SSA awards security support deal

Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office

Science Applications International Corp. announced Thursday that the Social

Security Administration has awarded the company a $45 million contract to

provide security support services.

The blanket purchase agreement for the SSA Office of Finance, Assessment

and Management is focused on providing services under Presidential Decision

Directive 63, which requires federal agencies to protect systems that support

the nation's critical infrastructure.

Under PDD-63, agencies also are supposed to develop plans for how they

will meet the protection requirements and must turn those plans in to the

Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office.

Under the contract, SAIC's Center for Information Security Technology

will perform vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on SSA's networks

and help the office develop a plan to address the risks that are found.