Defending America and your network Published May 20, 2009 By Lt. Col. Robert Licciardi 87th Communications Squadron commander JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- There are a constant cyber attacks on the United States and its Department of Defense networks. One has to wonder how much good could be achieved if people put as much effort and focus into their work and families as they do into creating and fielding malware--software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. But before we get into malware, let's take a quick step back in time. It was October 2008 and the world was a different place. The United States had not yet elected a new president, and DoD staffers were accustomed to using great technological innovations, such as thumb drives and flash drives. Then in late October, someone ruined it --literally overnight. Guidance came down from Joint Task Force Global Network Operations banning the use of thumb and flash drives on government computers. Because of the threat of malware, the use of thumb and flash drives on DoD networks came to a screeching halt. Aircrews, among others, scrambled to find ways to execute their missions without this capability. Further, the Air Mobility Command and base Communications squadrons made life more challenging by tightening access to the network. Base-wide, to access the network, computers had to 1) be properly configured with the correct version of the Standard Desktop Configuration, 2) have the correct Microsoft patches and 3) ensure anti-virus definitions were up to date. Failure to comply with any of these requirements would result in a computer being quarantined from the network. There are 6,300 computers on McGuire Air Force Base, and nearly 20 percent could not be reached remotely through the network. We had to physically work on more than 1,000 computers individually to install approved software updates. On weekends, long evenings and some all-nighters, the outstanding Airmen of the 87th Communications Squadron creatively scheduled and executed plans to restore services to affected customers. During this time, we also experienced several other temporary interruptions in service, ranging from power outages to e-mail servers at AMC having hardware failures affecting the command. Our Airmen developed an operational-level plan of attack to ensure our core services were up and running. Even at press time, we are actively engaged with defensive actions against threats to our network. What our Airmen do -- what we all have to do -- is critically important. Noncompliance with the security actions we require has real world ramifications. Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., was cut off from internet access because personnel "hadn't demonstrated -- in our view at the headquarters -- their capacity to manage their network in a way that didn't make everyone else vulnerable," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz in an interview with InsideDefense.com. That is not an action the 87 CS plans or ever wants to receive. The lion's share of the security actions we've taken and require customers to take, have been the collective result of compliance measures levied from every level in the DoD to secure our network from threats to our mission. If you use the AMC-2K network, you'll notice when your computer boots up, the last pop-up window says: "LAN security is YOUR responsibility!" This has never been truer. Here are some simple things you can do to engage in defending our network: 1) Keep your computer on and plugged into the network to ensure virus definitions and software patches are up to date. 2) Only visit official websites required for your job. 3) Scan everything that gets introduced onto our network. The 87th Communications Squadron is committed to providing the best service possible to our customers. Our Airmen are the best in the Air Force and are totally dedicated to the mission and your success. If you're experiencing a computer, network or airfield system problem, our Airmen can be reached 24/7 at a single number for every comm-related issue that exists for this base: (609) 754-2666.