Protecting DOD against increasing cybersecurity threats

Key takeaways

Responding to increasing cybersecurity threats, the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) tapped Maximus to provide IT network, systems, and communications support to increase secure connection between the U.S. military and government agencies. Our expert team’s comprehensive support enabled rapid Authority to Operate (ATO) approvals and increased the agency’s Security Operations Center (SOC) effectiveness by 50%.

Situation

DISA protects our nation’s sensitive and critical communications infrastructure by leveraging technology advancements to actively monitor cybersecurity threats. Even with the latest technology, success relies on experts to evaluate anomalies and determine when further investigation is required. This need has become more critical as DOD faces attacks with increased frequency and sophistication. From 2020-2021, cyber attacks and data breaches increased by 15.1% and cost the U.S. government $19B in recovery and downtime costs.

Challenge

DISA needed expert staffing enhancements to enable secure connection and information sharing between the U.S. military and government agencies with IT network, systems, and communications support.

Solution

Maximus rapidly deployed a team of 15 experts with all needed credentials and clearances to provide:

Comprehensive review of all cybersecurity activities to identify opportunities for applying system, application, and data protection best practices
Evaluation of DISA’s SOC and its compliance processes
Deployment of capabilities for user monitoring and reducing the attack surface of DISA’s Compartmented Enterprise Service Office (CESO)

Rapid rollout of cybersecurity services to detect, protect, respond, and recover.

infographic showing timeline and rollout of cybersecurity services

How We Did It

Maximus successfully improved DISA’s cybersecurity posture by:

Implementing a risk- and maturity assessment-based approach for operational improvements
Leveraging leading technology to remediate insider threats
Establishing compliance scans to capture and secure recently deployed software and devices to ensure critical data protection
Developing a holistic process to ensure secure system lifecycle management, including security patch management
Developing internal accreditation processes for rapid ATO approvals

Results

Strengthened cybersecurity defenses
Ensured hardware and software compliance
Enhanced interoperability for secure data sharing
Maintained application and system availability with rapid ATO approvals
Investigated and mitigated current threats within 45 days
Increased SOC effectiveness by 50%

Maximus’s guidance and services ensured DISA could establish and manage enterprise cybersecurity capabilities that protect IT systems and architecture for secure sharing of critical information.