Protecting Our Critical Information Technology Systems
Abstract
The United States' open society, coupled with its reliance on technology and information systems, represents a vulnerability which must be protected. Both the Federal Government and the Department of Defense have focused on the problem and have made strides in improving their information assurance and vulnerability assessment processes to better protect our nation's critical information technology systems. One of the main challenges of securing our information technology systems arises from the natural characteristic of vulnerabilities; they can only be fixed once identified. The growth of the internet, as well as our nation's reliance on information technology, however, makes the task even more daunting. Computers and the internet touch almost all aspects of our lives in the United States, from banking/finance to retail to education. The time sensitivity of getting the fixes applied requires seamless coordination among the key players in the Federal Government, military, and civilian sectors. Although efforts are underway to improve the processes and coordination, there is still considerable work to be done. The current processes often leave the combatant commander out of the information loop and blind to potential problems in his theater. This paper evaluates the current Department of Defense processes and structure and offers recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our information assurance and vulnerability assessment process.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 11, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA427670
Entities
People
- Babette M. Lenfant
Organizations
- Naval War College