The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report, warning that the Department of Defense (DOD) has not fully implemented three of its key initiatives and practices aimed at improving cybersecurity hygiene.

Carnegie-Mellon University defines cyber hygiene as a set of practices for managing the most common and pervasive cybersecurity risks, notes GAO. In discussions with GAO, DOD officials identified three department-wide cyber hygiene initiatives: the 2015 DOD Cybersecurity Culture and Compliance Initiative, the 2015 DOD Cyber Discipline Implementation Plan, and DOD's Cyber Awareness Challenge training.

1. The Culture and Compliance Initiative set forth 11 overall tasks expected to be completed in fiscal year 2016, GAO adds. It includes cyber education and training, integration of cyber into operational exercises, and needed recommendations on changes to cyber capabilities and authorities, but seven of these tasks have not been fully implemented, claims GAO
2. The Cyber Discipline plan has 17 tasks focused on removing preventable vulnerabilities from DOD's networks that "could otherwise enable adversaries to compromise information and systems. Of these 17, the DOD Chief Information Officer is responsible for overseeing implementation of 10 tasks. While the Deputy Secretary set a goal of achieving 90 percent implementation of the 10 CIO tasks by the end of fiscal year 2018, four of the tasks have not been implemented. Further, the completion of the other seven tasks was unknown because no DOD entity has been designated to report on the progress," says the report. 
3. The Cyber Awareness training is intended to help the DOD workforce maintain awareness of known and emerging cyber threats, and reinforce best practices to keep information and systems secure. However, selected components in the department do not know the extent to which users of its systems have completed this required training. GAO's review of 16 selected components identified six without information on system users that had not completed the required training, and eight without information on users whose network access had been revoked for not completing training.

According to GAO, beyond the initiatives above, DOD has (1) developed lists of the techniques that adversaries use most frequently and pose significant risk to the department, and (2) identified practices to protect DOD networks and systems against these techniques. However, the department does not know the extent to which these practices have been implemented. The absence of this knowledge is due in part to no DOD component monitoring implementation, according to DOD officials. Overall, until DOD completes its cyber hygiene initiatives and ensures that cyber practices are implemented, the department will face an enhanced risk of successful attack, warns GAO. 

While two recurring reports have provided updates to senior DOD leaders on cyber information on the Cyber Discipline plan implementation, department leadership has not regularly received information on the other two initiatives and on the extent to which cyber hygiene practices are being implemented, adds GAO. Such information would better position leaders to be aware of the cyber risks facing DOD and make more effective decisions to manage such risks, says the report. 

According to GAO, DOD has become increasingly reliant on information technology (IT) and risks have increased as cybersecurity threats evolve. Cybersecurity experts estimate that 90 percent of cyberattacks could be defeated by implementing basic cyber hygiene and sharing best practices, according to DOD's Principal Cyber Advisor.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making seven recommendations to DOD. 

1. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DOD CIO takes appropriate steps to ensure implementation of the DC3I tasks. 

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense

2. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that DOD components develop plans with scheduled completion dates to implement the four remaining CDIP tasks overseen by DOD CIO. 

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense

3. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Deputy Secretary of Defense identifies a DOD component to oversee the implementation of the seven CDIP tasks not overseen by DOD CIO and report on progress implementing them. 

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense

4. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that DOD components accurately monitor and report information on the extent that users have completed the Cyber Awareness Challenge training as well as the number of users whose access to the network was revoked because they have not completed the training.

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense

5. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DOD CIO ensures all DOD components, including DARPA, require their users to take the Cyber Awareness Challenge training developed by DISA. 

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense

6. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should direct a component to monitor the extent to which practices are implemented to protect the department's network from key cyberattack techniques. 

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense

7. Recommendation: The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the DOD CIO assesses the extent to which senior leaders' have more complete information to make risk-based decisions—and revise the recurring reports (or develop a new report) accordingly. Such information could include DOD's progress on implementing (a) cybersecurity practices identified in cyber hygiene initiatives and (b) cyber hygiene practices to protect DOD networks from key cyberattack techniques. 

   Agency Affected: Department of Defense: Office of the Secretary of Defense