image: From left, Nate Paul and Lawrence MacIntyre, inventors of Data Diode, had a chance to meet with Donald McGuire, CEO of Lock Data Solutions LLC, which has licensed the ORNL cybersecurity technology. view more
Credit: ORNL
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Sept. 29, 2015 - Lock Data Solutions has licensed a technology from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed to protect a company's data from internal and external threats.
Data Diode, developed by ORNL's Lawrence MacIntyre and Nate Paul, uses a defense-in-depth computer network strategy to create an environment in which an organization's approved users can work freely inside an enclave of protected data but restricts file transfers outside the network.
Donald McGuire, CEO of Lock Data Solutions, said the technology is a perfect fit for his company, noting that his management team is made up of professionals who have enjoyed commercial success with various technologies, including a secured wireless communication technology for the Navy. He is looking forward to bringing to the market Lock Data CounterX, a software suite that includes ORNL's Data Diode technology.
"Lock Data Solutions appreciates the opportunity to partner with ORNL in the creation of a company that can work to protect vital data resources in a manner that represents the cutting edge in cybersecurity," McGuire said. "With the help of the technology being licensed today, we expect to create a sea change in the balance of power between those protecting data and those seeking to steal it.
"As it grows, Lock Data Solutions will not only protect data with its products, but expects to contribute to the U.S. economy by creating jobs in the technology sector."
Armed with CounterX, an intruder who has penetrated the network can see the protected information but cannot download the actual data, McGuire said. And during the time it takes the intruder to search for a way around the obstacle, the network's detection can locate and thwart the malicious intent of the intruder.
"Hackers are going to get in," said Paul, a member of ORNL's Cyber and Information Security Research group. "Employees can accidentally put confidential data at risk. The ORNL Data Diode addresses this problem by restricting important data from being copied out of network, thereby alleviating and alerting such specific and unauthorized activities."
Paul noted that banks are particularly vulnerable and have trusted consumer data that includes social security numbers, addresses and birth dates. A recent breach compromised data for 76 million households.
Lock Data Solutions LLC, located in New York City, is a technology company dedicated to bringing cutting edge solutions to cloud and network cybersecurity. Development of this technology was made possible by funding from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the DOE's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://science.energy.gov/.
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Image: https://www.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/news/images/JRO_0842R.jpg
Cutline: From left, Nate Paul and Lawrence MacIntyre, inventors of Data Diode, had a chance to meet with Donald McGuire, CEO of Lock Data Solutions LLC, which has licensed the ORNL cybersecurity technology.
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