Today’s world is
more interconnected than ever before. Yet, for all its advantages, increased
connectivity brings increased risk of theft, fraud and abuse. As we become more
reliant on technology, we also become more vulnerable to cyber attacks such as
insider threats, spear phishing and security breaches. Industry and government
are working together to combat these threats, and on June 18, DIA’s Chief
Information Officer Grant Schneider participated in a panel discussion on
insider threat hosted by MeriTalk at the Newseum.
The panel was
moderated by Lee Worthman, NetApp chief technology officer for federal civilian
agencies, and Schneider joined other guest panel members Michael Buckley, chief
of the Operations Analysis Group, Counterintelligence at the Defense Security
Service; and Philip Quade, chief operating officer, Information Assurance
Directorate, National Security Agency.
The panel discussed
changes in agency cyber monitoring and reporting approaches as a result of the
most recent high profile insider threat cases involving Pvt. Bradley Manning
and Edward Snowden. All agreed that insider threat is a top challenge, and the
debate over “need to know” versus “need to share” is a difficult issue that the
intelligence, Department of Defense and civilian sector circles are all trying
to tackle. This debate is compounded by the director of national intelligence’s
push to move the intelligence community toward integrating its information technology
systems.
According to
Schneider, “Securing our data is a prerequisite for sharing our data. If we
can’t assure other agencies that we will secure their data, whether from
insider threat or other, we will never get access to their data.”
The panel members
agreed that combating these threats requires a risk management approach to
everything from security clearance vetting to implementing new tools and
controls. Policy often can’t keep up with technology and can potentially hinder
success if not implemented or updated. According to Buckley, we have to
implement more than perimeter security, “We must get
human resource and physical security personnel involved in helping to look for
indicators of insider threat risk.”