Here's How a Supply Chain Task Force Recommends Avoiding Counterfeit Tech

A Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency task force has a tip for federal buyers: buy from trusted sources to avoid counterfeit tech.

Made up of 40 organizations from the IT and communications sectors and 20 federal interagency partners, the Information and Communications Technology Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force launched in late 2018 to develop strategies that boost supply chain security across government and industry. At a meeting this week, the task force “unanimously approved” a new recommendation for a federal acquisition rule that encourages buyers to purchase ICT solely from its original manufacturers and authorized resellers to prevent faulty technology from being procured.

“The opportunity to collaborate with experts representing multiple government agencies and Industry segments is, itself, a significant Task Force accomplishment,” Robert Mayer, senior vice president of cybersecurity at USTelecom and co-chair of the task force, said.

According to CISA, members also discussed how to best provide feedback to the Federal Acquisition Security Council and the task force’s role in aiding the Homeland Security Department’s analytical requirements laid out in a recent executive order on securing the information and communications technology and services supply chain.

And because these threats often “cut across many sectors,” the task force plans to soon begin involving supply chain experts from outside of the ICT industry in their efforts.

The group also aims to unveil a public summary of its recommendations by the end of the summer.