Defense declares war on spam in bid to protect networks

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090514_2422.php

By Bob Brewin 
NextGov.com
05/14/2009

The Defense Information Systems Agency asked technology companies on 
Wednesday for ideas on how to build an e-mail defense system on the 
perimeter of its networks that can scan 50 million inbound messages a 
day to catch spam, viruses and cyberattacks.

In a notice to industry, DISA said it needs to protect 700 unclassified 
network domains and that, while there are many individual e-mail domains 
administered by Defense Department units, "there is a possibility these 
may be combined into one enterprise DoD e-mail domain."

Defense currently scans e-mails for viruses and spam coming into systems 
serving the military services, commands or units. DISA wants to extend 
the protection to the interface between the Internet and its 
unclassified network, the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router 
Network. The agency also wants the ability to scan all outbound e-mails 
from the 5 million users.

The issue of spam is serious, Defense reports. Army Lt. Gen. Keith B. 
Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, told an audience 
attending the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco in April that 
about 20 billion e-mails are sent globally every day, of which 65 
percent to 70 percent are spam.

[...]


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