Acquisition Data Analytics for Supply Chain Cybersecurity

Acquisition Research Program Sponsored Report SeriesSponsored Acquisition Research & Technical ReportsCybersecurity is a national priority, but the analysis required for acquisition personnel to objectively assess the integrity of the supply chain for cyber compromise is highly complex. This paper presents a process for supply chain data analytics for acquisition decision makers, addressing data collection, assessment, and reporting. The method includes workflows from initial purchase request through vendor selection and maintenance to audits across the lifecycle of an asset. Artificial intelligence can help acquisition decision makers automate the complexity of supply chain information assurance.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Transparent code authentication at the processor level

The authors present a lightweight authentication mechanism that verifies the authenticity of code and thereby addresses the virus and malicious code problems at the hardware level eliminating the need for trusted extensions in the operating system. The technique proposed tightly integrates the authentication mechanism into the processor core. The authentication latency is hidden behind the memory access latency, thereby allowing seamless on-the-fly authentication of instructions. In addition, the proposed authentication method supports seamless encryption of code (and static data). Consequently, while providing the software users with assurance for authenticity of programs executing on their hardware, the proposed technique also protects the software manufacturers’ intellectual property through encryption. The performance analysis shows that, under mild assumptions, the presented technique introduces negligible overhead for even moderate cache sizes