Software Tool Gives Congress an Edge on Cyber Attacks

Spitfire provides user-friendly real-time notification of intrusions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

McLean, Virginia, July 24, 2000 — The MITRE Corporation announced it has installed cyber security software to protect against computer attacks in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Originally developed for military use, "Spitfire" is a software interface that allows users to immediately detect and take action against hacker attacks. Spitfire interfaces with commercially available intrusion detection systems, providing user-friendly screen displays for real-time notification of intrusions. Spitfire also integrates the output of these systems into a single database, providing historical and trend analysis of network intrusion incidents.

"MITRE developed Spitfire in 1997 to fill a void faced by network security operators. Before Spitfire, there was no easy way to manage the abundance of data generated by the current generation of intrusion detection products," said John Woodward, MITRE Director of Information Warfare. "This powerful and easy-to-use system allows users to take advantage of the best features of various detection programs."

Developed by MITRE in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force, Spitfire has been highly successful in military exercises. In addition to the Air Force, Spitfire has been adopted by the Naval Security Group, the U.S. Army's Land Information Warfare Activity and other government agencies.

The U.S. House of Representatives requested Spitfire's installation after learning of its effective application by the military. "Spitfire has only been installed for two months and is already proving to be an excellent enhancement to the U.S. House Intrusion Detection Program" said Lou Magnotti, HIR Director of Information Systems Security at the U.S. House of Representatives.

As part of its public service mission, MITRE has made Spitfire freely available for public and commercial use through its Web site, (www.mitre.org/work/tech_transfer). The corporation continues to conduct research into state-of-the-art intrusion detection techniques. MITRE's Cyber Resource Center is on the web at http://www.mitre.org/tech/cyber/.

MITRE (www.mitre.org) is an independent, not-for-profit systems engineering firm engaged in scientific and technical activities in the public interest. The corporation manages Federally Funded Research and Development Centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, and has corporate offices in Bedford, MA, and Virginia.

Solutions That Make a Difference.®
Copyright © 1997-2013, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.
MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.

Privacy Policy | Contact Us