Wednesday October 9, 2013
What is it?
Army’s Information Assurance (IA)/Cybersecurity Awareness is an opportunity to heighten individual and collective knowledge about cybersecurity threats, and individuals’ roles and responsibilities in protecting the force against them.
As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Army’s IA/Cybersecurity Awareness Week is Oct. 14-18, 2013. During this time, commanders will highlight IA/cybersecurity awareness programs to their personnel, focusing on security practices and the actions and milestones associated with executing their command’s IA training plans.
Why is this important to the Army?
IA/cybersecurity is critical to all Army functions. Cyber attacks threaten Army networks and information every day, putting Army operations and people at risk. Commanders, leaders and managers are responsible for ensuring IA/cybersecurity compliance and enforcement. Raising IA compliance and enforcement will improve the Army’s IA/cybersecurity posture and reduce the risk posed by the daily cyber attacks the Army experiences
What has the Army done
In February 2013, the Secretary of the Army directed all commanders (brigade equivalent and above) to perform an IA self-assessment and to report their findings to the command level. Commands then reported the top three areas of weakness within their organizations to HQDA, and developed training plans to address the weaknesses. The self-assessments and training plans were completed in July.
The Secretary also mandated an IA/Cybersecurity Awareness Week in October 2013, when commanders will train and teach their IA/cybersecurity awareness programs to their personnel.
In May, the Army published a handbook to provide leaders at all levels the information and tools needed to address cybersecurity challenges, and to ensure that all organizations adopt the practices necessary to protect their information and the Army’s network. The handbook is available at milSuite (log-in required to access).
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
After Feb. 1, 2014, commanders will assess their plans of action and milestones and determine whether any adjustments are necessary for their organizations to achieve constant improvement in IA/cybersecurity awareness and security practices.
Resources:
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