Cyber security is aim of Navy information warfare solicitation to industry

Posted by John Keller

ARLINGTON, Va., 8 Jan. 2010. The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., is asking industry to propose new network cyber security and information assurance technology to assure Navy computer network operations and data availability during information warfare operations.

Navy research want cyber warfare technology prototypes to lead to new ways of cyber defense of data moving over Navy strategic and tactical networks, as well as provide decision management, intelligent decision aids, and data fusion. Total funding for the program will be $16 million over five years.

The Navy issued a broad agency announcement (ONR BAA 10-004) on 7 Jan. called Computer Network Defense that aims at computer network and information assurance technologies to identify and mitigate real-time threats while ensuring access to assured data during attacks.

ONR experts have identified weaknesses in that today's naval cyber defense tools are reactive and inflexible, focus on configuration management, and do not allow for real-time response. These tools also do not provide intelligent decision aids for combating known and future cyber threats.

Overall, ONR want cyber defense tools to change from a reactive and forensics-based approach to a predictive and pro-active approach that involves visual network security information, information correlation and fusion, and on-the-fly cyber warfare engagement.

This approach should involve Sensors and Gateways - dynamically reconfigurable sensors and gateways over Navy networks to enhance anomaly detection capabilities, as well as hardened, dynamic and security-enabled protocols to ensure data delivery and reliability.

Specifically, ONR experts are asking industry for algorithms that detect malware, implement sensors and gateways that can distinguish between legitimate and malicious network traffic, and mine and fuse large amounts of data.

Also needed are protocols that ensure proper network functionality during cyber attacks, configure and control security components, and geo-locate perpetrators of network attacks.

White papers are due to ONR by 15 March 2010, and final proposals are due by 21 May 2010.

For questions or concerns, contact the ONR's Stanley Chincheck by e-mail at [email protected], or Kim McCormick at [email protected].

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/ONR/ONR/10-004/listing.html. A detailed .pdf is available for download.

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