For Immediate Release
DHS Science & Technology Press Office
Contact: John Verrico, (202) 254-2385
Washington, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today announced a $1.3 million cybersecurity Mobile Technology Security (MTS) research and development (R&D) award that will help secure mobile devices for the federal government. The Broad Agency Announcement HSHQDC-14-R-B0015, issued by the S&T Cyber Security Division, awarded the contract to IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY, to work on mobile security research in next-generation mobile security management tools.
“It’s essential for S&T to provide mobile device security technology to our government partners using devices daily for mission use,” said DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Reginald Brothers. “This research project will provide innovative solutions to protect the government’s mobile devices from adversaries.”
The MTS award is a part of the Mobile Device Security (MDS) R&D project which aims to accelerate the adoption of secure mobility by government and private sector organizations. The MDS project is developing R&D technologies in mobile device instrumentation, transactional security methods, mobile security management tools and mobile device layer protection.
The next-generation mobile security management tools project will look at innovative technology solutions that protect devices from malicious attacks. IBM will create a mobile management tool that understands long-term behavior irregularities across multiple devices. This technology solution will leverage the IBM System G Insider Threat Solution system, which analyzes user activities on a personal computer to identity malicious insider threats such as espionage, sabotage or fraud.
“Cybersecurity needs to keep pace with the mobile industry in order to protect personal and mission information.” said Cyber Security Division MDS Program Manager Vincent Sritapan. “As the number of smart devices grows, the threat to mobility will increase. The MDS R&D project will look at protecting the mobile device from multiple angles, one which is next-generation security management tools. The current priority is protecting the government’s devices from current and emerging threats, but the end goal is to apply our technology solutions to the broader market.
The successful launch of this R&D project will enable S&T to provide cutting-edge, secure technologies to the Department, government, and enterprising organizations to help create a secure and seamless mobile experience.
For more information, visit scitech.dhs.gov/cyber-research or email SandT-Cyber-Liaison@HQ.DHS.GOV.
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