What is a ‘SCIF’? SCIF stands for: Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. SCIFs are used as locations for sensitive and/or confidential information to be discussed or shared. Many government and private entities utilize SCIFs to safeguard information. The ‘situation room’ in the White House is inarguably the most famous SCIF in the world. The steps we will share with you in this series will highlight the steps taken in acquiring a SCIF.
The first step in acquiring a SCIF, as it is with any security protocol, is recognizing & identifying the need. Every SCIF is constructed independent of another and individual facility needs & risks are addressed and evaluated prior to construction.
Risk Management Process:
The Accrediting Official (AO) and Site Security Manager (SSM) evaluate threats, vulnerabilities, and assets to determine countermeasures needed.
- Threat Analysis
- The capability, intent, and opportunity of an adversary to exploit or damage assets and/or information is assessed.
- Vulnerability Analysis
- The susceptibility of attack to a procedure, facility, information system, equipment or policy is assessed.
- Probability Analysis
- The probability of an adverse action, incident, or attack is assessed.
- Consequence Analysis
- The consequences of an adverse event are assessed: loss of resources, monetary cost, mission impact, and/or program functionality.
- Security in Depth (SID)
- SID includes factors that increase and enhance the probability of detecting threats to SCIFs before the occurrence of an incident. These are additional protection methods taken to further safeguard confidential information/materials.
- SID is mandatory for locations (containing SCIFs) located outside of the United States due to increased threats.
- Examples of SID factors:
- Dedicated response force of U.S. personnel
- Ex: military bases, embassies, government compounds, contractor compounds with military guard
- Controlled buildings
- Containing: separate building access controls, alarms, elevator controls, stairwell controls, etc. required to gain entry into building or thoroughfares leading to SCIF
- Controlled office areas
- Must maintain alarm equipment if adjacent to SCIF
- Fenced compounds
- Gated entry controlled by security staff and/or access codes
- Additional mitigations may be developed if deemed necessary to prevent unauthorized entry
- Dedicated response force of U.S. personnel
Security plans should be coordinated with the AO before construction plans are designed, materials ordered, or contracts signed. Any non-standard methods used to meet security protection levels must be documented & approved by the AO and must at least equal or exceed the level of standard.
Does your facility require a SCIF? KL Security offers SCIF Container Solutions with panelized modular systems for scalable modular, portable, & mobile requirements. We assist in the acquisition of modular facilities for DoD & Government Access Control and ICD705 SCIFs or SAPF facilities. We also assist with special access control planning and commercial business security.
Call 866-867-0306 or email [email protected] to see how the experts at KL Security can assist your facility in security needs.
Information has been gathered from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice. The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only.
