SCIT Labs Awarded $389k Navy Cyber Security Contract -- CLIFTON, Va., April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CLIFTON, Va., April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy has awarded a local company a contract valued at $389,380 to develop a prototype software-protected server capable of deterring tactical cyber attacks. "This project will provide the Navy and others with tactical cyber security to help protect vital systems," said Arun Sood , CEO of Clifton-based SCIT Labs. The nine-month contract was awarded by the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), based in San Diego, and is designed to be the first of a possible two-phase development effort. SCIT, short for Self-Cleansing Intrusion Tolerance, shifts the typical intrusion management focus from avoidance to reducing the losses resulting from an intrusion. The technology is designed to clean the server as often as once a minute to ensure stability in performance while enhancing protection from attack. "Intrusions are inevitable," said Sood. We are focused on strategies to work through attacks while limiting losses. We make it much harder for intruders, and through forensic analysis we also find out quicker that a system is under attack," he said. Retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden , former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, said, "SCIT technology shifts the cyber security focus from vulnerability elimination to consequence management. If successful, this technology will have broad implications and applications. Brian Detter , a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Expeditionary Warfare, said, "Warfighters who put their lives on the line need to know that their mission-critical systems operate safely and effectively, and the SCIT solution could provide important safeguards." About SCIT Labs: Founded in 2007, SCIT Labs, Inc is a spin-off from George Mason University, and has successfully competed two previous government development contracts. RELATED LINKS http://scitlabs.com/