Tresys Technology Solves USB Threat to Critical Government Systems

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tresys Technology, a provider of technology and services for customers with high security requirements, today announced successful development of a security solution for the recent threat to critical government information systems posed by ‘dirty’ USB devices. The widespread and complex threat resulted in USB devices being banned by many government organizations. In response to the threat, Tresys rapidly customized and delivered a ruggedized, laptop-based Kiosk appliance built on open source software to mitigate that threat and make USB devices safe for use, even in very sensitive applications and locations.

“Government computers and networks face a constant barrage of inventive attacks,” said Frank Mayer, CTO of Tresys Technology. “Given the pace and diversity of these attacks, it is critical to leverage agile, open technologies to build and deploy a new generation of security solutions in real time.”

Tresys’ approach conclusively validates the advantages of integrating strong government off-the-shelf (GOTS) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) security on an open source platform. The USB ‘cleansing’ appliance was built on Red Hat’s certified (EAL 4) RHEL 5 platform, combining GOTS software with Tresys’ advanced, secure virtualization technology to effectively eliminate the dirty device threat. The formula of combining proven open source security technologies like SELinux with other customizable software allowed Tresys to address the security threat in real-time. The development life-cycle from initial requirements to working prototype was less than 10 days, and a field-ready solution was available within 90 days.

“Organizations need to quickly solve these kinds of mission critical security threats,” said Tresys Technology’s Director of Linux Security Practices, Karl MacMillan. “But it is difficult to do using typical proprietary software development approaches. Tresys disrupts the conventional frameworks that surround strictly proprietary solutions by combining the best of proprietary and open source technologies. We’re proud to be a part of solving such a critical security challenge.”

About Tresys Technology

Tresys innovates and applies advanced technologies to quickly solve the needs of customers require agility responsiveness to meet their security requirements. Leveraging secure open source software, our products and services support the most sensitive security missions around the world. As a result Tresys enjoys a distinct reputation for shifting the way governments and businesses approach security. For more information, visit: www.tresys.com.