For Immediate Release
DHS S&T Press Office, (202) 254-2385
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today announced the commercialization of the 20th technology through its Transition to Practice (TTP) Program since the program launched in 2013.
The Autonomic Intelligent Cyber Sensor (AICS)—created by researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory—has been licensed to Trust Automation, Inc., a woman-owned small business based in San Luis Obispo, California, that designs, builds and supports control and power-management systems for defense, semiconductor, industrial automation, green technology and medical applications. The company received an exclusive software license agreement that will allow Trust Automation to use AICS to upgrade the cyber-defenses of vulnerable legacy critical infrastructure systems, including natural gas distribution, water distribution and management, and electrical grid systems.
“Strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure is a key focus of the DHS mission,” said William N. Bryan, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Undersecretary for Science and Technology. “The commercialization of Autonomic Intelligent Cyber Sensor to a company with deep experience in designing and implementing industrial control systems for critical infrastructure entities will greatly improve the cybersecurity of these essential systems.”
AICS provides autonomous cybersecurity and state awareness for Ethernet-based Industrial Control System (ICS) networks. The technology employs autonomic computing techniques and a service-oriented architecture to automatically discover network entity information, deploy deceptive virtual hosts and identify anomalous network traffic with high accuracy. ICS networks facilitate communication among critical infrastructure, but also are vulnerable to cyberattacks. AICS enhances cybersecurity defenses for ICS networks by providing both real-time monitoring of network host composition and agile response to changing network conditions.
“AICS is an innovative technology that will help close a significant security gap in the Industrial Control System networks used within the nation’s legacy critical infrastructure,” said TTP Program Manager Nadia Carlsten. “We are especially proud that its commercialization marks the milestone 20th transition for the TTP Program. We have now transitioned half of our technology portfolio, an achievement that validates the program’s unique approach of leveraging existing innovative technologies and supporting their commercialization so they can make an impact in addressing important needs both for government and the private sector.”
The TTP program seeks to accelerate the transition of federally funded technologies to the marketplace through commercialization and partnerships. Each year, the TTP program identifies the most promising technologies developed at federal laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, and universities across the country for its lab-to-market program. Selected technologies take part in a structured transition acceleration process designed to increase maturity and market readiness and are introduced at TTP-hosted “Demo Day” events to investors, developers and integrators who can continue growing them into commercially viable products.
Out of a total of 40 technologies selected into the program, TTP has now commercialized 15 technologies and transitioned five more through open-source release. For more information, visit the program’s webpage or send an email to ST.TTP@hq.dhs.gov.
Learn more about S&T’s TTP program during a Facebook Live Tech Talk, May 29 at 11 a.m. ET. Join program manager Nadia Carlsten to discuss how S&T is successfully helping to transition mature, cutting-edge technologies developed within government labs and universities into commercially available products.
S&T’s cybersecurity mission is to enhance the security and resilience of the nation’s critical information infrastructure and the internet by developing and delivering new technologies, tools and techniques to defend against cyberattacks. S&T’s cybersecurity program conducts and supports technology transitions and leads and coordinates R&D among the R&D community, which includes DHS customers, government agencies, the private sector and international partners. For more information about S&T’s cybersecurity initiatives, visit https://www.dhs.gov/cyber-research.
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