Bob Metzger’s New Article Series On Supply Chain Threat

Current measures do not address contemporary threats to the supply chain

A “Whole-of-Government” initiative is now needed

Bob Metzger has just completed a 5-part article series on threats to the supply chain that expose government operations as well as the commercial economy and public safety. Mr. Metzger warns that adversaries have attacked and will continue to exploit supply chain vulnerabilities that are not now subject to sufficient federal or industry protections. The article series appeared Federal Times between August 13 and September 7.

Mr. Metzger explains that present measures focus on protection of federal information and information systems, but adversaries are looking to compromise non-federal systems and to attack critical infrastructure and industrial capabilities. Of special concern is the reliance upon software of uncertain trust that could be exposed to malware injections and other surreptitious code corruption.

Threats and attacks include defense capabilities but reach also to the energy infrastructure, industrial capabilities, and to other enterprises relied upon by U.S. society. These new dangers, Mr. Metzger writes, mean that “conventional thinking needs to change to confront the contemporary threat environment.” “New actions are necessary,” he concludes, “to challenge orthodoxy and adroitly secure the supply chain.”

Recognized for cyber and supply chain expertise. Mr. Metzger was a co-author of the recently released “Deliver Uncompromised” Report of the MITRE Corporation.

The articles are available on Mr. Metzger’s Federal Times author page here.