CAMBRIDGE, MA, Aug 11, 2025 – Complex exploit chains are becoming a cybersecurity threat, fueled by sophisticated attacks. A new federal program aims to counter them with tools that can detect, model, and mitigate risks before they cause any damage. RTX’s BBN Technologies was awarded a contract from DARPA to support Intelligent Generation of Tools for Security, or ‘INGOTS’. INGOTS aims to improve cybersecurity by automating the detection and mitigation of complex exploit chains, supporting streamlined responses to threats.
Exploit chains are a threat as cyberattacks grow complex. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities lists over 1,300 entries. This rise highlights the number of threats targeting critical systems and infrastructure across North America. Security teams rely on manual analysis to assess these risks, a process that takes skill and time. INGOTS addresses this challenge by automating the creation, modification, modeling, and analysis of exploit chains to support timely and effective security interventions.
“Effectively countering exploit chains requires more than just identifying individual vulnerabilities. It demands a system that can replicate real-world attack scenarios and anticipate potential risks before they are exploited,” said Jack Dietz, BBN principal investigator.
To support this effort, BBN will apply its expertise in testbed architecture to develop the System Test of Android at Large-Scale Accelerating Generation and Modeling for INGOTS Test and Evaluation, or ‘STALAGMITE’. This system will serve as a platform for testing and evaluating exploit analysis tools, offering capabilities such as:
- Accurate real-world simulations: Testing in combined virtual and physical environments ensures assessments of Android vulnerabilities in a secure setting.
- Proactive threat responses: Integration of INGOTS components enables security teams to anticipate and mitigate potential attacks, enhancing preparedness against threats.
- Efficient security research: An environment for reproducible, automated testing advances research in software vulnerabilities and countermeasures, improving operating system and application security.
“Today’s manual methods for assessing exploitability are costly, time-consuming and lack scalability and efficiency,” said Dietz. “We aim to alleviate this burden from security professionals by accelerating the automatic identification of security risks across various devices and configurations using precise testing and measurement to strengthen overall cybersecurity defenses.”
While the program focuses on the android ecosystem, the technologies developed under INGOTS are expected to have impacts across personal, business, government and military sectors.
The BBN-led team includes assured information security. Work on the program will be completed in Cambridge, MA; Columbia, MD; and Rome, NY.
Source: RTX
About RTX BBN Technologies
RTX BBN Technologies, formerly Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), is a R&D company based in Cambridge, MA, and a subsidiary of RTX Corporation. Founded in 1948, the company provides solutions in analytics, machine intelligence, networking, multi-domain sensing, and physical sciences. Its history includes pioneering work on the ARPANET and the first email, and it focuses on areas such as quantum-secure networks. BBN serves defense, intelligence, scientific, and federal customers with research, development, testing, and engineering services that support national security and advanced technology programs.
About RTX
RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies, is a global aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems, products and services. It specializes in aircraft engines, avionics, cybersecurity solutions and defense systems, serving the aerospace, defense, intelligence and security sectors. With a history spanning more than a century, RTX combines expertise from its predecessor companies to support technological development. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company generates annual revenue exceeding $60 billion and employs about 185,000 people worldwide. Its clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Collins Aerospace, Airbus and Boeing. RTX supports commercial and military programs by focusing on safety, performance and efficiency, while addressing operational challenges across multiple sectors.