The Department of Defense will evaluate the cybersecurity of mobile devices used by analysts and servicemembers as mandated in the draft text of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Nextgov/FCW reports.
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Under the provision, anonymizing technologies such as dynamic selector rotation and basic tools like on-device virtual private networks will be assessed to prevent cyberespionage and increase security when browsing online.
The Defense Department will have at least nine months to submit its findings to Congress if this provision is adopted in the defense bill’s final version.
According to a 2023 oversight report, the DOD “does not have a comprehensive mobile device and mobile application policy” and that the armed forces’ device security programs “also vary widely in the operational and cybersecurity risk they pose to the DOD.”
The Pentagon banned Tiktok on all staff devices last year amid growing concerns that the China-linked app was sending sensitive user data to Beijing, leading to a renewed interest in DOD device security.
