KEY POINTS
- The technology leverages blockchain transactions to create a 'forensic record' of code under development
- PARANOID can also prevent the injection of malicious code and malicious file swapping
- The Navy seeks partners willing to test the model for feedback and scalability
The United States Navy has launched a new blockchain security technology dubbed "PARANOID," and it is in search of private sector collaborators to help with studies and further development of the new technology.
The technology, officially called Powerful Authentication Regime Applicable to Naval OFP Integrated Development (PARANOID), was developed by the Naval Air Warfare Center's Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in New Jersey for the purpose of securing avionics software for the U.S. Navy. However, the team behind the technology realized that PARANOID can be applied to any software development project of a security-centric nature, as per TechLink, the U.S. Defense Department's "technology transfer partner."
A May presentation on the "novel" blockchain security model states that PARANOID "guarantees the integrity of software throughout its lifecycle" by leveraging blockchain transactions "to create a forensic record of code under development." The technology can also block malicious code injection and prevent malicious file swapping.
TechLink said the model has been made available to private businesses for commercialization. However, the model's inventors are seeking a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) that should help develop the technology further.
"An ideal CRADA partner would be a company interested in developing a solution for securing software supply chains. This would include companies in the realm of software development who would be willing to install and test PARANOID for feedback and scalability," said Nida Shaikh, senior technology manager at TechLink.
The Navy has been investing in blockchain in the past few years. In 2020, the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAVWAR) struck a $9.5 million deal with SIMBA Chain to deploy a secure blockchain messaging and transaction platform as part of the efforts to enhance the Navy's communication systems.
This is not the first time the U.S. military dabbled in blockchain technology. In mid-2022, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) partnered with blockchain-as-a-service firm SIMBA Chain to develop a system that would track the Air Force's funds and supply chain movements.
At the time, the partnership, dubbed Digital Blockchain Budgeting Accountability and Tracking (DiBaT), focused on ensuring that audit funds were within a tamper-proof blockchain that would enable the USAF to have more visibility over its allocations and payment systems.
However, the development in the U.S. Navy's blockchain efforts is different, as this time, it developed the technology that private firms can use and assess to determine its efficacy and scalability.
