Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: ABSTRACT: To address the Air Force need for innovative tools to counter network attacks i

Description

ABSTRACT: To address the Air Force need for innovative tools to counter network attacks in a live, virtual, and constructive modeling and simulation (LVC M & S) environment, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Adaptive Layer Protection (ALP) system, consisting of distributed agents that reside at the network gateway; continuously monitor network traffic for potential network attacks; and detain the attackers to protect modeling and simulation functions. All agents collaborate with each other to establish a network security common operational picture (COP) for network administrators. The innovation in a novel distributed agent-based framework, layer protection, and hypothesis reasoning enables ALP to detect attacks with evolving dynamics. Therefore, ALP offers scalable implementation and deployment, timely response to adversarial attacks, low false alarm rates, and high-accuracy attack detection, which directly address Air Force requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of ALP by designing its architecture, developing prototype software, and testing it with a Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS)-compliant LVC environment using both simulated and real data. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a full-scale prototype system and demonstrate its performance and effectiveness in a realistic environment. BENEFIT: The proposed ALP system will protect the DoD"s IT systems and strategic and tactical networks against cyberintrusion and exploitation. Other applications of ALP include protection of information systems of government entities at any level such as those of intelligence operations, the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement, transportation systems, and other critical agencies. Commercial applications of ALP include protection of critical information infrastructure of financial and health care businesses and scientific agencies, and complex global enterprise networks.