March 6, 2020 | Local, C4ISR, Security

Pentagon push to boost cybersecurity could affect Canadian suppliers

We're at cyberwar every day' - Ellen Lord, the U.S. undersecretary of defence for acquisition

The Pentagon has been engaged in a quiet, deliberate effort to plug all of the cyber-holes in its high-tech systems and among its defence contractors — an operation that will soon spill across the border into Canada.

Ellen Lord, the U.S. undersecretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment, said today cybersecurity has been one of her biggest concerns since being appointed by the Trump administration two and a half years ago.

Increasingly, major defence contractors have found themselves targeted by hackers from China and Russia who have stolen troves of sensitive data on new and existing weapons systems.

"Bottom line is, I don't think the average American citizen understands that we're at cyberwar every day," Lord told the Conference of Defence Associations Institute's annual meeting in Ottawa today.

The burden of keeping data secure is being placed on the companies themselves, she added.

After consulting with the National Security Agency (NSA), the U.S. electronic spy service and the military's Cyber Command, the Pentagon rolled out a new program in January aimed at forcing defence contractors to deal with points of vulnerability.

"We have written new cyber security standards that we are putting in all of our new contracts," said Lord. "We are looking at the defence industrial base and how they need to address cyber security and how we as a government can hold them accountable."

The initiative includes a cyber security "certification and accreditation" system, similar to the International Organization for Standardization.

Lord said it's not a one-size fits all solution and that companies looking to do business with the Pentagon will have to meet one of five levels of certification, depending upon the contract.

The defence industrial complexes of Canada, Britain and Australia are tightly stitched into the U.S. system. Lord said allies are looking at a similar measures which she hopes to see coordinated with American efforts.

"This is something we're talking with Canada about, with allies and partners, because a lot of us are doing the same thing," she said.

The problems with existing systems — software already in the field — is being dealt with aggressively. Contractors who are responsible for maintaining complex systems on warships and aircraft are being told by the Pentagon to close their potential security gaps.

"We are going to start shutting equipment down if they are not brought up to standard because every day we see [intelligence], we see how much has been compromised," Lord said.

Troy Crosby, head of the Canadian Department of National Defence's materiel branch, said Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada has launched a "cyber secure program" and there's a hope that the two countries can find a way to align their efforts.

Some analysts and critics in the U.S. have argued that contractors — even those that make cyber security a priority — will find the cost of meeting uniform standards prohibitive.

Beyond that, many major contractors have complex supply chains with many smaller companies that also would be required to spend substantial sums of money to keep up with evolving threats.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pentagon-contractors-cyber-security-1.5487452

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December 16, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

Canadian NORAD Region hosts first Arctic Airpower Seminar
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September 17, 2024 | Local, Naval

Ottawa asks defence contractors to make pitches for new submarine fleet | CBC News
The federal government is asking defence contractors in allied nations about the sorts of submarines and maintenance capabilities they could offer Canada.
December 20, 2019 | Local, Naval

Quebec shipyard selected to be new partner under shipbuilding program - will construct six icebreakers
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Canadian government announced today that Chantier Davie has been pre-qualified to become the third strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The NSS's third yard will build six program icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. Davie has demonstrated it meets initial requirements related to experience, capability and capacity, as defined in the Invitation to Qualify issued on August 2, the federal government noted. The NSS is to build ships for the coast guard and Royal Canadian Navy. Davie operates the largest shipyard in Canada. Chantier Davie will now move to the next stage in the selection process, the Request for Proposal and evaluation stage, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada. This will include a third-party assessment of the shipyard's infrastructure, submission of a formal proposal, and a due diligence process to ensure the shipyard is financially capable of performing the work and making any necessary upgrades to its infrastructure. This assessment is similar to the process previously undertaken in 2011 to select Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and Seaspan Shipyards as strategic partners under the NSS. Once the phase is completed, Canadian government will begin negotiations for an umbrella agreement with Davie, which is expected to be put in place in late 2020. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/quebec-shipyard-selected-to-be-new-partner-under-shipbuilding-program-will-construct-six-icebreakers

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Pentagon push to boost cybersecurity could affect Canadian suppliers

We're at cyberwar every day' - Ellen Lord, the U.S. undersecretary of defence for acquisition

On the same subject

Ottawa asks defence contractors to make pitches for new submarine fleet | CBC News The federal government is asking defence contractors in allied nations about the sorts of submarines and maintenance capabilities they could offer Canada.

Ottawa asks defence contractors to make pitches for new submarine fleet | CBC News
The federal government is asking defence contractors in allied nations about the sorts of submarines and maintenance capabilities they could offer Canada.