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ICIT Research

ICIT Bright Minds: The Role of SMBs on DIB Cybersecurity With Ernie Magnotti, CISO, Leonardo DRS

Updated: Feb 12, 2023

In continued support of our mission to cultivate a cybersecurity renaissance that will improve the resiliency of our nation’s 16 critical infrastructure sectors, defend our democratic institutions, and empower generations of cybersecurity leaders, ICIT has embarked on a journey to hold candid interviews with some of the brightest minds in national security, cybersecurity, and technology. Our goal is to share their knowledge and insights with our community to shed light on solutions to the technology, policy, and human challenges facing our community. Our hope is that their words will motivate, educate, and inspire you to take on the challenges facing your organizations.


This Bright Minds Q&A featuring Leonardo DRS CISO and ICIT Fellow Ernie Magnotti adds to the research already published as part of ICIT’s Improving Supply Chain Resiliency initiative by discussing America’s national security prerogative to improve supply chain security within the defense industrial base and whether the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is sufficient to catalyze improved cybersecurity. MITRE’s late 2018 report Deliver Uncompromised: A Strategy for Supply Chain Security and Resilience in Response to the Changing Character of War, summarized by ICIT here, found the vast majority of government contractors were not meeting the requirements of DFARS 7012, and many more did not have the understanding or means to meet the regulations. The report calls for security, in addition to cost, performance, and schedule, to be the primary determinants in the acquisition process.


In this Bright Minds Q&A, Ernie Magnotti explains how he believes the CMMC will cause the sector to evolve, inviting a cybersecurity renaissance into America’s DIB.


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