Case Study: Cybersecurity best practices at Defense

The U.S. military's computer systems are probed by outsiders millions of times a day, while insiders, like a soldier who allegedly extracted heaps of classified files for public consumption on the WikiLeaks website, also pose threats.

In mid-July, the Pentagon released an unprecedented cybersecurity strategy that formally branded cyberspace as a domain of warfare, akin to land, sea, air and space. But, instead of outlining offensive measures, the framework focuses on how to deter the enemy from ever attempting an attack. As part of this plan, the military is employing "active cyber defense" -- an amalgamation of sensors, software and intelligence reports aimed at instantly blocking malicious activity. Active cyber defense will build off existing methods of tracking vulnerabilities, according to the strategy. Perhaps an Army model under development, commonly known as continuous monitoring, will be one such building block.