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Executive Mosaic’s Weekly GovCon Round-up: Cybersecurity, China, NIST and More

 

The Week’s Top GovCon News Stories
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Weekly Roundup
June 12 – June 16 2017

A Note From Our President & Founder Jim Garrettson

Many agencies, companies, organizations and individuals were caught off-guard by the recent rise in cyber crime.

Malicious software developers and hackers have been emboldened as malware and ransomware becomes more sophisticated. Unfortunately, it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better.

On Tuesday, lawmakers met in an open hearing to discuss the cyber threat landscape affecting both U.S. government activities and private businesses. Industry experts warned lawmakers Tuesday that hackers backed by the Chinese government appear to be targeting private U.S. companies and organizations. Samantha Ravich, an advisor to a D.C.-based think-tank, reported that there has been a resurgence of economic-related espionage by Chinese hackers and that the hackers have returned to “business as usual.”

Stealing trade secrets, intellectual property and confidential information are just some of the weapons Chinese cyber espionage operators have used against U.S. businesses. Damages resulting from these activities range from approximately $180 to $540 billion, according to British insurance company Lloyds.

Although the U.S. government has taken many steps to address cybersecurity concerns and protect assets like .gov and .mil sites, businesses are often left without funding or adequate tools to “detect, evaluate and address cyber-enabled economic threats,” Ravich told the Senate. The private sector is left to fend for itself — a situation she described as “untenable” considering the nature of the adversary: China.

In an effort to address and strengthen U.S. cybersecurity practices holistically, President Trump ordered NIST to create the Cybersecurity Framework. The Framework is the product of collaboration in the security industry and is designed to establish common standards for “everyone from InfoSec professionals to executives across industries,” which would strengthen the cybersecurity strategies of both the individual entities and the collective group. NIST’s framework would ensure that everyone is using the same language and definitions, enabling easier communication when sharing tactics, deployment and improvements to cybersecurity strategies.

Federal agencies and private sector companies will have to cooperate extensively in order to address the mounting concerns over U.S. cybersecurity practices. A symbiotic relationship between the two will have to be adopted so that our nation’s cyber defenses can be shored up and provide adequate protection. This will likely lead to a veritable cornucopia of opportunities for cybersecurity service providers and consultants, as their expertise will be an invaluable resource when implementing NIST’s cybersecurity measures.

THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES

CSRA Gets Potential $498M DISA Contract for MilCloud 2.0 Infrastructure Services
CSRA has won a potential $498 million contract from the Defense Information Systems Agency to provide commercial infrastructure services for the milCloud 2.0 private cloud platform for Defense Department networks.
Boeing to Form 4 Smaller Business Units in Defense Segment Revamp
Boeing will divide the network and space systems and military aircraft segments within its defense, space and security business unit into four smaller entities in a move that will take effect July 1.
4 Firms Land Spots on $1.73B Navy Drone ISR Services IDIQ
The U.S. Navy has awarded four companies positions on a potential five-year, $1.73 billion contract to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support services for land and maritime-based unmanned aerial systems.
Tillerson: 28 Percent Cuts in State Dept. Spending will be Recovered by ‘Private Sector’
Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said Tuesday that the private sector will make up for the 28 percent reduction in U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid spending that President Trump’s budget calls for.
Harris Wins Potential $255M IDIQ to Replace USSOCOM Legacy Manpack Radios
Harris has won a potential six-year, $255 million contract from the U.S. Special Operations Command to build a manpack radio system that will replace current radio models such as AN/PRC-117F and AN/PRC-117G.
Christian Marrone Elevates to CSRA SVP Post
Christian Marrone, a CSRA vice president and chief of staff, has been promoted to a senior VP role at the Falls Church, Virginia-based technology services contractor, GovCon Wire has learned.
Raytheon Lands $600M Army Software Sustainment Contract; Dave Wajsgras Comments
Raytheon has received a potential $600 million contract to provide software sustainment and modernization services for the U.S. Army’s missile defense systems and other strategic platforms.
Jim Scanlon: SAIC to Continue Army Software Engineering Directorate Support Under $404M OASIS Task Order
Science Applications International Corp. has received a potential five-year, $404 million task order to help the U.S. Army‘s software engineering directorate deliver virtual, interactive and multimedia system engineering services.
Former Vectrus SVP Chico Moline Joins PAE ISR as President; Karl Williams Comments
Chico Moline, formerly senior vice president and general manager of Vectrus’ information technology and network communication service business line, has joined the PAE–American Operations Corp. joint venture PAE ISR as president.
Lockheed to Help Air Force Develop Radar Threat System Under Potential $105M Award
Lockheed Martin has won a potential 10-year, $104.6 million contract to develop and test a production representative article of Advanced Radar Threat System Variant 2 for the U.S. Air Force.
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