Trio vying for encryption work

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1014/web-nsa-10-17-02.asp

By Dan Caterinicchia
Oct. 17, 2002

The National Security Agency recently selected three vendor teams to
compete to develop Gigabit Ethernet encryptors (GigEE) supporting the
secure exchange of top-secret information at speeds of at least 1
gigabit/sec over commercial Internet Protocol wide-area networks.

ViaSat Inc., L-3 Communications and General Dynamics C4 Systems
recently were awarded 30-month, $10 million development contracts, and
are all competing for future production awards, said Bruce Rowe,
ViaSat's director of marketing and communications.

One gigabit/sec is the equivalent of about 48,000 typewritten pages
per second, according to General Dynamics C4 Systems, a division of
General Dynamics Corp.

All three companies are developing their tools in compliance with the
NSA's High Assurance IP Interoperability Specification (HAIPIS), which
will ensure interoperability with all future generations of IP
encryptors developed for government agencies.

"This development is under the auspices of NSA for development of the
technology and prototypes, which will then be available to any
government military [service] or agency to use," Rowe said.

ViaSat's Type-1 IP In-line Network Encryptor (INE) will advance
current static hardware products with a re-programmable architecture
that enables the device to accept new features and upgrades in the
future, said Jerry Goodwin, network systems director for ViaSat.

ViaSat's government systems division is the prime contractor, and its
other team members include:

* BBN Technologies, which is providing advanced networking
  capabilities as well as advanced key management expertise.

* NAI Labs at Network Associates Inc., which is providing network
  management expertise.

General Dymanics' first GigEE prototype will be delivered in the
fourth quarter of 2004, and will carry forward the designs developed
for General Dynamics' IP and ATM Taclane and Fastlane ATM Encryptors,
said Dick Perreault, General Dynamics vice president and general
manager for trusted network solutions.

Perreault said the GigEE program represents the evolution of
high-assurance Type 1 encryption "to address the increasing speeds at
which current and future networks transmit information."

L-3's solution was based upon the Camden, N.J.-based company's current
product line of 100-megabits/sec high-assurance in-line encryptor
products, said Gregory Roberts, president of L-3 Communication Systems
- East.

The GigEE program provides for an expansion of two L-3 product lines:  
the Secure Terminal Equipment and OMNI families of secure
communications products. Roberts added that the company's Petra
product, currently in the design phase, also is included in the NSA
offering. Petra utilizes a PC Card to ensure high-assurance remote
access for use by dial-up users.

"With our own internal R&D funding in the GigEE program, L-3 plans to
expand the capabilities of our product offerings in both features...
[and] satisfy the increasing demand for classified bandwidth for the
warfighter and their support infrastructure," Roberts said.

The NSA awarded all three contracts Aug. 23.



-
ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org

To unsubscribe email majordomo () attrition org with 'unsubscribe isn'
in the BODY of the mail.