Cybersecurity in Defense – Thematic Research

The threat of cyber-attacks has never been greater, growing in line with increased connectivity between physical and digital systems. Lower barriers to entry for cyberthreat actors, more aggressive attack methods, a dearth of cybersecurity professionals, and patchwork governance mechanisms have aggravated the risk for all companies.

Cybersecurity has become a key issue to consider for all sectors, however, the sensitive nature of defense data and consequential national security concerns elevate the importance of data security for defense manufacturers. Cybersecurity for militaries and states is an issue of national security because a successful attack could mean that threat actors gain the ability to control and use destructive weapons, or that critical national infrastructure is weakened.

What is the impact of cybersecurity on the defense market?

The COVID-19 lockdowns highlighted new ways of working in the forms of remote collaboration and showcased enabling technology that allows militaries and companies to adapt and work remotely from all over the world. The quick adaptation of organizations to the pandemic meant that a lot of the online tools, solutions, technologies, and services implemented for remote working were integrated into haste and therefore could have overlooked cybersecurity in favor of speed. Home networks are also less secure and more easily accessed by bad actors immensely accelerating the need for cybersecurity.

As the modern soldier becomes more connected, all devices need to be secured. 5G is an integral part of machine-to-machine telecommunications and edge computing. However, without proper cybersecurity, units are left open to attack. Companies like Booz Allen Hamilton are providing services that ‘formulate customized 5G strategies that fit their missions and mitigate cybersecurity risk’. Their services support an array of use cases for 4G, 5G Non-Standalone (NSA), and 5G Standalone (SA).

Cyberattacks can further disrupt supply chains. If operating systems (which any company in the supply chain is using) are compromised by cyberattacks, it will delay processes significantly. This causes a knock-on effect that snowballs to create serious issues for both companies and militaries. More and more technologies used in defense need semiconductors to operate, including some missiles. This demand has outstripped supply, hitting the defense industry hard.

What are the key cybersecurity value chains?

The key cybersecurity value chains can be divided into three segments: hardware, software, and services.

Hardware

With chips now being used in mission-critical servers and safety-critical applications, protecting chips from cyberattacks is becoming more critical and more expensive. Systems vendors such as Apple and Amazon are increasingly designing their chips rather than buying commercially developed devices and intellectual property (IP) created by third-party developers.

Software

The software element of the cybersecurity value chain comprises the following areas: identity management, network security, endpoint security, threat detection & response, cloud security, data security, email security, application security, unified threat management, and vulnerability management.

Services

The services element of the cybersecurity value chain comprises the following areas: managed security services, post-breach response services, and risk & compliance services. Services are typically outsourced because of the complexity of addressing cybersecurity-related issues, such as staying on top of vulnerabilities, identifying & responding to threats, and meeting compliance requirements.

Which are the leading cybersecurity alliances?

Nations, companies, and militaries are becoming increasingly collaborative and cooperative to defend themselves against threat actors as cybersecurity transcends borders. Some of the leading cybersecurity alliances are the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Defense Cyber Protection Partnership, Five Eyes (FVEY), Indo-Pacific Cybersecurity Alliance Symposium, NATO, Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, Shanghai-cooperation organization, and United Nations (UN).

Which are the specialist cybersecurity vendors in the defense market?

The specialist cybersecurity vendors in the defense market are Airbus, BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Palantir Technologies, Sopra Steria, Thales, Leidos, and Telos.

For more insights on how cybersecurity is impacting the defense market, download a free report sample

Market Report Overview

Scope

• This report provides an overview of cybersecurity in defense
• This report explains why cybersecurity will continue to grow in importance for the defense industry
• This report outlines the variety of key beaches in cybersecurity and how they were rectified in the defense sector
• This report provides examples of what companies, countries, and organizations are developing watertight cybersecurity strategies.
• We highlight defense companies, organizations, and countries that are leading in this theme, such as Thales, BAE Systems, and Lockheed Martin.

Key Highlights

The increasing array of sensors and other data streams that make up the OODA loop means there is an increasing number of connected devices which need to be cyber-secure. The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation in the US Department of Defense confirmed that “almost every weapon in the warfighter’s arsenal is software‐defined, and we are more likely to improve system lethality by installing new software than by modifying hardware”. However, each software update can come with its own cybersecurity risk. Data in any format has always been a key discriminator on the battlefield, however, as it is increasingly relied upon in strategy and planning, any data breach would be a significant intelligence coup by an enemy force. The increasing collection and collation of data also mean that companies and militaries are outsourcing some of their data management and storage needs. This will accelerate the need for cybersecurity as bad actors which strategically hunt for potential intelligence, prefer to target smaller suppliers who feed into the largest defense contractors, rather than attempt to attack the larger companies which can have more established cybersecurity.

Reasons to Buy

• To understand cybersecurity and its current and future impact on the industry.
• To understand how cybersecurity is increasingly difficult and an important challenge that the defense sector is facing.
• To identify the leading cybersecurity vendors.
• GlobalData’s thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors. It has a proven track record of identifying the important themes early, enabling companies to make the right investments ahead of the competition, and secure that all-important competitive advantage.