Security Granted

Commerce Agency Awards Grants to Keep Governmental IT Infrastructure Safe

Security is a hot topic these days; even before the September 11 terrorist attacks, the government was taking measures to secure its own IT infrastructure. The Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently awarded nine research grants that will enhance security for critical infrastructures such as electrical grids and air traffic control systems. The grants each took part of a total $5 million awarded.

The awards were given through the Critical Infrastructure Protection Grants Program (CIPG). The NIST believes these projects are needed "because many critical infrastructures — the physical and cyber-based systems that are essential to the nation's economy — are increasingly automated and independent." The grants were given to programs that would curb deliberate attacks or accidents that could result in serious problems for infrastructures in telecommunications, energy, banking and finance, transportation, water systems, and emergency services.

According to the CIPG Web site, the awards were specifically given to projects that "investigate innovative approaches and techniques that lead to or enable significant advances in the state-of-the-art of IT security applicable to commercial critical infrastructures."

For example, one of the grants was given to Decision Science Associates (DSA) from Vienna, Va. and Lockheed Martin from Gaithersburg, Md. DSA and Lockheed Martin plan to develop metrics and a proof-of-concept software tool that evaluates intrusion detection systems using decision analysis methods. Other projects receiving grants include a University of Maryland/NAI Labs wireless security project, and a University of Tulsa project on vulnerability analysis tools and attack management systems for converged networks.

This is the first year of the program and more grants may be awarded pending approval of funding for the 2002 year. This year applicants submitted more than 133 proposals requesting a total of about $73 million dollars.

— Jeanette Perez

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