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11 Jan 24. Global: Ransomware breach highlights elevated operational, security risks for defence entities. On 10 January, Ultra Intelligence & Communications (Ultra I&C) reported a cyber attack on its services by the ‘ALPHV’ ransomware group. Ultra I&C, a British defence subsidiary, specialises in military and intelligence encryption and communication services. The breach involved the theft of around 30GB of data, including audit, financial and employee information. Notably, the data pertains to entities such as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), NATO and several defence firms, as well as states including Israel and Switzerland. Switzerland’s Federal Department of Defence confirmed the breach impacted the Swiss Air Force, but assured that operational systems remain unaffected. The incident is part of a pattern of high-profile attacks by ALPHV, including ransomware attacks on major casino operators MGM Resorts and Caesars International in September 2023. This breach underscores the growing threat of ransomware on security and defence actors, which will likely continue to pose elevated operational and security risks to global firms. (Source: Sibylline)
09 Jan 24. Competition Time! Exercise Noble Skywave works to push the boundaries of high frequency communications through a series of competitions testing the mettle of its participants. It may have escaped your notice, but Canada hosted what was probably the world’s largest High Frequency (HF: three megahertz/MHz to 30MHz) radio competition. Dubbed Exercise Noble Skywave, the competition is hosted by the Canadian Communications and Electronics Branch. The branch forms part of Canada’s armed forces with the Canadian Army’s Royal Canadian Corps of Signals forming its land component. 2023’s Exercise Noble Skywave was organising by the Canadian Army’s 21st Electronic Warfare Regiment, the Canadian Forces’ Joint Signals Regiment and the Canadian School of Communications and Electronics. These units organised the event on behalf of the branch.
In its own words, the exercise brings “hundreds of teams from dozens of nations together to test, strengthen expertise and compete in a friendly atmosphere in what is now known as the most prestigious military-led HF competition in the world.”
A spokesperson from Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) told Armada that Noble Skywave has been held annually since 2013 and the 2023 exercise ran between 24th and 26th October. The overriding rationale of the initiative is to “promote the development of HF communication skills, increase international interoperability and engage with civilian partners to foster HF technical expertise in a global setting.” The last two decades has seen HF emerge as an alternative to some Satellite Communications (SATCOM) capabilities. HF provides intercontinental ranges, but its waveforms can be comparatively difficult to jam. Moreover, HF frequencies are free to use and do not suffer the congestion of some SATCOM bandwidths.
“With the right settings and antennas, HF radios can communicate without repeaters or additional resources across the world,” said the spokesperson. “As we plan redundancy in communication in military organisations, HF is often a contingency method to command and control troops on the ground. This enables warfighters to receive their orders in emergency situations, especially when internet, cellular or SATCOM are not an option.”
Participants
Militaries, and civilian licenced amateur radio enthusiasts, can enter Noble Skywave. The DND said the 2023 event included teams from 20 countries from all the world’s continents, including Antarctica. To this end participants from countries as diverse as Australia, Peru and the United Kingdom were involved. The Canadian Army’s Rangers, who operate in Canada’s isolated northern regions, also participated. “An interesting participant this year was the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) mission in Iraq, which intended to prove interoperability between NATO countries and the Iraqi Military.”
Scoring
Participants are given the competition’s Communications and Electronics Operating Instructions (CEOI) before the exercise commences. The CEOI details how scores will be calculated during the competition. “Each team reports a contact,” said the spokesperson. “In general, the more contacts you have, the better the score you will get.” The 2023 event saw the teams log a total of 13,763 unique contacts with one another.
The spokesperson added that teams win points by establishing initial contact with as many other teams as possible during the time they have allotted. Teams can also win points according to the HF protocols they use when making contact. For example, they may use single sideband, second generation or third generation protocols. Points are also awarded on the length of distance between them and the contact. Teams are divided into groupings based on their geographical location. The first team contacting all the teams in their grouping within an allotted time are also declared challenge winners in their category. Details of the victorious from 2023’s competition can be found here.
HF has established itself as a reliable long-range communications protocol with significant military utility. Initiatives like Noble Skywave continue to refine the art and science of high frequency radio, while demonstrating its clear benefits in providing links with a global reach. Available SATCOM bandwidth is under commercial pressure and at risk from jamming and cyberattack, as the Ukraine war has shown. Noble Skywave helps refine high frequency communications as a way of taking up some of the SATCOM slack. (Source: Armada)
10 Jan 24. Gaining Momentum. The modernisation of Heer (German Army) communications is gathering pace following the recent confirmation of an order for tactical radios by the German government.
Rohde & Schwarz Soveron-D V/UHF radio is equipping the German armed forces and is being installed in the command variant of the Puma tracked infantry fighting vehicle used by the German Army.
Rohde & Schwarz signed a contract with Germany’s Ministry of Defence in December 2022 to supply new tactical radios across the German armed forces as part of the CNR (Combat Net Radio) initiative. The Streitkräftegemeinsame verbundfähige Funkgeräteausstattung (SVFUA) project forms part of this effort. The SVFUA acronym translates as Joint Armed Forces Interconnected Radio Equipment. Reports have stated that up to 30,000 radios could eventually be supplied across Germany’s armed forces via the CNR programme.
In early December 2023, the company announced the final confirmation of the CNR procurement. Rohde & Schwarz’ Soveron-D radio is fulfilling the SVFUA requirement. This Very/Ultra High Frequency (V/UHF: 30 megahertz/MHz to three gigahertz) system is initially equipping the Heer’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann/Rheinmetall Puma tracked infantry fighting vehicles.
Waveforms
Installation onboard the Puma commenced in 2020, according to reports, with the radio outfitting the command variant of the platform. According to Rohde & Schwarz’ official literature, Soveron-D can use several distinct waveforms: These include unclassified, fixed-frequency North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) V/UHF waveforms; NATO’s HAVEQUICK-I/II classified anti-jam waveform; national narrowband and wideband networking waveforms; plus VHF waveforms to link with legacy systems.
It is noteworthy that Germany, and Rohde & Schwarz, is also a partner in the ESSOR (European Secure Software-defined Radio) waveform. ESSOR is developing a wideband networking waveform to support multinational, coalition interoperability. It is likely that the ESSOR waveform will be carried by the Soveron-D radios equipping the Puma command vehicles.
NATO VJTF
A statement supplied to Armada by Rohde & Schwarz said that Soveron-D equips Pumas supporting NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). The VJTF forms the spearhead element of NATO’s Response Force. The radios play an important role providing a link to the Elbit PNR-1000 handheld V/UHF radios used by subordinate echelons. Over the longer term “all Puma vehicles are to be upgraded with the SVFUA radio” while new-build vehicles will have the transceiver factory-installed.
The statement said that details on when deliveries of the radios to the German Army are to conclude remain classified, although the company “was able to start series deliveries very shortly after parliamentary contract approval.” Moreover, “a significant number of communications devices have already been delivered,” and deliveries are continuing. “This includes all necessary project elements in hardware and software for immediate use by the soldiers.” (Source: Armada)
11 Jan 24. SATCOM Up North.
Canada gains access to MUOS. (USSF)
Canada has become the first allied nation to access the United States’ MUOS SATCOM system representing an important enhancement for Canadian armed forces communications.
The Royal Canadian Navy’s Lieutenant Commander Cameron Chapman, MUOS capability integration manager, in the centre of this picture, takes a voice call across the MUOS constellation during a recent demonstration of this capability.
The Mobile User Objective System, also known as MUOS, is a Satellite Communications (SATCOM) constellation run by the US Space Force (USSF) with Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor. The constellation provides Ultra High Frequency (UHF: 240 megahertz to 270 megahertz) narrowband SATCOM. Open sources say that MUOS provides voice and data communications using data rates of up to 384 kilobits-per-second. Communications with the five-spacecraft constellation are possible using the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) waveform. The waveform can be installed on, and used by, standard UHF tactical radios.
Canada has become the first allied nation to gain access to the MUOS constellation, the USSF announced on 30th November 2023. According to reports, a demonstration of MUOS voice and data connectivity took place in October 2023 using tactical radios presumably carrying the WCDMA waveform. The demonstration took place at two locations in Ottawa. Canada’s access to MUOS is the culmination of work which commenced in 2019 following Ottawa’s conclusion of a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) with the US. The FMS covered Canada’s access to the constellation. Further demonstrations, reports continued, are planned for March 2024.
TNS-GEO
A Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) spokesperson told Armada that MUOS access forms part of the DND’s wider Tactical Narrowband SATCOM Geosynchronous (TNS-GEO) project. TNS-GEO is providing global, secure and reliable tactical beyond line-of-sight communications for Canada’s military.
The spokesperson continued that MUOS will support point-to-point, point-to-network, group calls and gateways into other Canadian military communications networks. From a hardware perspective, the Canadian military’s L3Harris AN/PRC-117G multiband (30 megahertz to three gigahertz) tactical radios will be upgraded to carry MUOS traffic. Beyond these transceivers, “each branch of the Canadian armed forces has a different concept of employment for how they will leverage the MUOS capability,” says the spokesperson. “Therefore, each will have distinct radio terminal requirements.”
Outlook
MUOS is the latest addition to Canadian military SATCOM capabilities which also include access to the US Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) and Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellations. AEHF carries traffic across 44GHz uplink and 20GHz downlink frequencies. WGS carries traffic across X-band (7.9GHz to 8.4GHz uplink/7.25GHz to 7.75GHz downlink) and Ka-band (26.5GHz to 40GHz uplink/18GHz to 20GHz downlink). WGS provides data rates of up to 2.1 gigabits-per-second while the AEHF constellation’s data rates are between 75 bits-per-second and eight megabits-per-second. “The MUOS constellation provides the narrowband communications (and thus) becomes a vital piece in the overall communications roadmap.”
The Canadian government will begin paying an annual fee to its US counterpart to access MUOS from the spring of 2024 which will coincide with the Canadian armed forces gaining access to the constellation. An Initial Operational Capability (IOC) covering Canadian MUOS access is expected in 2024. The spokesperson said the IOC will provide voice and data communications. A Full Operational Capability (FOC) is planned for 2026 which will add gateways via MUOS into other Canadian military networks. Six years of access to MUOS are initially provided, the spokesperson said, with the possibility to add a further nine years’ access.
MUOS access reflects the DND’s desire to address SATCOM deficiencies it has suffered in the past and to do this though a strong partnership with the US Department of Defence, the spokesperson emphasised. “Space is a vital domain for global security. Canadian armed forces’ space-related activities are essential for the command and control of military operations at home and abroad.”
Canadian MUOS Training Cadre. (USSF)
The cohort of students taking Canada’s SATCOM Operation Course at the DND’s National Defence Headquarters campus in Ottawa. (Source: Armada)
11 Jan 24. January Radio Roundup. Armada’s monthly roundup of all the latest news in the military communications product, programme and operational domains.
Band aid
Thales expects to have prototypes of a new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) antenna it is developing available in early 2024, the company told Armada. Thales is developing the SATCOM antenna with SWISSto12. Thales continued, via a written statement, that it will provide the integrated Radio Frequency (RF) front end for the antenna. SWISSto12 will provide miniaturised horns and beam-forming integrated components. The antenna will work with Ka-band (26.5 gigahertz/GHz to 40GHz uplink/18GHz to 20GHz downlink) modems and can be used for sea, land and airborne applications. Demonstrations will commence once the prototypes are developed. Thales anticipates taking orders for the antenna after these demonstrations are complete. Work is expected to begin on a Ku-band (14GHz uplink/10.9-12.75GHz downlink) version of the antenna by mid-2024, the company’s statement continued. Development of the Ku-band system is expected to take one year. Thales said that “one of the future performance improvements that we foresee for our AESAs is the possibility of combining transmit and receive capabilities in the same aperture or covering both Ku-band and Ka-band with the same AESA.”
Thinking about linking
The United States’ Space Development Agency (SDA) announced in late November 2023 that it had successfully demonstrated the entry of a space-based asset into an Earth-based Link-16 Tactical Datalink (TDL) network. Link-16 is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) TDL which uses frequencies of 960 megahertz/MHz to 1.215 gigahertz/GHz. The TDL is routinely used by NATO and allied nations to support air operations. The SDA claimed the experiment was the first time a space asset had entered a Link-16 network from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). LEO spacecraft typically orbit the Earth at altitudes below 1,243 nautical miles (2,000 kilometres). The experiment was performed using the SDA’s Tranche-0 Transport Layer satellites’ L-band (1.2GHz to 1.8GHz/1.67GHz to 1.71GHz) radio payload. The SDA said in its press release that Link-16 transmissions were sent to an undisclosed ground station in a Five Eyes country. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States comprise the Five Eyes alliance. The experiment was performed as part of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture initiative. A spokesperson for the SDA told Armada that Link-16 testing with these Tranche-0 satellites is expected to continue into 2024. While the recent tests involved connecting space-based Link-16 terminals to a ground station, future tests are planned to be more ambitious. The spokesperson said experiments could include connecting the satellites with airborne Link-16 terminals.
Terminal improvements
PathFinder Digital has been granted a patent by the United States’ Patent and Trademark Office for the company’s Multi-Orbit Dual Operation terminal, better known as MONDO. In a press release announcing the news, the company said the MONDO design combines a primary and secondary antenna with an electronically scanned array. This configuration enables the phased array antenna to be “used as the feed for the parabolic reflector when operating with a (GEO/Geostationary) satellite and as a standalone antenna when operating with a (LEO/Low Earth Orbit) or (MEO/Medium Earth Orbit) satellite.” MONDO can provide a traditional antenna for GEO satellites and an electronically scanned array for LEO/MEO spacecraft. Roger McGarrahan, PathFinder Digital’s chief executive officer, told Armada that the final design of the MONDO terminal should be completed by late next year. He added that MONDO was developed in response to a United States’ Department of Defence requirement for a satellite communications terminal “design that could operate on multiple bands.” MONDO terminals can use Ku-band (14 gigahertz/GHz uplink/10.9GHz to 12.75GHz downlink) and Ka-band (26.5GHz to 40GHz uplink/18GHz to 20GHz downlink) frequencies. Mr. McGarrahan says that individual MONDO terminals using Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies will be available once antenna manufacturers start suppling combined Ku-/Ka-band electronically scanned arrays.
PathFinder Digital’s MONDO satellite communications terminal recently received a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The terminal is currently under development and combines the attributes of a standard, conventional parabolic SATCOM antenna with satellite communications electronically scanned arrays. (Source: Armada)
10 Jan 24. Booz Allen and L3Harris to Accelerate CJADC2 Solution. Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) today announced it will collaborate with L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) on advancing leading mission system integration capabilities to address the Department of Defense’s (DOD) critical need to modernize and rapidly enable Combined Joint All-Domain Command & Control (CJADC2) to support the future warfighter in contested environments.
This strategic cooperation will enable the accelerated development and delivery of Booz Allen’s Distributed Battle Management Node (DBMN) Tactical Operations Center-Light (TOC-L) prototype utilizing Booz Allen’s Modular Detachment Kit (MDK) as the foundation of the solution. MDK is a proven and operational multidomain integration agent for tactical command and control (C2) that provides holistic integration of disparate tactical C2 data systems.
“Warfighters need a highly mobile, tailorable, and scalable command and control system at the edge,” said Steve Escaravage, executive vice president at Booz Allen and leader of the firm’s Digital Battlespace Platform. “MDK was designed to meet this operational need and enable new warfighting concepts including joint fires. This proven solution exemplifies Booz Allen’s focus on applying innovation at the intersection of mission and technology while transitioning new capabilities from the lab to real-world operations.”
Booz Allen’s operational battle management command and control prototypes using MDK as a design baseline were developed within the firm’s Digital Battlespace Platform, which builds modular, scalable, flexible solutions to empower a joint force at the edge. Using model-based systems engineering (MBSE) for design rigor, MDK’s architecture ensures adaptability and informed decision making providing the Joint Forces a transformational tactical equipment package that can be configured and scaled to meet the commander’s intent to complement Agile Combat Employment (ACE) requirements. MDK is a fielded capability that has demonstrated tangible results in a warfighter environment in multiple domains through live-fire exercises and rapid deployment by the U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) to bring state-of-the-art capabilities for theater C2.
The collaboration on TOC-L aligns with L3Harris’ focus on fielding integrated, scalable, and resilient solutions that enable decision making for the warfighter at the tactical edge.
This joint effort also brings together two industry leaders. For more than 100 years, Booz Allen has positioned itself at the forefront of complex missions, providing its in-depth expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and engineering to the federal government, while L3Harris has been an industry leader in key areas, including tactical radios, datalinks, and waveform development for over 70 years. In addition, L3Harris’ expertise in MSI, scalable sensors and processing, tactical communications, cyber, production, and sustainment will broaden MDK’s applicability and make the solution readily available and accessible to warfighters across services in any domain.
“The MDK architecture was built to play a pivotal role in enabling CJADC2 operations by delivering kinetic and non-kinetic effects via data-driven C2 at the edge,” said Khalid Syed, the senior vice president at Booz Allen driving next-generation command, control, and communications battle management technologies through the firm’s Digital Battlespace Platform. “Our collaboration with L3Harris enables large-scale integration and production of our TOC-L prototype utilizing MDK and its future configurations, accelerating delivery to match the speed of our clients’ mission needs. Looking ahead, MDK is poised for further live-fire testing and operational deployment.” (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
10 Jan 24. From drones to sonobuoys, AUKUS partners betting on AI. The Australian, U.K. and U.S. trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS, often associated with the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, is also beginning to bear fruit in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomy.
While the first pillar of the AUKUS agreement seeks to furnish Canberra with stealthy undersea vessels, the second, less talked-about pillar aims to foster leaps in all things digital: robotics, intelligence sharing, advanced computing and more.
“We’ve spent a lot of time, actually, over the last year or so, thinking about what AI cooperation with some of our closest allies and partners looks like,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities Michael Horowitz said Jan. 9 at an event hosed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. “Software is not, inherently, a barrier to cooperation with allies and partners.”
Among the AUKUS Pillar 2 advancements made thus far are the successful interplay of air and ground vehicles, including Blue Bear Ghost drones, Challenger 2 main battle tanks and a commercially hired FV433 Abbot self-propelled artillery gun, and the development of software that enables the sharing of submarine-hunting information over a vast region such as the Indo-Pacific.
“All three countries have P-8s. All three countries have sonobuoys,” Horowitz said, referencing the Boeing-made maritime patrol aircraft as well as sound sensors that float in the water to collect and relay data. “So our teams are working together on an algorithm that will let us gather data from U.K. and Australian sonobuoys, and vice-versa, that we can all roll out on our P-8s.”
The U.S. Defense Department years ago identified AI as a game-changer; the technology, officials say, can quickly parse otherwise overwhelming amounts of information, augment a commander’s decision-making process, and help reallocate precious manpower. The department in fiscal 2024 requested $1.8bn for AI while juggling hundreds of related projects, including some tied to major weapons systems.
AI is also a critical piece of the Defense Department’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept.
The latest iteration of CJADC2 envisions seamless information-sharing across land, air, sea, space and cyber, and in concert with international forces. The U.S. would work closely with the U.K. and Australia in a fight against Russia or China, demanding clear lines of communication and delegations.
By jointly developing AI and its underlying infrastructure, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in May, the militaries can figure out interoperability now, and not later, when bullets are flying, while also reducing costs.
“Accelerating technological advances will deliver the operational advantages necessary to defeat current and future threats across the battlespace,” Lt. Gen. Rob Magowan, the U.K. deputy chief of defense staff for military capability, said in a statement at the time. “We are committed to collaborating with partners to ensure that we achieve this while also promoting the responsible development and deployment of AI.” (Source: Defense News)
10 Jan 24. InQuest Integrates with ThreatConnect to Elevate Threat Intelligence. InQuest, renowned for in-depth file analysis of malware and threat intelligence that draws from a rich tapestry of both open-source and proprietary sources, is thrilled to announce a new integration with ThreatConnect’s TI Ops Platform. With this integration, InQuest’s critical indicators of compromise (IOCs) are instantly accessible for downstream use by popular SIEMs, endpoint, network, and cloud security tools. This enhances an organization’s threat detection and prevention capabilities and provides CTI analysts with dynamic updates for their Threat Library in ThreatConnect’s Platform.
Unique Insights for a Rapidly Evolving Landscape
InQuest’s InSights has carved a unique position for itself by offering unmatched visibility into indicators extracted from comprehensive file-based analyses. Spanning across its customer base, alliances, and proprietary analysis platforms, the intelligence gleaned provides security teams with insights into real-world attacks. Particularly, these insights emphasize threats from advanced actors known for their evasion tactics and penchant for targeting high-stakes sectors.
Powered by Internal Cutting-Edge Sources
Several internal sources lie at the heart of InQuest’s state-of-the-art threat intelligence feeds, including the InQuest InSights C2 Feed, InQuest InSights TI Feed, InQuest Labs RepDB, InQuest Labs IOCDB, and InQuest Labs DFIDB. InQuest InSights C2 Feed is dedicated to spotlighting InQuest’s innovative analysis on malware command and control (C2) infrastructure. This feed is primarily composed of the output of InQuest’s threat intelligence analyst work product as well as proprietary sources that are worked in conjunction. The InQuest InSights TI Feed is composed of indicators relating to adversary infrastructure used for malware staging, phishing, VPN and proxy endpoints, and attack origination including mail delivery, scanning and exploitation, and network penetration. This feed includes data from InQuest intelligence analysis and its partner networks. InQuest Labs RepDB is a robust collection of reputation data leveraged by the InQuest TI team to validate and contextualize InQuest Threat Intelligence. It consists of two dozen of the most trusted reputation datasets available privately and commercially as well as output of InQuest’s state-of-the-art Deep File Inspection® (DFI) technology. InQuest Labs IOCDB is a rich OSINT focused feed that contains hundreds of sources pulled from the Internet filtered and contextualized to provide high-quality indicators and data in a timely manner. InQuest Labs DFIDB is composed of indicators extracted from publicly shared files as well as files uploaded to labs.inquest.net for analysis by InQuest DFI file analysis.
Together, the synthesis of reputation data, open source intelligence, and unparalleled data from InQuest’s file and infrastructure analyses presents a panoramic and in-depth understanding of the contemporary threat landscape.
Seamless Integration with ThreatConnect
Introducing InSights into ThreatConnect equips CTI and Security Operations teams with an invaluable addition to their threat libraries, to fortify threat detection, prevention, and response. The integration allows teams to harness ThreatConnect’s innate enrichment capabilities, enabling them to craft detailed internal reports, facilitate thorough response investigations, and utilize InQuest for focused IOC hunting scenarios.
If you’d like to learn more, check out the ThreatConnect marketplace or view our blog.
About ThreatConnect
ThreatConnect enables threat intelligence operations, security operations, and cyber risk management teams to work together for more effective, efficient, and collaborative cyber defense and protection. With ThreatConnect, organizations infuse ML and AI-powered threat intel and cyber risk quantification into their work, allowing them to orchestrate and automate processes to get the necessary insights and respond faster and more confidently than ever before. Over 200 enterprises and thousands of security professionals rely on ThreatConnect daily to protect their organizations’ most critical assets.
About InQuest
InQuest empowers private and public sectors to identify, detect, and prevent advanced malware, ransomware, phishing, fraud attacks, breaches, and data loss incidents. Its industry-leading File Detection and Response (FDR) solutions stop file-borne breaches and incidents, automate threat hunting with real-time intelligence, and force multiply SOC and SecOps across the globe. For more information, visit inquest.net. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
09 Jan 24. iDirect Government Establishes Engineering Center of Excellence To Combat Electronic Warfare, TRANSEC and Cyber Attacks. With electronic warfare (EW) becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s environment, iDirect Government (iDirectGov), a leading provider of satellite communications to the U.S. military and government, has established the iDirectGov Engineering Center of Excellence at its Herndon, VA, headquarters to address EW and other transmission security (TRANSEC) developments.
The center, co-located with iDirectGov’s existing engineering team, will enable the company to better respond to the ever-evolving EW and cyber threats, meeting defense and government requirements for faster-paced innovation to keep ahead of adversaries and bad actors that relentlessly target military satellite communications (MILSATCOM). The center will leverage iDirectGov’s specialized Communication Signal Interference Removal™ (CSIR™) technology, which features crypto-agility, anti-jam and strengthened security for the tactical edge and warfighter.
Marking the company’s continuous efforts to integrate and harness its engineering teams’ intellectual properties and capabilities, the center represents iDirectGov’s intensified focus on developing innovative and resilient solutions to address EW. By combining its existing security professionals with its anti-jam-focused engineers, iDirectGov’s defense and government SATCOM global customers will benefit from bandwidth-efficient, scalable and highly secure satellite solutions.
“Our engineering center will allow iDirectGov to build upon our industry-leading security capabilities in TRANSEC and CSIR technology to deliver innovative and robust MILSATCOM solutions to the tactical edge and warfighter. With this, we are also investing in developing future generations of communications security technology and empowering our top talent,” said Tim Winter, president of iDirect Government.
The center will create an additional platform for iDirectGov’s engineers to develop holistic approaches to EW, cyber risk, TRANSEC, countermeasures and the overall company security solutions strategy. This will enable the team to build solutions with advanced functionality, innovative form factors and tactical advantages for use on land, in the air and at sea, helping to ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of MILSATCOM technology.
“Many factors are at play with this development, including protecting the U.S. critical SATCOM infrastructure and the continued interest of the Department of Defense (DOD) in scaling the use of commercial technologies for future hybrid satellite communications terminals that are capable of using commercial and military signals,” said Winter.
Since its beginnings in 2007, iDirectGov has supported the DOD and other agencies, solving their communications challenges with effective and exceptional delivery.
About iDirect Government
iDirect Government, LLC, delivers secure satellite-based voice, video and data applications with anytime and anywhere connectivity in the air, at sea and on land. iDirect Government’s advanced satellite IP solutions are used for critical ISR, airborne, maritime and COTM communications to support force protection, logistics, situational awareness, disaster recovery and emergency response.
Building on more than 18 years of global satellite communications experience, iDirect Government provides the most bandwidth-efficient, scalable and highly secure platform to meet specialized applications of multiple federal, state and local government agencies, including the Department of Defense, both domestically and abroad. iDirect Government, a U.S. corporation, has been a trusted partner of the U.S. government for more than 19 years. All its employees are permanent U.S. residents, with a third being U.S. military veterans.
iDirect Government’s specialized technology includes transmission security (TRANSEC), Communication Signal Interference Removal™ (CSIR™) anti-jam technology and Open Antenna Modem Interface Protocol (OpenAMIP). All Defense-grade products sold by iDirect Government are designed, developed, assembled, programmed and verified within the United States.
09 Jan 24. DOD Increases AI Capacity Through Strategy, Alignment. The Defense Department is making leaps when it comes to fielding cutting edge technologies, a senior Pentagon policy official said today.
Michael C. Horowitz, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and emerging capabilities, said key organizational and strategy updates have resulted in DOD’s improved ability to effectively field new tactics and technologies — especially when it comes to artificial intelligence.
“If you imagine, essentially, a continuum of activities from science and technology investments all the way to fielding capabilities, this administration within the Department of Defense has launched new initiative at each place, essentially, in the continuum,” he said during an AI policy discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Horowitz cited the creation of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, responsible for the departmentwide adoption of data. He also cited recent strategy updates aimed at aligning AI adoption with broader defense strategy.
In November, the DOD released its strategy to accelerate the adoption of advanced artificial intelligence capabilities to ensure U.S. warfighters maintain decision superiority on the battlefield for years to come.
The 2023 Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy, which was developed by the Chief Digital and AI Office, builds upon and supersedes previous strategies. The 2018 DOD AI Strategy and revised DOD Data Strategy, published in 2020, laid the groundwork for the department’s approach to fielding AI-enabled capabilities.
Horowitz also cited DOD investments in research, development, test and evaluation, and new initiatives to speed up experimentation within the department.
“All across the waterfront. we’ve launched initiatives designed to improve our adoption capacity, and I think we’re really starting to see them pay off,” Horowitz said.
When it comes to the adoption of AI and autonomous systems, Horowitz said that DOD remains laser focused on ensuring trust and confidence in the technology. He added that the department also maintains its commitment to international humanitarian law as it applies to the technology.
Last year, the Defense Department updated a 2012 directive governing the responsible development of autonomous weapon systems to the standards aligned with the advances in artificial intelligence.
The U.S. has also introduced a political declaration on the responsible military use of artificial intelligence, which further seeks to codify norms for the responsible use of the technology.
Horowitz said 51 countries have signed on to the political declaration, reflecting U.S. leadership at a critical time in the global adoption of AI.
“I think that there’s a recognition that the sorts of norms we’re trying to promote are things that all countries should be able to get behind,” he said. “They include things like a commitment to international humanitarian law. They include appropriate testing and evaluation for systems,” he said.
“They include lots of, I would say, good governance mechanisms of the sort that we flesh out in detail in Department of Defense policy,” Horowitz said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
09 Jan 24. Middle East: Publicly accessible, unsecured sensitive data elevates security risks to government entities. On 8 January, international media reported that the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) suffered a data breach after sensitive data was unknowingly leaked for over 15 months. This breach was a result of an environment (env.) file being exposed via the internet that could allow an actor access to the information contained in the file. Environment files act as a critical instruction manual for computer programs to run. Exposing this type of file means that sensitive information, such as database and email credentials as well as data encryption keys, is easily accessible. This allows potential threat actors unauthorised initial access to a network and the ability for lateral movement in cyber operations. As such, this can result in long-term security and operational risks to exposed organisations, especially those within the government and public services sectors. This incident highlights the necessity for robust policies on securing highly sensitive information to prevent avoidable data leaks. (Source: Sibylline)
08 Jan 24. Europe: Dutch, regional firms face elevated cyber espionage risks from Turkish threat actors. On 5 January, the information technology (IT) company Hunt and Hackett reported that a Turkish threat group (‘Sea Turtle’) is targeting organisations in the Netherlands via a new cyber espionage operation. The campaign focuses on telecommunications and media entities, as well as internet service providers (ISPs), IT service providers and Kurdish websites. In a recent attack, Sea Turtle compromised a legitimate cPanel account to deploy custom malware (‘SnappyTCP’), underscoring the security risks which compromised software vendors pose to downstream users. The campaign reportedly aims to collect personal information on minority groups and political dissidents; this likely forms part of a Turkish state surveillance and intelligence-gathering operation. Sea Turtle has been active since 2017; it primarily targets organisations in the Middle East and North Africa. It recently expanded its target set to include European entities. As Turkey pursues strategic political interests in Europe, elevated espionage risks will continue to face firms in the region. (Source: Sibylline)
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Spectra Group (UK) Ltd
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, internationally renowned award-winning information security and communications specialist with a proven record of accomplishment.
Spectra is a dynamic, agile and security-accredited organisation that offers secure Hosted and Managed Solutions and Cyber Advisory Services with a track record of delivering on time, to spec and on budget.
With over 15 years of experience in delivering solutions for governments around the globe, elite militaries and private enterprises of all sizes, Spectra’s platinum and gold-level partnerships with third-party vendors ensure the supply of best value leading-edge technology.
Spectra was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2019 for SlingShot.
In November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced its listing as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier by the UK Crown Commercial Services.
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 Businessman of the Year by Battlespace magazine.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
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