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Understand ATO and Deployment Passport

Deploying secure applications into Department of Defense (DoD) environments requires strict compliance with cybersecurity and authorization standards. Game Warden simplifies this process through its existing Authorization to Operate (ATO), allowing your organization to inherit this authorization through a structured pathway.

This guide explains how Game Warden’s ATO, Deployment Passport, and Certificate to Field (CtF) work together to enable compliant deployments.

Key terms at a glance

Term What It Means Why It Matters
ATO A government-issued authorization that allows your system to operate on DoD networks. Required to deploy to any DoD environment. Game Warden holds an ATO for Impact Levels (IL) 2, 4, and 5, authorized through AFWERX. Applications hosted on Game Warden may inherit this ATO.
ATO Inheritance Your app runs under Game Warden’s existing ATO instead of undergoing its own full authorization process. Reduces compliance burden and accelerates deployment timelines.
CtF An approval memo signed by an authorizing official or delegated authority that confirms your app can inherit Game Warden’s ATO for a specific Impact Level. Required before deploying your app to staging (STG) or production (PRD) environments.
Deployment Passport A bundle of compliance documents, including the CtF, demonstrates that your app meets all required security standards. Reviewed by authorizing official or delegated authority.

How the process works

You build your app and prepare it for deployment.

Game Warden helps you harden and scan the app, generating evidence of security posture.

The Game Warden team uploads this body of evidence into the Deployment Passports section of the Documents page in the Game Warden App. Optionally, you can submit additional compliance evidence or external ATOs.

The Deployment Passport package is sent to an authorizing official or delegated authority for reviewing and approval.

Once approved, you are issued a CtF. This CtF allows your app to inherit Game Warden’s ATO and be deployed to staging (STG) and production (PRD) environments.

The ATO is non-transferable and only valid for Game Warden-hosted applications.

Required components for the Deployment Passport

The following components must be compiled into your Deployment Passport package to request a CtF:

  • Authorization Boundary Diagram – A visual representation of your application architecture, showing all components, data flows, containers, and external services. It must indicate the direction of data movement (ingress, egress, bidirectional), as well as the ports and protocols used. This diagram ensures your deployment aligns with required ATO specifications. For more information, see Authorization Boundary Diagram.
  • System Security Plan (SSP) – A detailed form completed within the Game Warden app that outlines how your application meets ATO controls. It includes system architecture, data handling practices, external approvals (if applicable), and proof of an active government contract. The Game Warden Security team reviews and approves the SSP. For more information, see System Security Plans.
  • Security Findings Summary – A document containing hyperlinks to vulnerability scan results, exported from Scan Lab, providing a snapshot of your application's security posture.
  • ISSM Critical/High/Stop Security Findings Memo (if applicable) – A waiver memo addressing critical or high Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) that cannot be immediately remediated. It must justify risk mitigation strategies and is subject to higher scrutiny by Game Warden and government reviewers.
  • Game Warden Authority to Operate Documentation – A copy of Game Warden's signed ATO, issued by an Authorizing Official (AO), specific to the Impact Level (IL) targeted by your deployment.
  • Optional Documentation – You may include additional supporting materials, such as an existing ATO from another AO or further compliance evidence relevant to your system.

Info

Game Warden engineers help generate many of these artifacts as part of the security hardening and image scanning process.

When are updates required?

You should update your Deployment Passport and System Security Plan (SSP) under the following conditions:

  • Annually, or
  • Whenever a major release occurs, such as:
    • Adding or removing containers
    • Introducing new services or external connections
    • Modifying your Authorization Boundary Diagram

After updating your SSP, the Game Warden Security team will generate the remaining components, including updated scan results.

Note

A new Deployment Passport is not required for minor releases, such as:

  • Updating existing containers
  • Changing internal networking
  • Applying non-breaking patches

FAQs

How to define a major vs. minor release?

A major release involves changes to your application that require review and approval by the Authorizing Official (AO) and an updated Deployment Passport. Examples include:

  • Changes to the Authorization Boundary Diagram, such as adding or removing containers
  • Adding new services
  • Modifying external communications

A minor release includes updates that do not require a new Deployment Passport, such as:

  • Changes to internal container networking
  • Updating existing containers
How does the CtF process work for new releases?

If your new release stays within the scope of your approved Deployment Passport and follows the Game Warden Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), the existing CtF can often be amended rather than reissued.

To qualify, your application must still meet the compliance requirements defined by the Director of Security and the Authorizing Official (AO).

If these conditions are met, the updated version of your application can be added to the existing CtF without requiring a full re-approval.

The Game Warden Security team will review the release and determine whether a new CtF is necessary based on the scope and impact of your changes.