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The Pentagon's request for more funding is $800 million more than what the Pentagon wanted last year and includes investments in zero trust architecture and support to the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). This request also includes adding five cyber mission force teams for a total of 142 teams, according to budget documents.

There is no surprise that they are requesting billions of dollars for cyberspace activities in its fiscal 2023 budget. The need for more funding is for various efforts, including increasing cybersecurity support for defense contractors, hardening its own networks, operationalizing zero trust architecture, and for “cyber ranges” much like rifle ranges, but for all things digital. The Pentagon investing to improve readiness in the nation’s cyber force by funding cyber ranges to enable training and exercises in the cyber domain. Finally, the budget lays the foundation for U.S. Cyber Command to have ownership of the mission and resources of the cyber mission force beginning in FY24 as directed in the FY22 NDAA.

By 2025, it is estimated that there will be at least 75 billion connected devices in what is being called the “Internet of Things” (IoT). With advances in microprocessors, sensing devices, and software, pretty soon anything that can be connected will be connected.

The Pentagon's Defense against Cyber Attacks

Here's What You Need to Remember: Seven years ago, the DoD created Comply to Connect (C2C) as a way to secure its growing array of network endpoints.

The proliferation of devices on the Internet is becoming a tidal wave. In addition to your phone, computer, video game console, and television, the Internet now connects practically everything that has electronics and sensors: household appliances, heating, and air conditioning systems, cars, airplanes, ships, industrial robots, public utilities, home security systems, children’s toys, and medical devices.

Data is the lifeblood of any organization. With workers now accessing data from a range of devices and locations—from Federal agencies to Starbucks—the traditional perimeter has been rendered obsolete and the risk of data breaches has grown. As federal agencies adapt to this new threat landscape, they need to secure access for their now-distributed workforce and provide data protection. That can’t be done without a data-first approach to Zero Trust architecture.

The Department of Defense breaks Zero Trust into seven pillars, each of which is a key focus area for implementation of Zero Trust controls. The first five pillars are users, devices, networks, applications, and data. As seen below, the last two pillars build on the first five.

With regard to data, federal agencies must have a comprehensive data management strategy (i.e. encrypting data at rest and in transit) as well as data loss prevention (monitoring, analysis, and control of data whether in use, in transit, or at rest) strategies in place. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools are endpoint protection systems that watch what a user does when they interact with data. But as the existence of other pillars suggests, a true Zero Trust approach doesn’t stop there.

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