Executive Summary
The Biden Administration kicked off an Executive Order in March 2021 mandating a risk assessment across a variety of industries including the defense industrial base (DIB). The intent of this cyber risk assessment was to understand how vulnerable critical industries are to cyber-attacks and how to shore up defenses against nation-states and malicious hacking groups.
In response, CyberSaint took matters into our own hands to understand where the DIB‘s cybersecurity risk posture stands today and where they need to focus to become cyber-resilient. Comprised of hundreds of thousands of organizations in manufacturing, aerospace, consultancies, research institutions, and other key industries that support the Department of Defense (DoD), the DIB is a constant target. The exposure of the DIB has significant and detrimental implications on the U.S. cybersecurity posture.
This report gives members of the DIB and critical infrastructure at large a benchmark to compare where they stand in terms of their cybersecurity posture and key best practices.
Notable Results
- Uncovered the highest severity areas of improvement across DIB control families aligned with NIST, DFARS, and CMMC
- Identified why the DIB struggles to keep pace with cybersecurity requirements, resulting in challenges with proactively managing cybersecurity as a business function
- Presented a playbook for improvement to all DIB members looking to understand where to invest their limited resources for the greatest cybersecurity resilience