Security technology built into MIL-STD-1553 interface

Abaco Systems announced the release of 1553Guard, a new security technology for MIL-STD-1553-based systems which provides an additional layer of protection against cyber-attacks. 1553Guard is an integrated solution which is directly built into the 1553 interface. Other technologies require expensive hardware and significant software modification but may not include threat mitigation. Abaco’s “plug-and-play” device detects and alleviates threats in real-time from a single device through continual monitoring and protection for the entire bus, protecting equipment from damage and preventing attacks that could otherwise compromise platform integrity or mission security.

 MIL-STD-1553 was released by the US Department of Defense before the advent of modern cyber-warfare and lacks many of the tools used to secure modern networks. More recently it was identified as a potential danger that adversaries could leverage to compromise equipment and spread malicious software across a system. Abaco designed 1553Guard to relieve these security issues.

The device continuously monitors bus traffic, identifies incidents based on user-defined rules and algorithms, then mitigates the threat. While other solutions offer the ability to monitor and detect vulnerabilities, 1553Guard can actively defeat cyber occurrences in real time. The security mechanism is implemented in hardware that cannot be easily bypassed or disabled by malicious software or users.  This is an ideal solution to reduce risk for on-platform use or when integrated into test and maintenance equipment which rely on the standard.

Abaco’s solution protects the entire bus through a single device, reducing integration time and effort by avoiding the costly and complex process of hardware and software redesign and requalification of existing LRUs and modules. Once added to the bus, 1553Guard is entirely passive and does not interfere with normal bus communication. When improper messages are detected, those messages can be individually disabled without interruption to normal bus traffic. It can be easily integrated onto any existing bus using one of Abaco’s existing XMC, USB or mPCIE products or using a stand-alone device connected to the bus.