Closing the Gap
Open Access DepositedCybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) – Private vs. Public Sector and National Security
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As information and computer technology (ICT) has taken on a greater importance for both business and the federal government, so have the national security risks associated with purchases of ICT products and services. The U.S. private sector is primarily focused on increasing its profits while the federal government focuses on both cost and national security. This difference in focus creates a potential gap that can be exploited by adversaries and must be closed to the maximum extent possible.This paper will define relevant terms common in ICT procurements. It will then provide a review of the potential problems inherent in ICT procurement such as imbedded malware, altered hardware, and foreign national access to United States data. The paper will then review how both the U.S. private sector and public sector addresses those problems through supply chain management and the U.S. national security risks associated with ICT purchases. The paper will then review the cases of Kaspersky Labs and Huawei and the alleged risks to national security posed by both firms, the government’s response to each case and recent developments to more uniformly protect national security in the ICT supply chains. Finally, the paper will present three possible solutions to close the national security gap between the U.S. private and public sectors to include requiring supply chain risk be assessed in each federal procurement, provide additional training for Government Purchase Card (GPC) holders to buy ICT hardware and services and including a certification process for firms and, if necessary, prohibiting use of the GPC for ICT purchases, and requiring each firm bidding on a government contract to certify its compliance with all exclusion or removal orders issued by the federal government.
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