6 mars 2020 | Local, C4ISR, Sécurité

Pentagon push to boost cybersecurity could affect Canadian suppliers

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

Murray Brewster ·

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

Sur le même sujet

  • Remplacement des avions CF-18 | Ottawa devrait faire son choix en 2022

    6 avril 2021 | Local, Aérospatial

    Remplacement des avions CF-18 | Ottawa devrait faire son choix en 2022

    La saga des nouveaux avions de chasse pour l’armée canadienne, qui dure depuis plus de dix ans, devrait trouver un certain dénouement l’an prochain, malgré les défis et les retards dus à la pandémie, selon le sous-ministre responsable du dossier.

  • Armée canadienne | L’approvisionnement en déroute

    13 avril 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Armée canadienne | L’approvisionnement en déroute

    S'il existe un récif sur lequel le gouvernement fédéral s'échoue continuellement depuis des décennies, c'est bien celui de l'approvisionnement militaire. Aux prises avec des décisions aux conséquences financières considérables, les gouvernements tergiversent, souvent plombés par des enjeux politiques et par l'influence des militaires.

  • Australian F-18s being considered by Canada will need overhaul to keep flying

    16 novembre 2017 | Local, Aérospatial

    Australian F-18s being considered by Canada will need overhaul to keep flying

    Canada is waiting to hear back from Australia on its offer to purchase F-18s from that country. The Australian planes would be added to the RCAF's flight line to shore up the existing fleet of CF-18s. But if that deal does proceed the RCAF expects that structural work will have to be done to extend the lives of the planes. RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood suggested to Defense News and FlightGlobal that L-3 in Quebec would get any upgrade contract since that firm has done similar work for the airforce on its existing CF-18s. But Hood told Defense News at the Dubai airshow that even with that work to be done, the RCAF would be able to acquire the Australian aircraft “within the next couple of years” once a decision is made. http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/australian-f-18s-being-considered-by-canada-to-need-overhaul-to-keep-flying?utm_source=skies-daily-news-news-from-the-web

Toutes les nouvelles