DHS initiative targets critical infrastructure resilience

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is developing guidance to bolster critical infrastructure resilience.

While it is easy to understand the importance of telecommunications, energy, transportation, and emergency services, the underlying technologies enabling them, such as Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT), are often overlooked.

To that end, the S&T has composed the Resilient PNT Conformance Framework – guidance planned for public release by the end of the year. The conformance framework was developed with input from industry stakeholders, focusing on outcome-based behaviors of resilience to encourage industry innovation and creativity in technical solutions.

PNT is primarily provided through the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In addition to navigation, it provides precision timing information enabling critical functions within telecommunication networks and the power grid.

The PNT services are susceptible to interference, such as GPS jamming and spoofing, which pose a risk to critical infrastructure. The industry has reported a growing trend in the past two years of prominent PNT disruption events around the world.

“In order to do effective risk management, it’s important to understand your vulnerabilities, your risk posture, and select appropriate mitigations,” Jim Platt, director of the DHS PNT Program Management Office, housed within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said. “Combined with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s PNT Profiles from the PNT Executive Order, the conformance framework will be a valuable risk management tool.”

The conformance framework outlines four levels of resilience, officials said, allowing flexibility in meeting different user needs. The levels are cumulative, with requirements in each level carrying over into the next.