Good cybersecurity practices should be second nature, says DOD deputy CIO
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Sep 28, 2012
In preparation for National Cyber Security Awareness Month which begins Oct. 1, Defense Department Deputy CIO Robert J. Carey is reminding computer users throughout the department to engage in good cyber and network security practices on a daily basis, reports American Forces Press Service.
Because computer users at DOD work on military networks on a daily basis, using good security practices should be second nature, Carey said during in a joint American Forces Press Service and Pentagon Channel interview.
Attention to cybersecurity is important not just during Cyber Security Awareness Month, but 365 days a year, Carey noted.
Further, it's important that users keep in mind that information "needs to only be transmitted to those who are fit to consume it [and] who are authorized the right accesses,” he said.
Specific cybersecurity practices vary depending on the given user, but there is one overriding concept: everyone is responsible for protecting information, Carey said.
Military commanders rely on information relayed through electronic networks to make life-and-death decisions, so they must be able to trust it, Carey noted.
Carey's office is working to ensure that the DOD adopts policies and strategies that help users understand exactly why cybersecurity is so important so that they know the right steps to take to protect information.
“The most important link is the user. Each of us, when we engage the network, is either an asset or a vulnerability, depending on our actions,” he said. “The human becomes the weakest link, and so the more we can strengthen that weakest link, the better we will be.”