Raytheon signs $1 billion contract to protect government websites
Homeland Security has signed a five-year contract with Raytheon, which could be worth a whopping $1 billion. While the defense contractor is more known for weapons development, DHS hasn't joined forces with it to create more missiles, lasers, warheads and UAVs. No, the agency has asked the company's help to secure government websites. According to Raytheon's announcement, it will aid the government in developing, deploying and supporting technologies that watch out for and mitigate cyberattacks. Reuters says the company will also help around 100 agencies manage their network security within the duration of the partnership as the prime contractor for DHS' National Cybersecurity Protection System and Network Security Deployment divisions.
After that massive Office of Personnel Management hack earlier this year (and the knowledge that other .gov websites are susceptible to attacks), it's clear that the government believes it could use the cybersecurity upgrade Raytheon promises to bring to the table. And since the White House wants to start being more aggressive in securing its networks, this isn't the government's only anti-cyberattack project in the works. The Pentagon, for one, is building an automated system that can detect and prevent security breaches.
[Image credit: Getty Images/Caiaimage]
