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Multiagency Report Exposes Most Common Vulnerabilities Used by China-Sponsored Cyber Actors
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Multiagency Report Exposes Most Common Vulnerabilities Used by China-Sponsored Cyber Actors

Vulnerabilities in information technology software platforms such as Apache Log4j, VMWare vCenter Server, and Microsoft Exchange are being exploited by cyber actors linked to the Chinese government in order to hack into U.S. critical infrastructure networks, a multi-agency report revealed.

The National Security Agency published the report on Thursday, noting that it is a product of its joint investigation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI.

It cited the most common software vulnerabilities and exposures exploited by China state-backed cyber actors since 2020:

  • Remote code execution
  • Arbitrary file read or upload
  • Path traversal
  • Command line execution
  • Command injection
  • Authentication bypass by spoofing

The NSA, CISA and the FBI urged U.S. government and private organizations to patch the vulnerabilities as soon as possible. They also recommended installing phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication, continuous monitoring of Internet-facing systems, and transitioning to the zero trust security model.

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DAF Migrates Over 6,000 Sites to Cloud-Based Collaboration Tool; Lauren Knausenberger Quoted
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DAF Migrates Over 6,000 Sites to Cloud-Based Collaboration Tool; Lauren Knausenberger Quoted

The Department of the Air Force has completed the migration of on-premises sites to a cloud-based productivity and collaboration platform as part of its modernization strategy.

The DAF365 Enterprise Services, the department’s Microsoft Office 365 collaboration platform, now hosts 6,823 Air Force sites migrated from SharePoint on-premises hosting and operations, the Air Force said Thursday.

“Airmen and Guardians cannot operate with bifurcated information in the reality of a connected digital environment. DAF365 Enterprise Services enables secure, available information anywhere with a suite of applications our workforce relies on,” said Lauren Knausenberger, chief information officer of the Air Force and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

The platform offers both the Air Force and Space Force access to a common set of collaboration, messaging, productivity and content management tools and services needed to execute missions.

The Air Force Enterprise Information Services SharePoint Team led the migration of the sites to the platform.

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DOD Kicks Off Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program
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DOD Kicks Off Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program

The innovation arm of the Department of Defense has selected four inaugural members of a program meant to train acquisition professionals on the use of other transaction agreements and a merit-based selection process known as Commercial Solutions Opening when purchasing technology products from industry.

The Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program incorporates classroom, on-the-job and experiential learning methods at the Defense Acquisition University to help participants carry out prototype projects, the Defense Innovation Unit said Wednesday.

DIU expects the 2022-2023 cohort to create and apply a capstone training framework within their home organizations.

The ICAP fellows are:

  • Mariluz Chan-Endres, U.S. Navy
  • April Davison, U.S. Air Force
  • Maj. Michael Gerbasi, U.S. Army
  • Maj. Shamika Woodruff, U.S. Air Force

Cherissa Tamayori, director of acquisitions at DIU, said the agency aims to help government contracting professionals “speak commercial.”

“We know that the private sector has options on who they work with. It is in DoD’s interest to be an attractive business partner, otherwise we run the risk of losing out on commercially-developed, mission-critical and even life-saving technology,” Tamayori added.

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SpaceX, NASA Launch 5th Crew Rotation Mission to Orbiting Laboratory
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SpaceX, NASA Launch 5th Crew Rotation Mission to Orbiting Laboratory

SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft carrying four astronauts took off Wednesday as part of the company’s fifth crew rotation mission to the International Space Station with NASA.

The Crew-5 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program and will stay aboard the ISS for six months to carry out scientific research in bioprinting, cardiovascular health, fluid behavior in microgravity and other areas, NASA said Wednesday.

“During their stay aboard the International Space Station, Crew-5 will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies on printing human organs in space and better understanding heart disease,” said said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

The spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina is expected to reach the orbiting laboratory on Thursday, Oct. 6, and dock to the station’s Harmony module.

Mann serves as mission commander and Cassada as the spacecraft pilot, while Wakata and Kikina act as mission specialists responsible for monitoring Dragon Endurance during the flight’s launch and re-entry phases.

NASA teams will monitor ISS operations from the mission control center at Johnson Space Center in Houston and SpaceX will track automatic maneuvers of its spacecraft through its facility in Hawthorne, California.

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US-Norway Project Team Tests Solid Fuel Ramjet Vehicle
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US-Norway Project Team Tests Solid Fuel Ramjet Vehicle

A project team involving the U.S. Department of Defense and the Norwegian defense ministry conducted a test of a solid fuel ramjet vehicle in August and met Phase 1 objectives of the Tactical High-speed Offensive Ramjet for Extended Range program.

The test SFRJ vehicle fired several times and demonstrated advanced air injection, throttling techniques, high energy fuels and other propulsion technologies, DOD said Wednesday.

THOR-ER is a collaborative program involving the Pentagon’s research and engineering office, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office, Nordic Ammunition Co. and Norway’s defense research establishment.

“The SFRJ flight vehicle was accelerated to above Mach 2 with the help of a solid rocket booster, and transitioned to ramjet mode. The flight phase was a resounding success with stable flight, robust ramjet operation, and a high thrust-to-drag ratio,” said Stein Erik Nodeland, executive vice president of aerospace propulsion at Nammo.

“The flights performed in accordance with pre-flight calculations, demonstrating a high-speed long-range trajectory,” Nodeland added.

Heidi Shyu, DOD undersecretary for research and engineering and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, commended the THOR-ER team for continuing development work on the propulsion system and advancing science and tech collaboration with partners in Norway amid the pandemic.

“The United States needs to be working closely with our allies to ensure our joint force has the most cutting edge capabilities on the battlefield,” noted Shyu.

The test was conducted on Aug. 17 at Andoya in northern Norway.

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DHS Posts RFI for Network Cyber, Cloud Support Services Requirement
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DHS Posts RFI for Network Cyber, Cloud Support Services Requirement

The Department of Homeland Security has released a request for information on the procurement of network cyber and cloud support services for the department’s centralized network operations and security center.

DHS wants to identify industry sources capable of providing cloud management, network and system management and cybersecurity support services for NOSC facilities located in the National Capital Region, Mississippi and Arizona, according to a notice posted on SAM.gov Wednesday.

The department also seeks feedback from the industry on the proposed structure of the center that consolidates the traditional functions and responsibilities of the existing network and security operations centers nationwide.

The integrated NOSC will identify, detect and mitigate cybersecurity threats facing the DHS networks and information processing systems.

Responses to the RFI are due Oct. 25th.

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Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl on Light Amphibious Warship Program
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Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl on Light Amphibious Warship Program

Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command and deputy commandant for combat development and integration, said the Navy and the Marine Corps are close to reaching an agreement over the survivability and affordability of the light amphibious warship, Defense News reported Wednesday.

He said coming to an agreement about the vessel’s cost and capabilities could help keep the program on schedule for its planned start of construction in fiscal year 2025.

The Marine Corps wants the warship to provide small units of approximately 75 Marines the capability to discreetly move and carry reconnaissance drones, anti-ship missiles and other weapons systems.

Heckl said the amphibious ship is meant to look like a commercial vessel that could “hide in plain sight.”

“The [Indo-Pacific] sea lines of communication are the most traversed sea lines in the world; it would be a challenge for any power to surveil everything all the time in that area,” he said. “However, if you don’t look like everything else you’re trying to blend in with, you make your adversary’s problem set much simpler.”

Heckl noted that five companies were awarded contracts in June 2021 to work on preliminary designs for the vessel and the Navy-Marine team will evaluate such designs in January.

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DHS Appoints Nicholas Rasmussen as New Counterterrorism Coordinator; Bennie Thompson Quoted
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DHS Appoints Nicholas Rasmussen as New Counterterrorism Coordinator; Bennie Thompson Quoted

Nicholas Rasmussen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, was named as new counterterrorism coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security.

Commenting on the appointment, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the homeland security committee, cited Rasmussen’s previous responsibilities including serving as executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.

“This appointment will greatly help DHS in its mission to monitor, assess, and respond to both foreign and domestic terror threats,” the lawmaker added.

Rasmussen will lead domestic anti-terrorism efforts and policy not only in the DHS but also in component agencies such as the Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection, according to a Yahoo News report on Tuesday.

The official was at the helm of the Countering Violent Extremism programs created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City.

“Today, domestic violent extremists pose the most lethal terrorism threat to our nation, yet global terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda and their affiliates still pose a very real risk to the American public at home and abroad,” said Thompson.

Rasmussen will replace John Cohen, who was the DHS counterterrorism coordinator until March this year.

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Treasury Seeks Public Comments on Clean Energy Tax Credit Implementation; Janet Yellen Quoted
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Treasury Seeks Public Comments on Clean Energy Tax Credit Implementation; Janet Yellen Quoted

The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have released six requests for public comments on the implementation of climate and clean energy tax incentives mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Treasury said Wednesday the notices focus on energy generation incentives, credit enhancements, incentives for homes and buildings, consumer vehicle credits, manufacturing credits and credit monetization.

The release of the notices initiates the process of soliciting public feedback to inform guidance and rulemaking for key provisions of the legislation and provide clarity and certainty to taxpayers.

“The Treasury Department stands ready to meet the responsibility that comes with implementing this legislation and looks forward to engaging with stakeholders and the public who will benefit from the law’s provisions,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law in August, includes a $369 billion investment to address the climate crisis and enhance the country’s energy security.

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DARPA Unveils Advanced Research Concepts Initiative; Director Stefanie Tompkins Quoted
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DARPA Unveils Advanced Research Concepts Initiative; Director Stefanie Tompkins Quoted

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched an initiative to rapidly explore novel technology concepts that seek to address high-risk, high-reward “what if” questions.

DARPA said Wednesday the Advanced Research Concepts initiative intends to invest in research that could be transitioned into new technologies for U.S. national security.

The agency will open each ARC topic for up to six months and evaluate on a rolling basis submitted concepts with the goal of awarding contracts for selected ideas within weeks.

One engineer or scientist will be funded as a full-time equivalent to work on the approved concept and find the answer to a particular topic question for 12 months.

“Status quo is a losing strategy. We need to explore many topics to find those rare DARPA ideas that could result in new, game-changing technologies for U.S. national security,” said Stefanie Tompkins, director of DARPA and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

The agency said early career scientists and engineers selected under the DARPA Innovation Fellowship Program will come up with topics for the ARC initiative, assess the submitted concepts and manage the participants selected to get ARC funding.

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