The US Army has awarded cybersecurity firm Axellio a follow-on contract worth $25.7 million to improve the service’s capabilities in detecting and responding to various cybersecurity threats.
Under the contract, the American company will provide packet capture node systems to additional sites for three more years. This contract is an extension of the 2020 agreement to implement a system capable of monitoring and detecting anomalous behavior and intrusions on the Army’s Garrison networks.
Product Manager for Cyber Platforms and Systems at the Army’s Defensive Cyber Operations, Lt. Col. Michael Lind, said that the service is “very satisfied” with the program’s outcome. He commended Axellio and Army personnel for “flawlessly” executing the project and making the service’s cybersecurity defenses more robust.
The original contract of the program allowed Axellio to develop a new platform that enables the Army to “ingest, store, and distribute” traffic at 100 gigabits per second.
“We are thrilled to expand our support for the US Army’s Defensive Cyber network. The Axellio system combines the latest in threat detection and response technology with our proven expertise in delivering cost-effective solutions,” Axellio CEO Bill Miller explained, adding that the system can help prevent an increasing number of sophisticated cyber attacks designed to infiltrate networks.
Continuing Fight Against Cybersecurity Threats
The US defense industry has been the target of cybersecurity attacks in recent months. In April, security consultant Mandiant said Chinese hackers penetrated a company’s VPN technology to break into US defense sector computer networks.
Mandiant alleged that at least two hacking groups, one of them believed to be an official Chinese cyber-spying operation, were behind the attack.
Earlier this year, army researchers also developed a tool that helps detect deepfake, artificial intelligence-synthesized hyper-realistic content in the form of image, video, or audio that falsely depicts individuals’ speech and activities.
Deepfake content is reportedly being used by criminals and syndicates to cyberbully, defame, and blackmail individuals. It is also being utilized to scam people by mimicking their voices.