US Coast Guard Releases Cyber Strategic Outlook

Rear Adm. Michael Ryan, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Cyber Command, has announced a new strategy that will strengthen the cybersecurity of maritime critical infrastructure.

Under the Cyber Strategic Outlook, the Coast Guard will work on establishing more cyber teams. The move comes on the heels of a series of cyberattacks like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident and the Microsoft Exchange hack.

Primarily, the new strategy is aimed at protecting the technology that powers maritime commerce, including software that monitors shipments and operational technologies in ports, FedScoop reported.

Ryan said at the recent Sea-Air-Space conference that the Coast Guard has seen an increase in the use of automation and technology to support the mission of the global shipping network. With such an increase, the new strategy needed to recognize that there is also a growth in the attack surface for hackers.

As part of the strategic outlook’s deliverables, the additional cyber teams will focus on protecting networks and conducting cyber operations aimed at preventing U.S. critical infrastructure from being compromised by malicious attacks.

The service already stood up the first two cyber mission teams.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard’s fiscal year 2022 budget requests include funding dedicated to a third cyber team to support the new strategy.

The cyber strategy also includes plans for the creation of other units such as a cyber support team.

The strategic outlook also includes an effort to protect the Enterprise Mission Platform, the service’s information technology platform, which is part of the Department of Defense Information Network.

The strategy will support the Coast Guard’s goal to ensure secure connectivity to execute its broader homeland defense mission.

The Cyber Strategic Outlook, developed over the past 18 months, is the first update to the service’s cyber strategy, which was signed in 2015.