Under the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cyber Pilot program, which was launched in May in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, the DoD shared classified threat intelligence with 20 defense contractors and their commercial internet service providers, as well as information on how to employ the intelligence in network defense.
Lynn told the conference that the pilot program had already stopped hundreds of attempted network intrusions.
“The government has deep awareness of certain cyber threats. We have what some have termed a ‘special sauce’ of malicious code signatures gathered from various intelligence efforts. Loading these signatures onto existing systems dramatically increases the effectiveness of cybersecurity”, Lynn explained.
The program is being expanded to the entire DIB, as well as other key areas of critical infrastructure. Lynn emphasized that the program is voluntary, and that the government is not monitoring, intercepting, or storing any private sector communications as part of the effort.
The Washington Post identified a number of the companies participating in the pilot program, including Lockheed Martin, CSC, SAIC, Northrop Grumman, as well as AT&T, Verizon, and CenturyLink.