Multiple Navy Efforts in Progress to Secure Critical Infrastructure, Cyber Adviser Reveals

Christopher Cleary, the Department of the Navy’s principal cyber adviser, shared new details at the recent West 2023 conference regarding in-development projects to secure critical infrastructure, pointing out that the service is leading the way for the other military branches with such efforts.

He told reporters he is advocating for the principal cyber advisers of other services to adopt the More Situational Awareness for Industrial Control Systems solution. MOSAICS has received upgrades from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, giving it automated response and recovery capabilities in addition to threat detection.

A past Potomac Officers Club speaker, Cleary also mentioned Situational Awareness, Boundary Enforcement and Response, a sensor-based system meant to protect ships’ hulls and mechanical and electrical systems from cyberattacks.

According to Cleary, the Navy plans to release a full version of the Cyberspace Superiority Vision after the Department of Defense releases its cyber strategy, FCW reported Friday.

He explained that the service is waiting until it can ensure that its priorities conform with the DOD’s. Cleary mentioned that the recently published National Defense Strategy‘s focus on “integrated deterrence” is similar to the “secure, survive and strike” philosophy espoused in the CSV.

The full version of the Navy cyber plan will comprise seven priorities, including the security of critical infrastructure and operational technology.