Hardened Encryption Routing to Mitigate External Susceptibility

To address the DHS's need for security of multimedia messages from the public to the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Emergency Communications Cybersecurity Center (EC3) within NG9-1-1 Emergency Service Internet Protocol Networks (ESINets), Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Hardened Encryption Routing to Mitigate External Susceptibility (HERMES). This proposed service is based on the inherent security of Media Access Control Security (MACsec) to provide the security triad of confidentiality, integrity, and authentication to the NG9-1-1 system's backbone. HERMES will offer compliance with the NSA's Ethernet Security Specification (ESS) to ensure that only real messages generated by trusted endpoints are distributed while content is hidden from hostile actors. This techNlogy directly addresses the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency requirements for minimizing risk of cyber-attacks and ensuring robust system security. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of HERMES by developing an NG9-1-1 architecture that will address vulnerabilities faced while adopting the Next Generation techNlogy. Nw at techNlogy readiness level (TRL)-2, by the end of the Phase I effort, HERMES will reach TRL-4. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a prototype of the HERMES architecture in a relevant operational environment suitable for piloting the solution, reaching TRL-7. The successful completion of this project at the end of Phase III will benefit the nation in both government and commercial sectors by establishing a customizable yet secure framework that meets each group's needs. Commercial applications for this techNlogy include corporate networks and wireless communications.