications, and a consistent advocate for improvement of the nation's cyber defenses.
1 "Deliver Uncompromised: A Strategy for Supply Chain Security and Resilience in Response to the Changing Character of War", by MITRE Corporation, available online at https://www.mitre.org/publications/technical-papers/deliver-uncompromised-a-strategy-for-supply-chain-security
Contact: Larry Lieberman
[email protected] / (808) 840-8580
SOURCE eResilience
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