FORT MEADE, Md. -- Imagine, your toddler has just started walking. In preparation for this milestone moment, you have already "baby-proofed" the house. You put a gate in front of the stairs. You attached those little plastic clips to keep the cabinets closed, and you also put those little plastic caps on unused electrical outlets. You're confident you've protected your little one the best you can.

Now imagine, you're at the office, have you taken the same precautions? We're not talking child safety we're talking cyber safety... cybersecurity. We're talking about protecting computer ports with an NSA technology--available to the public--that's as simple as protecting a child from electric outlets. Just plug them in. These small plastic port protectors are used to deter intruders from breaking into your computer systems via open ports on computers, routers, and Voice of Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone jacks. They provide visual proof of tampering, similar to anti-tamper seals on things like jars of baby food at the grocery store. This NSA-developed technology has been shared across the Intelligence Community. It gained such popularity that NSA patented and licensed it through its Technology Transfer Program (TTP) to PadJack, a company based in Florida. "Licensing NSA's port protector technology has allowed us to expand our market share and add new product lines. As a small business, we benefited from the NSA TTP's work to create a partnership that scales to our needs as we grow," PadJack Founder and CEO Jim Bolain said.

There are over 120 NSA patented technologies available for licensing in cybersecurity, data science, internet of things, and mobility. From entrepreneurs and startups, to Fortune 500 companies, NSA TTP works with business partners to use NSA technologies to build new businesses, create new jobs, and build new products. To view the available technologies, check out our patent portfolio.

Looking for more information on cybersecurity? Check out NSA's cybersecurity page, or StopThinkConnect.org.

Source: U.S. National Security Agency
Associated URL: https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/news-stories/2018/ncsam-2018-03.shtml
Author: U.S. National Security Agency