Vencore Labs wins third phase of DARPA’s Wireless Network Defense program

Vencore, Inc. of Chantilly, VA announced on December 19 that its applied research organization, Vencore Labs, was awarded a $3.4 million contract by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to protect wireless networks and the critical data that is shared over them against malicious attacks and/or technical compromises.

This work is the third and final phase of DARPA’s Wireless Network Defense (WND) program. Vencore Labs was also an awardee on the first two phases, which were focused on technology development during Phase 1 and on applying these technologies to heterogeneous wireless networks that are relevant to the U.S. military in Phase 2. Phase 3 will focus on validating these technologies on military radios and demonstrating their effectiveness.

“Protecting wireless networks against attacks so that critical information can be properly, securely and effectively routed is a complex problem that requires a deep understanding of the functioning of wireless protocols,” said Petros Mouchtaris, Ph.D., president of Vencore Labs. “Vencore Labs has decades of experience in working with these types of networks and finding solutions for the types of issues that they present.”

Vencore Labs intends to deliver a wireless defense framework that is robust in the face of attacks, has a very high accuracy rate, and imposes very little overhead on the network. It aims to manage cost by providing a solution that incorporates existing hardware and equipment. Vencore Labs’ approach is notable in that its output will be applicable to multiple network technologies and be able to protect these disparate networks using a common defensive framework.

In support of the WND program, Vencore Labs is bringing to bear its diverse strengths that span wireless network protocols, cyber security, and data analytics, in order to develop techniques that detect and mitigate the impact of attacks on wireless network elements.

Source: Vencore, Inc.