SBIR-STTR Award

Global InfoTek, Inc. recognizes both the unique technical challenges associated with security in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and the critical importance of such systems across the DOD. Our solution consists for four critical elements: 1. A permissive, kernel-level, whitelisting approach. This identifies unexplained changes to executable code in a target CPS, using an abstract system model, to support attention-focusing pattern learning, and anomaly detection. 2. A spatio-temporal pattern learning module that helps define ?normal? behavior, thereby focusing attention on potential anomalies which may indicate a threat to the normal operation of the CPS. The resultant learned models can be used for anomaly detection. 3. A semantic taxonomy-based model of real-world behaviors, physical constraints, and threat models. This captures architectural knowledge of the CPS, enabling robust security solutions. 4. An intelligent anomaly detection module that learns, identifies, and alerts about anomalous activity that may indicate potential security threats in a CPS. This is done using a combination of statistical and model-based anomaly detection. These four elements will be brought together using notional satellite architecture based on AFOSR?s nanosatellite projects as the target CPS for research, development, and evaluation of our approach.

Benefit:
GITI intends to pursue a two-phase commercialization strategy. The first phase focuses on marketing the resultant technology to its existing Air Force customers. GITI will leverage existing activities GITI has in several Air Force programs that can quickly take advantage of this highly critical technology. GITI will also leverage has ongoing IR&D and partnership programs for the creation of new cyber technologies. ? It partners with Battelle Memorial Institute to develop new cyber technologies that can be productized, either through license or direct development. GITI?s revenue generation from this partnership involves receiving royalty and license fees from developed technologies. ? It also partners with Raytheon, and can deliver technology to programs of record supported by Raytheon. GITI is a prime contractor on AFRL?s Agile Cyber Technologies (ACT) contract. We believe that this will provide a mechanism to transition our research to programs of record, generating revenue that can fund a business unit focused on the technology and to refine the productization of the technology elements. GITI?s objective is to generate $15M in revenue from software and services in this area by the conclusion of calendar year 2018 and an expenditure of $5M in internal funds for the support, sustainment and growth of the capability. The second phase of commercialization is to take the resultant technologies, hardened and proven in its initial commercialization efforts, to commercial and international satellite providers.

Keywords:
Cyber-Physical Systems, Secure Space Systems, Secure Satellite Systems, Space Cyber Situational Assessment, Anomaly Detection, Semantic Cyber Taxonomy, Temporal Pattern Learni