Data Distribution In a Denied Environment
Scenario
On a monthly basis, Gnostech was creating over 600 digital media disks since the 1990s to distribute monthly Information Assurance Vulnerability Software Patches (IAV patches). These disks were also known as Compact Disks (CD) and Digital Versatile Disks (DVD). IAV patches were software updates that were loaded onto a system to secure known software vulnerabilities.
The disks were sent primarily to operational assets that may or may not be deployed in theater using the mail system. There were several problems with this process: (1) There was a significant delay between the release of an IAV Alert, the development of the IAV patches, sending the disks by mail, and being received and installed by the operational unit, (2) the IAV patches had to be individually installed on each system. Since the systems being updates were operational systems in nature, the installations could only occur when not being used, (3) not every unit had a person that knew how to install the IAV patches, and (4) there was no way of knowing if any of the systems received the required IAV patches or not.
Gnostech developed the Automated Update Distribution Tool (AUDT) to address the four problems. We worked with all stakeholders including the operational community, cybersecurity, the integrated logistics team, the program management office, and test community to design a solution that addressed the team’s concerns.
Gnostech designed AUDT to address future capability requirements our engineers identified in our previous interaction with the warfighter, understanding the operational requirements, knowing existing cybersecurity compliance requirements, deploying with the warfighter, understanding the operational environment, and keeping abreast of current and future technologies. This close engagement and interaction with all stakeholders provided us with a unique opportunity to address other capability gaps that we identified. For example, we understood that the warfighter also needed the ability to save and share critical operational information. At the time, there was no way to do this across multiple networks and security domains. Gnostech engineers understood these capabilities gaps and were able to design and develop a solution that eloquently incorporated the original requirement of being able to deploy IAV patches, but also incorporated the ability to share operational data between warfighters.
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