The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Rockwell Collins to use mathematics-based development methods to secure platforms against cyber attack. These techniques, developed by Rockwell Collins and its partners in DARPA’s High Assurance Cyber Military Systems (HACMS) program, ensure cyber resilience by eliminating important classes of system vulnerabilities.
“In today’s highly connected world, land, air and sea platforms can fall victim to cyber attack,” said John Borghese, vice president of the Advanced Technology Center for Rockwell Collins. “HACMS provides peace of mind and high assurance that these systems are resistant to a cyber attack.”
The Rockwell Collins HACMS team, including Galois, Data 61, HRL, and the University of Minnesota, developed technologies to achieve this high level of cyber-resilience. These include architectural modeling and analysis, a secure microkernel, and automatic generation of the application code. Each uses mathematical reasoning to ensure the absence of vulnerabilities that can be exploited in a cyber attack, improving the safety and security of critical electronic systems in military and commercial platforms.
These technologies were highlighted in a HACMS program demonstration this month in Sterling, Virginia. Cyber secure platforms on display included an unmanned helicopter, a small unmanned air vehicle, and an enhanced soldier vision helmet.
An initial application under the newly-awarded DARPA contract will apply HACMS technologies in support of U.S. Navy programs.