From: Forbes
Government contractors are attractive targets for cyber attacks because the U.S. federal government – the largest producer, collector, consumer, and disseminator of data in the world – entrusts sensitive information to these private companies. This includes everything from national security secrets, to information on the nation’s military and critical infrastructure, to the personal information of all U.S. citizens and residents.
If this makes you worried, don’t fret just yet. Washington is responding to the cyber threats against contractors by issuing laws, regulations, and standards that require contractors to take broad security measures to safeguard data. These regulations are tough, but protecting sensitive government information is critical to national security and the U.S. economy.
While contractors used to be responsible for protecting only classified data, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is now requiring strict measures to protect certain unclassified information, as well. Next month, the DoD is scheduled to issue a new rule that requires defense contractors to report cybersecurity breaches and give the Pentagon access to their networks to investigate attacks. Intelligence community contractors are bracing for a similar new rule in late 2014 or early 2015.
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