How to know if outsourced Site Security Manager support is right for your project The Site Security Manager (SSM) is a central role to the completion of a SCIF or SAPF project. While the role does need to be filled by someone in-house, you can outsource SSM support services, which can help take over some of the SSM’s major responsibilities and offer guidance and expertise in other areas. So in … [Read more...] about The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing SSM Responsibilities
How to Fill Out Your Fixed Facility Checklist
An overview and tips to help you complete your FFC For any SCIF or SAPF construction projects, the ICD 705 Technical Specifications, or Tech Spec, requires that the Site Security Manager (SSM) completes a Fixed Facility Checklist (FFC) and submits it to the Accrediting Official (AO). This is a form that needs to be completed in full for every project seeking accreditation under the ICD 705. … [Read more...] about How to Fill Out Your Fixed Facility Checklist
SCIF Accreditation Hurdles and How To Overcome Them
Navigate and avoid the most common hurdles in the SCIF/SAPF accreditation process. The final step in having an operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF, pronounced “skiff”) is getting it approved for accreditation. Oftentimes, SCIF building projects can come up against hurdles in the accreditation phase that result in costly delays. According to the ICD 705 Tech Spec, the … [Read more...] about SCIF Accreditation Hurdles and How To Overcome Them
What are Waveguides?
An overview of the common TEMPEST mitigation If your SCIF or SAPF is going to be processing secure information, you will have to be concerned with adding means to addressing TEMPEST concerns. TEMPEST is the unclassified short name for the study, investigation and mitigation of unintended emanations, or intelligence-bearing signals that can escape the facility and be picked up by outsiders to … [Read more...] about What are Waveguides?
What Happens When a SCIF Is De-accredited?
The ICD 705 de-accreditation process and how the facility can be re-accredited The development of a SCIF or SAPF is a long and often incredibly expensive process. When you’ve invested so much time and money into a facility, the last thing you want is to lose the accreditation that you worked so hard to get. However, thanks to allowances made in the ICS 705, de-accreditation doesn’t have to be … [Read more...] about What Happens When a SCIF Is De-accredited?
Do’s and Don’ts of TEMPEST Mitigations
Best practices for navigating TEMPEST requirements throughout the project life cycle TEMPEST, the study, investigation and mitigation of unintentional emanations from electronic equipment, is a complicated and sometimes overlooked aspect of SCIF and SAPF security. The DD 254 form, the form the government uses to communicate security requirements for construction to contractors, has a simple yes … [Read more...] about Do’s and Don’ts of TEMPEST Mitigations
An Overview of ICD 705 Wall Requirements
What does the Tech Spec say about building a perimeter wall for a SCIF or SAPF? The perimeter walls of a secure facility are a key part of the physical, acoustic and TEMPEST protections, and the ICD 705 Technical Specifications, or Tech Spec, lay out the requirements for building these walls. The Tech Spec also includes three suggested wall types for meeting different levels of STC rating or … [Read more...] about An Overview of ICD 705 Wall Requirements
What can you do if your facility doesn’t meet its STC rating?
An overview of STC mitigations and sound masking Secure facilities like SCIFs and SAPFs need to meet a certain standard of acoustic protection, measured in a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating. The ICD 705 Technical Specifications, or Tech Spec, necessitates a minimum of STC 45, though you may face higher requirements based on your facility’s specific vulnerabilities and the recommendations … [Read more...] about What can you do if your facility doesn’t meet its STC rating?
Analyzing the Changes to the ICS 705 Policy
What’s different in ICS 705-02, released in early 2022 The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) rolled out changes to the Intelligence Community Standard (ICS) 705-02 policy on March 28, 2022. This policy dictates the standards for accreditation and use of SCIFs and SAPFs. While the ICD 705 Technical Specifications, or Tech Spec, undergoes changes approximately every 18 … [Read more...] about Analyzing the Changes to the ICS 705 Policy