NIST Seeking “Views on the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity”
We were very disappointed last year when we attended a presentation by NIST on its “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” Not once was the importance of time or location mentioned.
And when award-winning reporter Dee Ann Divis asked the presenter whether PNT or even just timing had been considered, his answer was uncertain. Sadly, follow-ups with NIST staff and our subsequent review of the document showed that the importance of PNT had been overlooked completely.
Yet IT systems depend upon time to support networks, data storage and end use devices. Jamming or spoofing time or location can disrupt IT communication pathways, disable end-use devices, and insert false and misleading information into databases. On the plus side, trusted time and location can be important components of identity and other cybersecurity measures.
Now is your chance to help correct this oversight. Go to the Federal Register to read NIST’s Request for Information and then submit your comments to [email protected].
Comments are due by 9 February 2016.
Image of Strontium Atomic Clock Courtesy NIST
