Cybersecurity has become a serious concern for military operations as foreign governments and independent hackers continually seek access to sensitive data. When successful, cyberattacks can compromise missions and disrupt logistics from thousands of miles away, without the need to ever fire a shot or put boots on the ground.
Sometimes it only takes a single compromised endpoint to make this happen. As such, military units and defense contractors must maintain a heightened state of digital preparedness to help thwart such attempts.
As military operations go increasingly digital, this transition has given rise to a growing list of threats. From tactical operations and drone reconnaissance to communications networks and weapons systems, every digitized element is vulnerable to cyberattacks if not properly managed. To address these concerns, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recently budgeted $15.1 billion toward countering cyber threats in 2026, such as:
The nature of cyberattacks is constantly changing. Sometimes hackers may be trying to steal critical information, but other times they may be simply trying to disrupt operations as much as possible. Firmware vulnerabilities in laptops and other devices used in tactical operations could create vulnerabilities that are undetectable by the operating system. A compromised software vendor or supplier could unknowingly provide a backdoor into military technology systems.
Cyberattacks against military technology don’t just come from foreign governments anymore. Cybercriminals are also known to launch sophisticated digital attacks against military organizations and defense contractors, usually for financial reasons, such as gaining information to sell or installing ransomware in a system. Other threats come from what is known as “hacktivist” groups, which are groups motivated by some sort of philosophy or ideology to interrupt military operations.
While traditional perimeter-based protections like firewalls and VPNs play a role in defending sensitive military information, they can no longer be the only means of securing systems. Like any other government entity, the military now exists in an environment inundated with cloud-based solutions, remote employees and mobile field operations. These factors have created a need for robust security solutions that do more than lock down networks, but also protect access at endpoints.
The U.S. government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a reliable framework for securing military networks and systems. These standards apply not only to military organizations but also to all of the vendors, contractors, and partners they work with. These third-party organizations are expected to align their security protocols with NIST guidelines as part of their agreement with the DOD.
The NIST model can be broken down into three phases:
Inventory: Put simply: You can’t protect a device if you don’t know it’s there. The first step of NIST compliance involves building a comprehensive inventory of all IT assets, including a breakdown of software, hardware and firmware.
Harden: The next step involves hardening your assets, or more plainly, making them harder to attack. That means patching all known vulnerabilities, including at the firmware level, and applying strict controls for gaining access.
Detect and respond: Cybercriminals spend their days developing attacks meant to find vulnerabilities in software, hardware and firmware. Military organizations and contractors must implement real-time monitoring to detect suspicious activity as it happens, enabling them to respond quickly and shut down the attempt.
By following this model, military stakeholders will significantly improve the likelihood of a successful defense when a cyber incident occurs.
The military and defense contractors have long trusted our TOUGHBOOK rugged laptops and 2-in-1 devices because of their durability in the face of extreme operating conditions. In today’s digital landscape, that ruggedness extends to the digital realm, helping the military and its partners create cybersecurity resilience down to the firmware level.
Built to align with the NIST framework, Panasonic Connect’s Smart Compliance offering simplifies and bolsters cybersecurity programs by:
Offering a full view of your existing device inventory
Automating firmware updates
Tracking issues at the hardware and firmware level
Prioritizing vulnerabilities across software, hardware and firmware components
Detecting threats that evade usual endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems
Verification of device integrity throughout the product lifecycle
Validating that devices have not been tampered with
To further enhance the security of your mobile device network, our TOUGHBOOK GUARD solution provides next-generation hardware cybersecurity through continuous monitoring and validation of internal connections. This includes firmware-level integration, hardware interface monitoring, and offline operation, which combine to significantly improve tamper-resistance on your TOUGHBOOK and Let’s note devices.
And, as always, TOUGHBOOK laptops and 2-in-1s have built-in and optional security features and hardware protections that help military organizations and defense contractors prevent unauthorized access, such as:
Secure boot capabilities
BIOS-level controls that prevent unauthorized modification
Biometric authentication (fingerprint readers, facial scanners, smart card readers)
These services and capabilities combined help military stakeholders build a Zero Trust environment, which is quickly becoming the standard for defense-related organizations. The core principle of Zero Trust – never trust, always verify – has proven highly effective at preventing unauthorized access to systems by bad actors.
For military stakeholders, securing IT infrastructure across the organization has become just as vital as securing physical perimeters at a base or forward outpost. Robust cybersecurity is not a simple back-office concern for organizations that contribute to national defense, but an imperative.
To win your next cybersecurity battle and all of the ones that come after, it’s essential to employ a structured approach to cybersecurity that aligns with NIST standards. Using military solutions like our TOUGHBOOK and Let’s note computers, Smart Compliance solution and support services from our Professional Services team will ensure that your IT assets are ready for whatever cybersecurity threat comes next.