The mission of NCSC's Supply Chain and Cyber Directorate (SCD) is to enhance the nation's supply chain and cyber security, leveraging multidisciplinary counterintelligence and security expertise to inform, guide, and coordinate integrated risk decisions and responses with strategic partners.
April is National Supply Chain Integrity Month
The 6th Annual National Supply Chain Integrity Month focuses on Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) – The Recipe for Resilience. NCSC encourages our stakeholders and partners to apply SCRM methodologies to protect our most critical supply chains. SCRM allows government and industry to defend against the known threats to our supply chains while building resilience to future risks.
The need to build resilience in supply chain security is urgent now more than ever. Organizations must include all aspects of SCRM into their recipe for resilience. Acquisition Security, Information Security, Counterintelligence, Insider Threat Risk Management, and Cybersecurity are all key ingredients to understanding your organization’s risk appetite.
Throughout the month of April, NCSC will team up with the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Defense, allies, partners, and the private sector to increase awareness on supply chain threats, share best practices on risk management, and identify ways to deepen collaboration and cooperation on key supply chain security issues.
April 2023 — Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) – The Recipe for Resilience
- Zero-Trust Architecture
- Software Supply Chain Attacks
- Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resilience
- 5G Network Slicing – C-SCRM Best Practices
- Ransomware Threats and Impacts to Industry
- Venture Capital and Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
Protecting Supply Chains for Critical Technologies
In October 2021, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) prioritized outreach efforts in five critical technology sector areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bioeconomy, Autonomous Systems, Quantum, and Semiconductors.
These technologies present unique opportunities and challenges where the stakes are potentially greatest for U.S. economic and national security.
One of the unique challenges is managing the threats and risks to the very complex supply chains that support each one of these critical and emerging technologies.
For National Supply Chain Integrity Month in April 2022, NCSC focused on supply chain security issues unique to AI, specifically machine learning (ML) an AI subset; autonomous systems, specifically autonomous vehicles; and semiconductors
The awareness materials below highlight the unique supply chain issues associated with these critical technologies.
- Autonomous Automotive Vehicle Supply Chain Risk
- Information and Communications Technology and the Supply Chain Risk
- Managing Supply Chain Risk to Machine Learning
- Supply Chain Risks to Semiconductors
Champion Supply Chain
Take the General Services Administration (GSA) and Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) training course to Fortify the Chain:
- FAC-093: "Introduction to Supply Chain Risk Management"
- Requires Defense Acquisition University (DAU) account or Department of Defense (DoD) Common Access Card (CAC)
National Supply Chain Integrity Month
April 2022 — Fortify the Chain
- April 2022 National Supply Chain Integrity Month press release
- April 2022 NSCIM calendar of events
- Agri-Food Supply Chain Spotlight
- Defense Industrial Base Supply Chain Spotlight
- Energy Supply Chain Spotlight
- ICT Supply Chain Spotlight
- Public Health Supply Chain Spotlight
- Transportation Supply Chain Spotlight
- Supply Chain Cyber Attacks
- Baker's Dozen - 13 Elements of an Effective SCRM Program
- Podcast: Securing U.S. Supply Chains - Addressing Our Vulnerabilities with Jeanette McMillian
April 2021 — A Call to Action
- Press Release: National Supply Chain Integrity Month – A Call to Action
- Software Supply Chain Attacks – 2021
- Supply Chain Risk Management: Best Practices in One Page – 2021
- Framework for Assessing Risks - 2021
- Sector-Specific Supply Chain Best Practices
Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) - Don't Be the Weakest Link!
- NCSC SCRM Best Practices
- Intelligence Community Logistics and SCRM
- NCSC Supply Chain Risk Management video
- 2018 Foreign Economic Espionage in Cyberspace report
- NCSC Federal Partner Newsletter : National Supply Chain Integrity Month
- MITRE report: Deliver Uncompromised
Supply Chain Risk Management
Executive Orders
- EO 13636 Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
- EO 13806 Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States
- Executive Order 13806 Report
- EO 13873 Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain
- EO 13913 Establishing the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector
- EO 13984 Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities
- EO 14005 Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers
- EO 14017 America's Supply Chains
- EO 14024 Blocking Property with Respect to Specified Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation
- EO 14028 Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity
- EO 14034 Protecting Americans' Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries
Authorities, Policies, and Standards
- SECURE Technology Act: Establishment of the Federal Acquisition Security Council
- NIST Special Publication 800-161
- DNI ICD 731 Supply Chain Risk Management for the Intelligence Community (PDF)
- DNI ICS 731-01 Supply Chain Criticality Assessment 20151002 (PDF)
- DNI ICS 731-02 Supply Chain Threat Assessments 20160517 (PDF)
- DNI ICS 731-03 Supply Chain Information Sharing (PDF)
- DNI ICS 731-04 Supply Chain Vulnerability Assessments (PDF)
- DNI ICS 731-05 Supply Chain Risk Assessments (PDF)
Tools
Reducing Threats to Key U.S. Supply Chains
- NTIA Releases Minimum Elements for a Software Bill of Materials
- NCSC Supply Chain Risk Management Tri-Fold: Reducing Threats to Key U.S. Supply Chains (PDF)
Podcasts
- (New) Authorized Disclosures Podcast: Cyber and Supply Chain Security Discussion with ONCD
- Podcast: Supply Chain Security Discussion with CBP
- Podcast on How One Federal Program Worked to Enhance its Supply Chain Security
- Podcast on Cyber & Supply Chain Threats to the Health Care Sector
- Podcast: Securing U.S. Supply Chains - Addressing Our Vulnerabilities with Jeanette McMillian
Thought Leaders: Supply Chain Security
- The Emerging Cyber Threat to Industrial Control Systems (London: United Kingdom, Lloyd's, February 2021) [Article characterized as a "Call to Action"]
- CSIS Working Group on Trust and Security in 5G Networks, Criteria for Security and Trust in Telecommunications Networks and Services (Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic & International Studies, May 2020)
- Assessing SCRM Capabilities and Perspectives of the IT Vendor Community: Toward a Cyber-Supply Chain Code of Practice (College Park: University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business, 2011)
- Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management: Toward a Global Vision of Transparency and Trust (Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 2011). [also Political and Legal]
- Defense Science Board Task Force on Cyber Supply Chain (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense, April 2017)
- Deliver Uncompromised: A Strategy for Supply Chain Security and Resilience in Response to the Changing Character of War (McLean, Virginia: MITRE Corporation, August 2018)
- How Chinese Cybersecurity Standards Impact Doing Business in China (Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic & International Studies, August 2018)
- Supplier Assurance Framework: Good Practice Guide (London: United Kingdom Cabinet Office, May 2018)
- Breaking Trust: Shades of Crisis across an Insecure Software Supply Chain (Washington, D.C.: Atlantic Council, July 2020)
5G Wireless Technology
- Potential Threat Vectors to 5G Infrastructure – CISA, NSA, ODNI Report
- State Department 5G Technology Website
- State Department Fact Sheet: 5G Security – What is Trust?
- State Department Fact Sheet: 5G Security – Incredible Promise, Significant Risk
- State Department 5G Technology Video
- DHS 5G Wireless Networks Graphic: Market Penetration and Risk Factors
Supply Chain Resources
- Department of Defense resources
- Department of Homeland Security resources
- UK National Cyber Security Centre resources
Additional Resources
- National Cyber Strategy of the United States - September 2018 (PDF)
- National Security Strategy 2017 (PDF)
- National Counterintelligence Strategy 2016 (PDF)
- Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Federal Information Systems and Organizations (PDF)
- Committee on National Security Systems Directive Supply Chain Risk Management, CNSSD 505 (PDF)
- Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force Report on Cyber Supply Chain
