Northrop Grumman [NOC] is a principal member of the BT team selected by the U. K Technology Strategy Board to develop a cyber test range for the research and testing of cyber security threats on large scale networks.
The cyber test range will be developed by Northrop Grumman UK under the SATURN (Self-organizing Adaptive Technology under Resilient Networks) network defense research programe, a collaborative research project focused on information infrastructure. The program will deliver tools and techniques to protect against the vulnerabilities of complex networks and information systems.
“Cyber security has become a fundamental necessity as we rely increasingly on networks of complex integrated information systems to access information and services in our homes and businesses,” said Sir Nigel Essenhigh, chairman, Northrop Grumman UK. “Northrop Grumman is at the forefront of the challenge to find innovative solutions that can effectively defend such networks and offer protection across the entire cyber domain.”
The range will be located at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Fareham and will provide the UK with the environment and capability to conduct meaningful cyber experiments and assessments of infrastructure survivability and assurance, and to test and analyse new concepts and technologies to protect against modern cyber threats.
Paul Davison, vice president and managing director for Northrop Grumman’s Information Systems sector in Europe, said: “The program will develop new ways to analyze complex information systems and protect users by predicting where and how vulnerabilities will occur. We look forward to contributing to its success.”
The SATURN program will demonstrate how self-managing, intelligent services can enable the rapid discovery and fusion of critical network data flows in real-time. The program will also develop novel tools and techniques for visualizing and understanding the complex interdependencies between the service layer and underlying physical networks. In addition, it will enhance the theory of complex networks in the Critical National Infrastructure domain, creating new modeling and simulation capabilities targeted specifically at protecting current and future infrastructures.
Other members of the BT-led team include Oxford University, Warwick University and Imperial College.
The range will be an extension of Northrop Grumman’s Cyberspace Solutions Center (CSSC) located in Millersville, Md.,
In addition to the CSSC, the company recently opened in the a new, state-of-the-art Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) in the United States, a comprehensive cyber threat detection and response centre that focuses on protecting Northrop Grumman and its customers’ networks and data worldwide.