Federal Network Security

The Federal Network Security (FNS) Branch collaborates across the federal government to enhance the nation’s cybersecurity posture by:

• Identifying common requirements across the federal government
• Collaborating with components of the federal enterprise to identify solutions
• Implementing policy and technical solutions
• Monitoring the effectiveness of implemented solutions

Initiatives

FNS is focused on a variety of initiatives that improve the long-term security posture of the federal government:

• Domain Name Systems Security (DNSSEC) provides a secure authentic government website for public users to transmit information while utilizing online government services.
• Federal Information Security Memoranda (FISM) DHS issued memoranda informing Federal departments and agencies of their responsibilities, required actions, and effective dates to achieve Federal information security policies.
• Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) outlines DHS responsibilities for providing operational support to federal agencies in securing federal systems and ensuring information security performance.
• FISMA Reporting Service Offerings provides FISMA Reporting Shared Service Centers (SSCs) so agencies can improve security reporting using automated, efficient channels.
• Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (MTIPS) efficiently delivers Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) solutions to government customers to reduce and consolidate an agency’s connections to the Internet.
• Risk Management Framework Service Offerings facilitates agencies’ use of SSCs to implement Risk Management Framework solutions, which reduce costs of completing certification and accreditation using legacy systems.
• Security Awareness and Training provides common suites of information systems security training products and services for the federal government.
• Situational Awareness and Incident Response (SAIR) provides local, tribal, state, and federal governments with quick access to Blanket Purchase Agreements to procure products and services that address gaps in configuration management, network mapping/path discovery, and vulnerability management.
• Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative optimizes and standardizes the security of individual external network connections used by the federal government. This improves the government’s security posture by reducing and consolidating the number of external connections, thereby heightening situational awareness.
• Trusted Internet Connections Compliance Validations (TCV) leverages an objective, repeatable, and consistent methodology to measure a federal agency/department’s compliance with the TIC Initiative and related Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives and guidance.

Our Partners

FNS partners with the public and private sector to build cohesion and enhance the security, resiliency, and reliability of the nation's cyber and communications infrastructure. FNS partners include:

• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
• General Services Administration (GSA)
• Department of Defense (DoD)
• Chief Information Officers Council (CIOC)
• Information Security and Identity Management Committee (ISIMC)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology

FNS Events

• 2012 Federal Cybersecurity Conference and Workshop