This past May, the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security reported that a shortage of federal cyber security workers continues to pose a daunting challenge that will only get worse. These findings were not surprising as the government as a whole is struggling with workforce and resource issues. But, they do indicate that the government needs to look at new approaches, especially when dealing with such a mission-critical issue as cyber security.
But even though the federal government continues to struggle to find people with needed technical skills, that does not mean agencies get a pass on implementing important cyber security initiatives. Perhaps the most notable cyber security program in place is the Department of Homeland Security’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program, better known as CDM.
CDM calls on federal agencies to improve their cyber monitoring through four capabilities:
- Capability 1: What is on the network?
- Capability 2: Who is on the network?
- Capability 3: What is happening on the network?
- Capability 4: How is data protected?
