This news is classified in: Defense Cyber Defense / IT
Oct 4, 2018
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) fielded an elite team of cybersecurity experts last week at The Chameleon and the Snake competition, winning DreamPort’s first-ever rapid prototyping event. It was held on Sept. 17 through Sept. 20, 2018, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Columbia, Maryland.
DreamPort is a cyber innovation, collaboration and prototyping facility created through a partnership intermediary agreement between the Maryland Innovation & Security Institute and U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).
The Chameleon and the Snake competition hosted by DreamPort was a rapid prototyping event similar to a hack-a-thon, where teams work on a specific challenge for a set period of time in a realistic, competition neutral environment. It focused on the introduction and detection of malware signature diversity in a simulated USCYBERCOM cyber battlefield.
By Offensive and Defensive, By End-User (Government and Private Sectors)
Download free sample pages More informationTeams competing on offense were provided with exemplar malware binaries and tasked with modifying signatures to avoid attribution. Defensive teams, including the team from Northrop Grumman, received the modified binaries and were tasked with attributing the binary to an offensive team, identifying the original exemplar binary, and determining whether or not it was malicious or benign.
The Northrop Grumman team was composed of eight of the company’s top cyber experts from its Cincinnati and Annapolis Junction locations, each recognized for signature diversity and attribution expertise. The team was able to rapidly prototype a malware detection and attribution capability, and use it to accurately measure and attribute malware signatures.
“Northrop Grumman is always searching for new and innovative ways to test and demonstrate our full spectrum cybersecurity skillsets in realistic environments, and we were thrilled to be able to compete in DreamPort’s first rapid prototyping event,” said Ginger Wierzbanowski, vice president, intelligence solutions, cyber and intelligence mission solutions, Northrop Grumman. “Our winning performance is a testament to the cyber expertise of the team and company. We look forward to the next opportunity to demonstrate our deep understanding of the cyber battlefield and how to achieve USCYBERCOM mission success,” said Wierzbanowski.
Northrop Grumman plans to compete at the next DreamPort rapid prototyping event, scheduled for early November.
