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 $790,968 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 by the Cyber Security Division awarded the contract to United Technologies Researcher Center (UTRC) located in East Hartford, Connecticut, to work on mobile security research in device instrumentation.
“Developing and implementing security technology on the mobile device is key to protecting sensitive information,” said DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Reginald
Brothers. “This project will provide an innovative solution for making sure information is kept safe.
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 research and development UTRC will undertake, is the development and implementation of a mobile device security system called CASTRA (Context-Aware Security Technology for Responsive and Adaptive Protection) that will provide context-aware authentication and risk assessment. CASTRA will add security to mobile devices by providing continuous risk assessment, and flexible credential management. The key principles guiding the CASTRA development are to leverage the processing and sensing capabilities of mobile devices, and not to degrade the user experience with mobile devices.
“Keeping a mobile device secure is the main priority, however it’s also important to make sure the user’s experience is positive,” said Cyber Security Division MDS Program Manager Vincent Sritapan. “S&T’s MDS R&D program will look to create seamless secure technology that keeps user information out of the cyber adversary’s hands, without impacting the user experience.
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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