Solutions provider Perspecta Inc.’s innovative applied research arm, Perspecta Labs, has received two awards on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Open, Programmable, Secure 5G program.
The awards, which represent new work for the company, support work to improve security of 5G networks. They have a combined ceiling value of $25 million and a 4-year period of performance if all options are exercised.
Although emerging mobile wireless networking technologies could revolutionize an array of industries, they also up the risks of supply chain attacks, said Petros Mouchtaris, president of Perspecta Labs.
“Perspecta Labs looks forward to expanding its leadership in the development of secure 5G networks by developing a portable, standards-compliant network stack for 5G that is open, plug-and-play and secure by design,” he added.
The expected deployment of 5G networks poses a significant security risk because of the proliferation of foreign and untrusted hardware devices. The OPS-5G program aims to improve 5G security through the creation of an architecture that decouples hardware and software ecosystems.
Under the program, Perspecta Labs is to design, develop, integrate and demonstrate a security solution that scales for devices ranging from internet of things sensors to servers, and will incorporate a set of techniques to deliver real-time, distributed defense in depth cybersecurity for 5G, 6G and beyond.