In a move to strengthen its ability to identify and respond to cyber attacks on its networks, Lockheed Martin has opened its second Security Intelligence Centre (SIC) in Denver. The first centre was opened in Gaithersburg in May 2008.
The company said the two facilities operated by the Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT), serve as its focal points for computer network defense including detection, identification and response to all information security incidents, accomplished by bringing together three capabilities, pervasive sensors, data management and analyst collaboration.
Lockheed said that the information collected by its diverse sensor grid of commercial and custom-developed technology converges in the two SICs and provides them with a range of vantage points to observe attacks, including, reconnaissance, intrusion, compromise, command and control, and lateral movement.
Both the 5,000 square foot centre in Denver and 8,000 square foot facility in Gaithersburg are built to secure government and Department of Defense (DoD) specifications, and feature classified systems that are connected to information sharing networks such as the DoD Cyber Crime Centre’s DIBNet. The centres include an operations floor, digital forensics area, evidence storage room, classified workspace, executive conference room and server room.
Anne Mullins, chief information security officer at Lockheed Martin, said: Traditional operations centres often respond to attacks at a micro level, mitigating a specific event at a specific point in time. Our Security Intelligence Centres are staffed with cyber intelligence analysts who examine attacks at a macro level – breaking attacks into phases called the ‘kill chain,’ analysing this data to identify patterns of persistent campaigns spanning multiple attacks, and implementing new mitigations to get ahead of the threats.
