One year from now , the US Department of Defense ( DoD ) have a bun in the oven to follow out a raw infrastructure to increase security around the path it communicates electronically , Gizmodo has discover .
The Defense Information Systems Agency ( DISA ) , which manages the Pentagon ’s email system , says it mean to take on , by default , STARTTLS , an encoding protocol design to prevent the interception of email messages in transit . “ DISA is actively bring an acquisition to upgrade the email gateways that will allow us to take reward of evolving capableness for electronic mail shelter , ” wrote Maj . Gen. Sarah Zabel , frailty director of DISA , in a varsity letter this workweek addressed to Senator Ron Wyden , Democrat of Oregon .
In late March , Wyden sent a letter to DISA inquiring as to why the Pentagon hadnot already enabled STARTTLS , as it is wide used by default throughout the federal government and in the individual sector to protect e-mail communications . “ As you may love , the technology industry created STARTTLS fifteen years ago to allow electronic mail server to communicate securely and protect email messages from surveillance as they are transmitted over the cyberspace , ” Wyden wrote .
The senator added that while the Pentagon uses various other system to protect classified and unclassified messages — such as Public Key Infrastructure ( PKI ) , which appropriate for the encrypted carry-over of data at DoD , as well as to and from its defense industry mate — Wyden was “ concerned that DISA is not taking reward of a basic , widely used , easily - enable cybersecurity technology . ” He continued : “ Indeed , until DISA enable STARTTLS , unclassified e-mail messages send between the military and other organizations will be needlessly exposed to surveillance and potentially compromised by third parties . ”
It appears , however , that surveillance was at least one cause why DISA had not enable STARTTLS already . In a letter acquire by Gizmodo dated April 27 , Zabel province that DISA made a measured decision not to expend STARTTLS because it feared doing so would interfere with its ability to audit each e-mail it was sent for malicious computer software , phishing try , and other effort . “ DISA presently rejects over 85 % of all DoD electronic mail traffic coming from the Internet on a daily base due to malicious behaviour , ” Zabel wrote . “ The remaining 15 % of electronic mail traffic is also inspected for Zero Day threats that exploit an unrevealed cybersecurity exposure . ”
Added Zabel : “ We also audit for advanced , dour menace using detection methods developed using national level intelligence . Many of these detection methods would be return ineffective if STARTTLS were enable . ”
However , in a follow - up letter to Wyden this week , the major general clarified that DoD was mostly obstruct in adopting STARTTLS by its own antiquated applied science .
“ Email stay one of our declamatory threat vectors , ” Zabel wrote , continuing : “ DISA is presently follow out architectural changes , which will allow for the purpose of STARTTLS on a default basis , while still enabling us to apply appropriate safeguards ; however , the content and throughput of the aging equipment creates limitations in supporting STARTTLS as the default for all chain mail sessions . ”
A unexampled electronic mail gateway infrastructure will allow the use of STARTTLS by default , the letter said , estimate that DoD would be able to acquire and passage to this new system by July 2018 .
The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity , which is burden with investigating President Trump ’s unsubstantiated title of widespread voter fraud during the 2016 election , of late ask commonwealth official to send their elector roller to the charge using anemail name and address that does not employ STARTTLS .
“ For far too long , many of the unclassified email messages sent and receive by members of the military have been depart vulnerable to surveillance by foreign governing and cyberpunk , ” Senator Wyden tell Gizmodo . “ The Pentagon is doing the proper affair by encrypting email as they are send to and from the military ’s servers . ”
Wyden called DISA ’s determination “ a salutary step , ” but tell there was no reasonableness it should take an full year to adopt manufacture - received cybersecurity technology . “ protect the communication of American servicemen and adult female should be a anteriority , so I hope the federal agency speed up its timeline , ” he said .
Kate Conger contributed to this account .
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