DISA prepares for cyber Thunderdome
The Thunderdome prototype seeks to reinforce cybersecurity through its zero trust approach. (Image: Booz Allen Hamilton)
DISA has contracted Booz Allen Hamilton for the development of the Thunderdome prototype.
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded a $6.8 million contract to Booz Allen Hamilton for the development of the Thunderdome prototype, a cybersecurity solution.
The Thunderdome Prototype is a zero trust security model that aligns with the US President’s executive order to improve the nation’s cybersecurity posture.
Zero trust requires that every user and every device be authenticated every time before being granted network access.
During this six-month effort, the agency will test how to implement DISA’s Zero Trust Reference Architecture by taking advantage of commercial technologies such as Secure Access Service Edge and Software Defined-Wide Area Networks.
Thunderdome will also incorporate greater cybersecurity centred around data protection and integrate with existing endpoint and identity initiatives aligned to zero trust.
This decision has been driven by DISA and the US DoD’s engagement amidst a global-power competition in an ever-changing cyber landscape with increasing risks and threats from sophisticated adversaries.
According to DISA, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an intensification of cyber-attacks as more individuals work remotely and more data is hosted online.
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