Tag Archive for: Quoted

PM Defensive Cyber Operations Transitions to Army’s PEO IEW&S; Brig. Gen. Ed Barker Quoted


The Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic, Warfare and Sensors is building up the U.S. Army’s cyber capabilities with the addition of Project Manager Defensive Cyber Operations.

With the transition, PEO IEW&S is integrating into its portfolio PM DCO’s two key programs: Cyber Platforms and Systems and Cyber Analytics and Detection, the service branch said Thursday.

CPS facilitates the procurement and delivery of cybersecurity tools and related platforms to the armed forces and CAD offers capabilities that enable warfighters to analyze and detect internal and external cyberthreats to the Army.

“The days of the Army being a Kinetic only force are gone. Our ability to operate in multiple domains has become paramount with none more important than mastering the cyber warfare arena,” said Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, PEO for IEW&S.

CISA Issues Binding Directive to Remove Certain Federal Device Interfaces from Public Internet; Jen Easterly Quoted


The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is mandating government entities to remove dedicated device interfaces from public-facing Internet if such platforms are exclusive to authorized users but accessible through remote network protocols.

The agency on Tuesday issued a binding operational directive to fight cyberthreat campaigns that target improperly configured network devices to hack into sensitive federal data.

The directive applies to devices that reside in networks such as routers, proxy servers, switches, firewalls, VPN concentrators, load balancers and even out-of-band server management interfaces. The network protocols of concern include hypertext transfer protocol and hypertext transfer protocol secure, as well as file transfer protocol, trivial FTP, remote desktop protocol and simple network management protocol.

The mandate does not affect networked management interfaces used for cloud service provider platforms.

CISA is also requiring federal civilian executive branch agencies to implement zero trust architecture to control accessibility to the interfaces.

Federal offices are urged to take action within 14 days of discovering that their interface has been exposed.

“Too often, threat actors are able to use network devices to gain unrestricted access to organizational networks, in turn leading to full-scale compromise,” CISA Director Jen Easterly commented. “Requiring appropriate controls and mitigations outlined in this Directive is an important step in reducing risk to the federal civilian enterprise,” the Wash100 honoree added.

BlueHalo Secures DOD Contract for Titan Unmanned Aerial Systems; CEO Jonathan Moneymaker Quoted


A division of defense and aerospace contractor BlueHalo has secured a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for a delivery of the company’s unmanned aerial systems.

As a result of the $24 million contract, BlueHalo Titan Defense will provide its Titan Counter-Unmanned Aerial System product, which is designed using artificial intelligence, machine learning and radio frequency, the Arlington, Virginia-based company said Tuesday.

Jonathan Moneymaker, CEO of BlueHalo and a 2022 Wash100 Award, explained that Titan works by utilizing the aforementioned technologies to hone in on threats and maintain thresholds of safety for warfighters.

Moneymaker cited Titan as a “force multiplier” for military personnel and said it is intended to prevent casualties on the battlefield and will help the DOD meet objectives.

The award also comes on the heels of the DOD’s recognition of the Titan platform as a Program of Record technology, after more than five years of proven effectiveness in combat and domestic usages.

Titan’s products will be employed for pre-deployment processes, mobile security, fixed site protection and dismounted operations by a confidential government agency through the new DOD contract. The line of autonomous systems have been contracted in the past by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, U.S. Special Operations Forces and various federal departments.

In May, BlueHalo filled a $4 million order for Titan C-AUS kits from the Army.

Accenture Federal Services Lands $112M CISA Task Order For FCEB Cybersecurity Support; Aaron Faulkner Quoted


Accenture Federal Services Lands $112M CISA Task Order For FCEB Cybersecurity Support; Aaron Faulkner Quoted

Aaron Faulkner Accenture Federal Services

Accenture Federal Services (AFS) announced on Friday that the company secured a potential, five-year $112 million prime task order by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to protect the Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) systems against cyberattacks.

The contract requires AFS to provide advanced cyber services for CISA to help FCEB agencies mitigate the effects of cyberattacks that include ransomware, botnets and malware campaigns while increasing real-time visibility into cyber threats.

“Now, more than ever, it is crucial for our nation to move from a ‘detect and respond’ to a ‘predict and prevent’ model for dealing with cyberattacks. Our solution delivers a whole-of-government view of the threats we face as a nation. Accenture Federal Services is excited to build upon our track record of delivering highly complex cyber solutions at scale,” commented Aaron Faulkner, AFS managing director and cybersecurity Practice Lead

Cloudflare, as a team member on the CISA Task Order, will partner with AFS to strengthen federal government systems by blocking phishing and malware attacks before they occur and containing breaches that occur on devices, such as laptops and cell phones.

“Cyberattacks are becoming much more sophisticated. As a result of several recent newsworthy breaches, we are all now much more aware of the impact cyber threats can have on our daily lives. We’re proud to partner with AFS in helping to build a more secure and resilient infrastructure for our nation,” stated Matthew Prince, Cloudflare co-founder & CEO. 

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