Security Executive Blog

I recently read with admiration a tech article written by a security expert being open and honest about computer, network and online account security access passwords. Even though she understands the importance of strong security, she wrote of the woes of trying to remember different passwords to her many accounts. Finally exasperated, she gave up change and now maintains a policy of a single password for all accounts. This works for her and can work you as well, unless you access defense contractor, Department of Defense networks or DoD or other government maintained websites and systems such as Defense Security Services’ JPAS, training, SPeD certification, databases, or the applications offered by many other agencies. Where most could get away with using a single password on multiple systems, each of these DoD systems require unique password structures.  One single password will not work. For example, in most of my online business profiles for email, social media, bank...

Try your knowledge of the NISPOM and industrial security with these challenging questions: 1.      Which of the following can the CSA approve when no other alarm response options are available: a.            Response by neighborhood watch b.            Monitor by hidden camera c.             Guarded by working dogs d.            Installation of wire security e.             Response by cleared employee 2.      In the Protection Profile Table for Confidentiality, which Data Transmission is required for PL2? a.            Trans 1  b.         ...

NISPOM topics applying to the cleared contractor facility should be addressed as often as possible. Cleared employees may be very familiar with classified performance requirements, but may not always remember countermeasures implemented at the facility to protect classified information. Though they may be excellent at marking documents or using deriviative classification techiques to properly transfer a classification from a security classification guide to a classified report, they may still need to be reminded to attend security training, report suspicious information, or attend threat briefings. Excellence comes from day to day exposure. As their daily performance makes cleared employees experts in their fields, FSOs play a large role in bringing them to that same level of NISPOM compliance. Take the time to understand what training is needed and try to meet that need. Three effective ways to communicate your security message: 1. Group presentations-a popular and fast wa...

Social media is a great way to stay connected. Before social media, when the world was so big, we relied on letters and phone calls. These were time consuming endeavors to keep each other informed. If I went on a trip to Europe, I might be back stateside before friends and family ever receive my postcards. Now that we have social media, the world has shrunken significantly and it only takes moments to share information. And, we do that willingly. As we go forward with the topic of security clearances and social media, let’s leave the more direct investigation process behind for a moment and discuss the continuous evaluation, the Defense Security Services annual review, or other less direct, but just as impacting ways social media can effect a cleared employee’s security clearance. The continuous evaluation process is in place to ensure a cleared employee remains eligible for their clearance. Just think about how this system has been challenged as ineffective. Both military, gove...

Can social media posts impact your security clearance? It’s great to have family reunions or go out with friends and take pictures of events and the good times. We all want our friends to know how well we are doing and maybe we want to make some co-workers jealous while on vacation. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter make it possible to post your fun immediately. Social media is a great invention and used for good, can be a rather fun way to keep up with others and allow them to keep up with you. However, such opportunities also provide epic fail situations where the poster gets in trouble at home and at work. You may have read where school students have been suspended, military personnel have been punished and employees fired for events captured on social media. Some irresponsible postings have had reputation ruining consequences based upon perception as in the case of DeSean Jackson missing practice while posting vacation photos. Even though he had probably preplanned the event, foo...

We can apply the “Elements of Inspection” that are common to ALL cleared companies participating in the NISP. There are a few more elements that might be applied at unique cleared facilities, but facility security officers in those situations can adapt these articles to those specific needs. According to DSS’ The Self-Inspection Handbook for NISP Contractors, the five elements are: (A) Facility Security Clearance (FCL) (B) Access Authorizations (C) Security Education, (D) FOCI (E) Classification This third article in the series will address how to integrate the access authorizations into the overall security program designed to protect classified information. Here are some questions from the handbook and ways to address the topics: Are the numbers of clearances held to a minimum consistent with contractual requirements? The facility security clearance is tied to a contract. Typically this tie-in is carried down to the cleared employee. However tying in a personnel security clearance...

1.      In order to protect fragile intelligence resources and methods, SCI has been established as the SAP for: a.            NSA b.            GCA c.             DNI  d.            CSA e.             GSA 2.      Interim TOP SECRET FCLs or PCLs are valid for access to COMSEC at the ____ and ____ levels. a.            SECRET, TOP SECRET b.            TOP SECRET, CONFIDENTIAL c.             CONFIDENTIAL, FOUO d.          ...