FISMA Requirement 2012

Resources:

• FY 2012 Report to Congress on the Implementation of FISMA Act of 2002
• 2012 FISMA Executive Summary 

• “National Insider Threat Policy and Minimum Standards for Executive Branch Insider Threat Programs”

FISMA requirements for cybersecurity (2012):

• continuous monitoring management
• configuration management
• identity and access management
• incident response and reporting
• risk management
• security training
• plan of action and milestones
• remote access management
• contingency planning
• contractor systems
• security capital planning

FISMA 2012 Focuses on three priorities for watching what data enters and exits the network:

• Trusted Internet Connections
• Continuous Monitoring
• HSPD-12

The new FISMA is based on meeting the Presidents, May 2012 directive entitled “Building a 21st Century Digital Government”. The Digital Government Strategy focuses on giving better digital services to the Americans and requires the integrating better security and privacy measures into the design and adoption of all new technologies introduced to the Federal environment.  Although privacy is a bit of a contradiction with the Patriot Act but perhaps there is a plan to get rid of it.

“Building a 21st Century Digital Government” seeks to establish interagency Joint Continuous Monitoring Working Group to support Federal organizations in building “a government-wide continuous monitoring capability for Federal information systems” (FISMA FY12).

The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center  was setup at the Department of Homeland Security for incident response.

The feds implemented a strategy for the Einstein 3 intrusion prevention system to enable significant capabilities to be deployed during FY 2013, four years earlier than planned (FISMA FY12).

National Insider Threat Policy

“National Insider Threat Policy and Minimum Standards for Executive Branch Insider Threat Programs” was created as a response to wikileaks and insiders leaking classified data. The feds developed a policy for dealing with massive leaks of sensitive data.

The policy addresses information security and information sharing and seems them as mutually reinforcing activities, through three guiding principles:

• Information is a national asset;
• Information sharing and safeguarding requires shared risk management; and
• Information informs decision making.

The policy pushes agencies to develop and promote effective insider threat programs to deter, detect, and mitigate actions by employees who may represent a threat to national security.