Manual Processes Are Putting National Security at Risk

"Manual handling of sensitive data is not just inefficient, it is a systemic vulnerability. Recent breaches in defense supply chains show how manual processes create exploitable gaps that adversaries can weaponize. This is not just a technical issue. It is a strategic challenge for every organization operating in contested domains, where speed and certainty define mission success."

"In an era defined by accelerating cyber threats and geopolitical tension, every second counts. Delays, errors, and gaps in control can cascade into consequences that compromise mission readiness, decision-making, and operational integrity. This is exactly what manual processes introduce: uncertainty in environments where certainty is non-negotiable. They create bottlenecks and increase the risk of human error."

"Legacy systems remain a major barrier. Many defense and government environments still run on infrastructure that predates modern automation capabilities. These systems were never designed for seamless integration with policy engines or encryption frameworks. Replacing them is costly and disruptive, so organizations layer manual steps as a workaround."

Manual processes for transferring sensitive data in defense and government organizations represent a systemic vulnerability rather than merely an efficiency problem. Recent defense supply chain breaches demonstrate how manual handling creates exploitable gaps that adversaries weaponize. In environments where speed and certainty determine mission success, manual processes introduce unacceptable uncertainty through bottlenecks, human error risks, and control gaps. Every manual step represents a potential breach point that undermines mission assurance principles. Legacy systems and procurement cycles perpetuate reliance on manual processes despite their operational risks, as organizations lack seamless integration capabilities with modern automation, policy engines, and encryption frameworks.

Read at The Hacker News