Reactive defense of computer networks can run up a big tab in a short time, according to top Defense Department network officials.
U.S. Strategic Command spent $100 million in six months in "after the fact" defense of Defense Department networks, Army Brig. Gen. John Davis, deputy commander of the Joint Task Force-Network Operations said at a press briefing from the command's annual Cyberspace Symposium in Omaha.
The Defense Information Systems Agency's budget to protect Defense networks has run about $500 million a year over the past several years. Davis said STRATCOM's tab for "reacting to things [discovered] on the network after the fact" over the past six months cost another $100 million.
STRATCOM commander Air Force Gen. Kevin Childs said these extra costs reflected the need to defend networks at a number of unidentified military bases against network intrusions, which included the cost of added manpower to fight the intrusions and network downtime.
Childs provided few details, but did say that Defense networks experience probes thousands of times a day from attackers which included teenage hackers, criminals and "sophisticated nation-states."
Childs said that one of the best ways Defense can protect its networks is to insure that all personnel follow simple policies, procedures and guidelines. That includes an absolute ban on the use of thumb drives and other removable media, he said. Childs added he did not see any change in that policy in the foreseeable future.
COMMENTS
The Commander of U.S. Strategic Command is Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, not "Childs" as specified in your article.
REF: U.S. Strategic Command - Biography for General Kevin P. Chilton
Bob King 04/13/09 04:05 pm ET
Use of thumb drives, or any other removable media is not "the" problem. Education of personnel and control of the items used is what's necessary.
By eliminating use of removable media, senior management has bought into the mindset of managers who believe turning off your computer will make it safe. You cannot perform your mission...but you are safe from attack!
Make your Information Assurance Managers manage.
KP Jones 04/13/09 08:14 am ET
If anyone "believes" that the biggest threat to the Defense networks is a "Thumb Drive" then they deserve to be dismissed. I've used computers since 1980 and have been a federal employee since 1993. I have never been involved with or worked for any of the IT departments in my agency and even I can come up with a better "story" than that one. It's simple insanity to accept comments like that without any statistical validation being mentioned. That is of course unless you happen to be a lemming. Come on folks, GET REAL !!
James Flanagan 04/08/09 07:02 am ET