Software and Supply Chain Assurance Forum

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 General Services Administration (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 Google Group - operated by NIST - here: https://groups.google.com/a/list.nist.gov/forum/#!forum/sw.assurance

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Forums are held several times a year and are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC; registration is required.

PAST EVENTS:

Forums are held 2-3 times / year and are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC; registration is required.

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:

• September 22, 2021
• June 16, 2021
• April 7, 2021
• January 14-15, 2020
• September 17-18, 2019
• May 8-9, 2019 
• December 18-19, 2018
• September 26-27, 2018
• May 1-2, 2018
• December 12-13, 2017
• August 29-30, 2017
• March 15-17, 2017
• December 13-15, 2017
• October 4-5, 2016
• July 13-15, 2016
• March 8-9, 2016
• December 1-3, 2015
• August 31-September 1, 2015
• June 2-4, 2015
• March 9-11, 2015
• December 15-18, 2014
• September 24-25, 2014
• June 9-11, 2014
• March 18-20, 2014

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

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