Dark Droid: Securing Handheld Apps from Attack for Warfighters

U.S. and coalition forces are increasingly becoming more technologically advanced. Technologies such as the Tactical Ground Reporting (TIGR) System and the Remote Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) are but two technologies that use small form factor, ultra portable devices. Unfortunately, these technologies tightly couple software with specialized hardware platforms, forcing U.S. military personnel to carry multiple devices during dangerous close-contact missions. For this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I effort, Pikewerks Corporation will research, design, and prototype core capabilities to protect Android handheld devices and applications from tamper, reverse engineering, and exploitation. While not a specific application as the solicitation might suggest, the operational environment demands attention be paid to the threat posed to military forces and operations if a device was lost to U.S. adversaries. As the program continues, Pikewerks will fuse together the core protection barriers so they interact with each other and implement a true defense-in-depth security model.