The Army\u27s ICS and its Defense

The United States Army is a massive organization with an incredible number of diverse networks. These networks range from unclassified and classified business networks to industrial controls system (ICS) networks in critical infrastructure. As the team lead for one of the first cyber protection teams to attempt to tackle ICS security for the DoD I came across significant issues regarding tools, personnel (team composition, talent, retention, etc.), as well as typical organizational inertia. My team was able to overcome many of these challenges, but there are significant obstacles and opportunities for the larger community to tackle. This talk will elaborate on some of the defensive techniques used in ICS networks and how they differ from traditional IT networks, focusing on some of the challenges unique to ICS networks and military operations to secure them. Finally, a few of the United States Military Academy’s educational efforts in this field will be highlighted