Building the Airplane in Mid-Flight: Bringing Cyber Security Structure to Special Operations Units

Special operations units, born in the fire of urgency and required to be dynamically flexible, may operate for many years without a single cyber security representative. Once hired mid-stream into such a construct, a cyber security professional can be immediately overwhelmed with the breadth of the challenge before him or her: how to overcome cultural and technical challenges to introduce a comprehensive cyber security program into the ad-hoc structure of multi-classification, multi-network, multi-agency information systems and personnel. However, when armed with the lessons from cyber professionals from similar units who were thrown into a similar cauldron and succeeded, a newly-hired information security officer or manager can bring order to the unconventional chaos and ensure continued mission success. This paper will examine the experiences of cyber security professionals who overcame the challenges of securing information systems and personnel in units decidedly different from the rigid DoD structure or the corporate world. After reading, new information security professionals will have practical principles for securing their systems and soldiers, staying out of jail, and enjoying their jobs!