Pierluigi Paganini March 18, 2014

Darpa is scouting the private companies to recruit high skilled professional and use company infrastructure to protect classified information.

The Pentagon is searching cyber experts to address the growing shortage of highly professional in the field, the US Government is making scouting for expert hackers in the private sector.

The control of the cyberspace and the mitigation of cyber threats are essential aspect of US cyber strategy, that’s why the DARPA is researching in the private sector organizations skilled and experienced cyber professionals. 

Projects “to achieve cyberspace superiority require specialized knowledge, skills, and experience,”  “Ideally, respondents will include both potential performers currently holding security clearances and those who may be granted clearances based on technical capabilities and eligibility.” states a request for company workforce information.

$5 BillionThis month the US Government disclosed the Military Cyber Spending reserved by the Pentagon for cyber operations next year, it reserved , part of the comprehensive $496 billion fiscal 2015 budget.

DARPA wants to collect information on both people and architecture to rapidly improve government cyber capabilities. DARPA mission is to “rapidly develop state-of-the-art [cyber ops] technologies responsive to current and emerging cyber threats,” the survey states. The Pentagon is interested also in the capability of private companies to store and process potentially classified information in their facilities.

DARPA is requesting to private enterprises a Rolodex of current personnel with cyber ops experience, their clearance level and a narrative describing their skills.

Private companies could provide the requested data on personnel and infrastructure to DARPA in the next twelve months.

The goals of Pentagon is to design a new generation of cyber weapons and improve defensive capabilities to protect military networks and critical infrastructure.

Another significant action taken by the US Government was the publishing of the cyber security framework for critical infrastructure made last month. It is a “living document” to improve IT and SCADA networks deployed in sensitive industries such as energy, water and financial services. In February the NIST announced the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Security, a document that proposed cybersecurity standards and practices to build out a security program.

“The national and economic security of the United States depends on the reliable functioning of critical infrastructure. Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems, placing the Nation’s security, economy, and public safety and health at risk. Similar to financial and reputational risk, cybersecurity risk affects a company’s bottom line. It can drive up costs and impact revenue. It can harm an organization’s ability to innovate and to gain and maintain customers.” reported the document.

The framework is the work subsequent the Executive Order 13636 for critical infrastructure stakeholders, it is a joint work between industry and government, and the private sector is invited to accept the challenge by DARPA.

Achieving the goals will only be possible by involving all stakeholders, government agencies, private companies and the add … population.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs –  DARPA, cyber security)