Army Adds Fiber-Optic Protection Tool to Approved List

Via GCN.com -

The Army has added the Interceptor Optical Network Security System to its Information Assurance Approved Product List. Army units and installations worldwide will be able to use Interceptor to protect command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance networks, and SCIF facilities.

The new fiber-optic protection technology from Network Integrity Systems monitors fibers within the cable being protected to detect handling, and can be used in support of the Army’s initiative to deploy SIPRNet to each Brigade Combat Team and to enable network-centric warfare through the Army’s Area Processing Centers.

Networks carrying sensitive or classified government information rely on encryption, hardening or intrusion detection alarms to protect the information from breaches. Unlike traditional intrusion alarms, Interceptor doesn’t rely on an extra optical fiber to sense vibrations. Instead, the system monitors the lit or dark fibers in a network’s fiber cables to detect motion of the cables themselves.

The technology works with any optical cable type and is compatible with all Ethernet standards including 10 Gigabit. Because it is a physical layer device and does not touch the data, unlike encryption, Interceptor does not create any bandwidth bottlenecks. The Interceptor can work with existing networks and new installations.

Interceptor also eliminates the costs associated with hardening – the installation of concrete encasements in the outside plant and rigid metallic carrier inside the building. Additionally, periodic visual inspections, required daily for hardened carrier systems, are eliminated, along with the potential for human error or oversight.

Interceptor has been used across the Defense, Justice and Homeland Security departments.