Computer Security Resource Center

Computer Security Resource Center

Computer Security
Resource Center

This is an archive
(replace .gov by .rip)

Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management

Software and Supply Chain Assurance Forum

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Forums are held 2-3 times / year and are FREE and open to the public; registration is required.

  • September 26-27, 2018 at MITRE in McLean, VA (Register Here, Agenda TBA)


ABOUT:

Cyber risk has become a topic of core strategic concern for business and government leaders worldwide and is an essential component of an enterprise risk management strategy. The Software and Supply Chain Assurance Forum (SSCA) provides a venue for government, industry, and academic participants from around the world to share their knowledge and expertise regarding software and supply chain risks, effective practices and mitigation strategies, tools and technologies, and any gaps related to the people, processes, or technologies involved.

The effort is co-led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Government Services Agency (GSA). Participants represent a diverse group of career professionals including government officials, chief information security officers, those in academia with cybersecurity and supply chain specialties, system administrators, engineers, consultants, vendors, software developers, managers, analysts, specialists in IT and cybersecurity, and many more fields. 

SSCA forums are held 2-3 times/year and are free and open to all interested parties

While the general intent is to share information, the SSCA Forum also offers government and private sector participants, including international participants, an opportunity to openly collaborate by presenting and receiving feedback on current and potential future work. Most events are two to three days long and contain a mixture of discussion and presentation; interaction is always strongly encouraged. To encourage open interaction, SSCA Forum meetings operate under the Chatham House Rule, meaning “participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed,” though many speakers allow NIST to post their presentations on this website.

To receive information about upcoming meetings and related publications and activities, please sign up for the sw.assurance mailing list, operated by NIST, by sending a blank email to sw.assurance-join@nist.gov


HISTORY:

The forum, initially called the Software Assurance (SwA) Forum and Working Groups, was initiated in 2003 as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-sponsored Cross-Sector Cyber Security Working Group (CSCSWG) established under auspices of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) that provides legal framework for public-private collaboration and participation. Its purpose was to bring together a stakeholder community to protect the Nation’s key information technologies, most of which are enabled and controlled by software.  Over time, the community evolved and broadened the scope to include additional focus on the supply chain. Events were held quarterly; Summer and Winter sessions were intended for working group-type discussions while the Spring and Fall sessions were reserved for more traditional forum presentations.


PAST EVENTS:

As of 2014, the Forums are operated under the Chatham House Rule, meaning “participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed”. On occasion, a speaker may wish to provide their slides to the group, in which case links to those presentations will be embedded in the corresponding agendas here:

Agendas and presentations for events prior to 2014 are not available.

  • Summer 2013: June 25-27, 2013
  • Spring 2013: March 5-7, 2013
  • Fall 2012: September 18-20, 2012
  • Summer 2012: June 26-28, 2012 (Part 2)
  • Summer 2012: June 26-28, 2012 (Part 1)
  • Spring 2012: March 26-29, 2012
  • Winter 2011: November 28-December 2, 2011
  • Fall 2011: September 12-16, 2011
  • Spring 2011: February 28-March 4, 2011
  • Winter 2010: December 14-16, 2010
  • Summer 2010: June 21-23, 2010

Created May 24, 2016, Updated July 17, 2018