Page 13 - The MIL Connection: Summer 2024

Advancing CDS for DoD and the Navy
Chyau Shen has carried on with his innovative solutions development work during his time at
MIL—this time focusing on the area of cross domain communications. See how Chyau describes
his groundbreaking work..
Cross Domain Solution (CDS) is a security processor and software system that allows data
communications across different security domains (e.g., Unclass, Secret, Top Secret). This is
accomplished through the incorporation of a security “guard” processor that examines, in real
time, data going across security domains and automatically removes data that does not pass
security scrutiny for the intended security domain. The issue with these CDS security guards
is that they have to meet very stringent National Security Agency (NSA) guidelines and tests
in order to be certified for use. The process usually requires a year or more. Any new data
protocol/format or even slight modifications to the existing format will require guard software
modification, typically a proprietary effort by the guard vender, followed by another year long
re-certification process. This is costly, time consuming and, more importantly, significantly
reduces the “speed of delivery” to the warfighter.
I conceived the idea of a flexible cross domain solution to reduce re-certification time from
about a year to a few weeks or month. The idea is the development of a guard data normalizer
processor and software that “normalizes” external data to a format recognized by the guard
such that the guard will be able accept and properly exam the data content without outright
blocking any unrecognized but valid data such as from a newly developed advanced sensor,
new operational data protocol, or necessary data format changes. Use of the normalizer
reduces the CDS re-certification time from a year to weeks/month because the guard is not
modified in any way and therefore does not need to go through the NSA process. In this way,
new data protocol or format can be quickly adapted and integrated for operational use and,
because the normalizer has a furnished non-proprietary software interface, it can be integrated
with any off-the-shelf security guard and therefore is guard “agnostic.” Thus, the normalizer
equipped CDS results in significant cost and time savings to DoD.
With support from the MIL executive management, I took the idea to the Office of the
Secretary of Defense (OSD) and received endorsement and funding to demonstrate the concept.
I then formulated a partnership with a specialty software business and assembled a MIL led
team. The conceptual prototype solution was successfully demonstrated to OSD, NAVAIR, and
Special Warfare personnel and led to the current NAVAIR Flexible Cross Domain Solution
project.

Creating trust through containment
Turkish American electronics engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur Melih Abdulhayoğlu is
an AANHPI innovator in the field of cybersecurity. His company, Comodo Group, has been
a leader in internet security for over 25 years, introducing and refining a number of cyber
technologies. One of those innovations, containment technology, pushed endpoint security
forward by creating virtual isolation tools for digital and mobile devices and app management.
Abdulhayoğlu is also credited with founding the Certification Authority (CA) Browser
Forum—a consortium of 40 certificate authorities, operating system vendors, and internet
browser developers—assembled to ensure secure communications by advancing industry best
practices across CA organizations.
What exactly is “containment technology” and why is it an effective approach to vulnerability
management? And do we really need digital certificates to be cyber secure? Let’s ask MIL
Senior M365 and cyber expert Jurgens Vestil how containment and CA organizations help keep
our digital assets safer.
What is containment technology and how does it work to protect digital assets?
Jurgens: Containment technology creates a safe space for any potentially harmful software
to run in. Think of it as an “isolation area” on your device that you can use to run suspicious
programs or open files without risking your entire system. This technology uses virtualization
to keep these activities separate from your main operating system. Any security threat like
malware stays confined to this virtual environment and can’t cause any harm.
One of the great things about containment technology is that it’s proactive rather than reactive.

summer 2024 | the MIL connection | 13