Selected Customer References

 

 

U.S. Department of Defense – Military’s Health Information System Infrastructure

For the U.S. Dept. of Defense (DoD) and Military Health System (MHS), a paramount concern is safeguarding the sensitive information entrusted to them by 9.2 million beneficiaries and patients.  The security of MHS information systems and networks that process or store that data, and contractor-owned systems connecting to them, is ensured through the DoD Information Technology Security Certification & Accreditation Program (DITSCAP), with its comprehensive and stringent requirements.

For more than 5 years, the Cipher Communications, Inc.  MHS has contracted BCA and Cipher Communications, Inc. to conduct certification and accreditation of its contractor systems. During that time, BCA and Cipher have successfully led certification efforts for information systems at more than 200 sites across the nation.  Closely partnering with the MHS and its contractor sites and employing state-of-the-art security technologies and tools, our team has carried out rigorous reviews, including vulnerability scans and physical security assessments, and assisted with implementing and verifying mitigations.  Today, the MHS is regarded as an industry leader in Information Assurance.

 

University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine – HIPAA Security Assessment

 

Cipher performed an audit/assessment of the UIC College of Medicine (UIC-COM) fourteen (14) medical units systems that are used to store electronic patient health information (ePHI) using secure and industry accepted methodologies to ensure that the UIC-COM is configured using industry best practices to identify risk and vulnerabilities to external intrusions. Cipher reviewed UIC-COM unit’s policies and standard operating procedures as they relate to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Cipher provided UIC-COM with the following services:

 

·         Audited of ePHI systems;

·         Reviewed unit’s data backup and restoration procedures;

·         Compared the security levels of the ePHI systems to industry standards;

·         Provided a detailed report listing all identified vulnerabilities ranked by severity;

·         Developed an improvement plan for implementing solutions to overcome the gaps found;

·         Developed prioritized list of recommended remedial procedures; and

·         Identified specific areas for improvement and the relative value of improvements for each recommended change

 

 

District of Columbia, Office of the Chief Technology Officer – HIPAA Security Assessment

 

Cipher provides support for the Citywide IT Security Program (CWITS) for the HIPAA Privacy and Security Implementation Projects for the District of Columbia as well as project oversight, implementation, systems security vulnerability assessments and penetration testing within the Citywide IT Security Program.  In addition, Cipher provided planning, implementation, and performance of C&A activities as they relate to numerous projects throughout DC and its agencies. Activities included, but were not limited to, the following key areas:

 

·         Program Management of the current HIPAA security contractors to the standards of the HIPAA contract and the internal program management standards of OCTO.

·         Developed HIPAA assessment, the network vulnerability assessment, and the risk assessment, the business impact analysis, and the mitigation plan.

·         Implementation of the mitigation plan tasks in all agencies for those standards and specifications that OCTO is responsible to maintain.

·         Verification and coordination of agency implementation of the mitigation plan tasks for those agencies conducting their own implementation.

·         Conducted an audit of the full HIPAA Security Rule implementation to verify that it satisfies the objectives above and the detailed specifications identified in the law.

·         Prepared a work plan to accomplish the more costly elements of the security rule, and produce a financial plan to accomplish those standards.

 

 

Chicago, Cook County Treasurer’s Office – IT Security Assessment

Cipher conducted an Information Security Assessment for the Cook County Treasurer’s Office. The Cook County Treasurer’s Office manages over $8 billion in property tax collections for the County.  The Office is connected to the rest of the County through the Cook County Network, managed by the Cook County IT department.  The Office also distributes the tax funds to approximately 1,600 governmental agencies that have the jurisdiction to collect taxes. Cipher evaluated the existing internal controls over information technology, including hardware, software, operating systems, and networks.  A network penetration and vulnerability scan was conducted and the results were included in the final report. 

 

Cipher prepared a detailed report identifying vulnerabilities and security weaknesses within the Office.  Cipher provided a solution of heightened knowledge and awareness of the potential vulnerabilities and exposures associated with the Cook County WAN and a means to protect the Treasurer’s Office.