Federal Cybersecurity Detection, Response, and Mitigation

PURPOSE:

• To examine federal agencies’ capabilities and procedures to detect and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

BACKGROUND:

• The increasing use of common and shared hardware, software, and information infrastructure across the federal government increases the likelihood for cybersecurity vulnerabilities to occur, as well as the resulting level of damage if vulnerabilities persist.
• Recent media reports revealing security vulnerabilities in the Department of State’s Consular Consolidated Database raise new questions about the Department’s cybersecurity posture and information security procedures.
• Additionally, a vulnerability discovered in several generations of the Juniper Networks software may have had the potential to affect a large number of federal agencies.