USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) passed a first-of-its-kind afloat Department of Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) command cyber readiness inspection (CCRI), July 14, while the ship was conducting training at sea.
A CCRI is an in-depth inspection and analysis of a ship or shore command’s network security posture to ensure that vital information is protected from cyber attacks.
The inspection of the Lincoln networks, which began July 8, was the first time a cyber inspection of a Navy network was conducted underway, and the first DISA-led CCRI conducted aboard an aircraft carrier.
Cmdr. Michael Thibodeau, the ship’s combat systems officer, said the inspection was part of a three-year training cycle, the goal is to determine which Department of Defense computer networks have low vulnerability to outside attacks from threats such as hackers, and to strengthen the defense of these networks as necessary.
“Any networks out of compliance can actually be forced to shut down and pulled from the Global Information Grid (GIG),” he said. “This success is indicative of Lincoln’s high state of operational readiness.”
Lincoln’s inspection results set the Navy standard for afloat units by achieving a score 11 percent higher than had previously been achieved in shore-based inspections. Thibodeau added the ship’s score was also 20 percent higher than the average afloat command score from the Navy’s own internal cyber security inspections.
“I attribute our success on this inspection to the pride and dedication that the Information Systems team takes in maintaining the highest levels of cyber readiness,” he said.
Lincoln’s next CCRI is not scheduled to occur until after Lincoln’s upcoming Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH), as the ship will be temporarily taken off the training cycle.
Though the inspection is complete, Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Toni Robinson said personnel should continue to follow the practices that played a key role in passing the inspection.
“In order to keep prepared, all hands should remain vigilant on network security and following command security procedures for personal electronic devices,” she said.
Lincoln is currently working with other afloat units to help prepare them for success with their upcoming CCRI inspections.
