The US Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III has outlined a pilot programme in which the government helps the defence industry in safeguarding the information their computer systems hold.

In a keynote address at the Center for Strategic Decision Research’s 28th International workshop on Global Security, Lynn described the Defense Industrial Base Cyber Pilot – called “DIB Cyber Pilot” for short – in which the Defense Department, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, shares classified threat information and the know-how to employ it with participating defense companies or their Internet service providers to help them in defending their computer networks from attack or exploitation.

“Our defense industrial base is critical to our military effectiveness. Their networks hold valuable information about our weapons systems and their capabilities,” Lynn said. “The theft of design data and engineering information from within these networks greatly undermines the technological edge we hold over potential adversaries.”