Android Goes Secure

Thousands of installs testing 'beyond the wire' in Afghanistan

Fairfax, Va. contractor Invincea, known for malware detection and network security, has been awarded a $21.4 million contract to find a way to secure Android. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) sought development teams to secure the smartphone and tablet OS for military use in an initiative called "Mobile Armor." Invincea is planning on migrating developments in its research to commercial and consumer products as well.

Physical loss of the device is a concern. "They [DARPA] are really worried about loss of the device," says Invincea CEO Anup Ghosh. "God forbid you are captured and you lose the device that way." Early versions of the security-centric modified Android core are being tested in Afghanistan. Invincea is focusing on controlling access to the device so that only pre-selected applications can run. The "white list" approach narrows the focus of the second aspect of the security program, detecting attacks that attempt to exploit the approved applications and limiting the damage of those attacks.

While Apple has been considered amongst the most secure of mobile devices and a candidate for US military use, the company refused to divulge the source code for governmental modification. Without the source code, changes demanded by the military and federal staffers using the devices couldn't be made. The NSA also has a custom version of Android with similar, but not identical, security features to the Invincea product.

Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/06/26/thousands.of.installs.testing.beyond.the.wire.in.afghanistan/#ixzz1z6L4hIsV

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Awards Invincea $21.4 Million Contract to Create Secure Android Smartphones and Tablets for U.S. Army
Posted on June 25, 2012 in Press Releases

Secure Android phones and tablets currently in field test in Afghanistan by U.S. Army brigade

FAIRFAX, VA – June 25, 2012 – Invincea, Inc., an innovator in advanced malware threat detection, network breach prevention, and pre-breach forensic intelligence, today announced the award of a multi-year, $21.4 million contract from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) for the development of secure smartphone and tablet mobile platforms for military use. Dubbed “Mobile Armour,” the project focuses specifically on driving security innovation within the Android operating system for government use. Invincea expects this development will be a forerunner of innovation to be brought to the commercial and consumer sectors as well.

Through its Invincea Labs subsidiary, the company has pioneered the development of a secure Android-based operating system for tactical mobile devices used by soldiers in forward-deployed operations in enemy terrain. Initial versions of the secure Android phone and tablets, meeting stringent military security specifications for “outside the wire” tactical use, are already being field tested by thousands of U.S. Army personnel in Afghanistan. Based on this early success, DARPA and the U.S. Army are expanding the scope of the Mobile Armour project to include significant new security enhancements to the Android platform through this award. Surging demand in the Federal Government for secure mobility is driving follow-on applications of the secure Android build for Invincea. The company is engaged with a number of federal civilian and defense agencies for the development and deployment of secure Android phones for both office and field applications.

“As mobile devices become a new fertile ground for adversaries, chief information security officers (CISOs) are increasingly placing mobile security on their strategic roadmaps. At the same time, they need to continue addressing serious problems they face today – such as an increase in spear phishing of their employees. Security vendors like Invincea that innovate to address today’s problems and drive research into future requirements such as mobile are strongly positioned to be long-term partners to government and commercial organizations,” said Wendy Nather, Research Director of the Enterprise Security Practice at The 451 Group.

“The investment by DARPA and the U.S. Army in the Mobile Armour project demonstrates the critical need for secure mobility. As government departments and agencies across the civilian and defense sectors shift their focus towards the use of mobile applications for executing their missions, they must be able to trust that these platforms are secure,” said Anup Ghosh, Founder and CEO at Invincea. “The selection of Invincea Labs by DARPA demonstrates Invincea’s innovation and leadership in the secure mobility space. The company will continue to lead the federal sector to secure mobile solutions. Invincea looks forward to carrying these innovations to the commercial sector as it has with its breach prevention platform for the enterprise.”