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 $759,727 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 University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) to work on mobile security research in next-generation mobile security management tools.
“Mobile device security is a research priority to accomplish the Department’s mission,” said DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Reginald Brothers. “I am proud S&T is taking the lead in developing innovative and affordable solutions to protect the government’s mobile devices.”
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 the operating layer of the mobile device, but also incorporate user identities and actions to protect against vulnerabilities. UNC Charlotte will be implementing a mobile security management system called Theseus. This software based framework and web-based application will monitor usage patterns across mobile devices aiming to reduce security vulnerabilities and threats for the Department.
“Research in next-generation mobile security management tools will provide new technologies that will enable organizations to better understand the connection between threats and usage patterns within the mobile device.” said Cyber Security Division MDS Program Manager Vincent Sritapan. “And with these new technologies we can accelerate the adoption of secure mobility for the Department to help us succeed in our many missions.”
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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