Hewlett Packard has inked a lucrative $3.6 million contact with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The company will develop a scalable network intrusion detection system to protect against cyber threats. According to HP, its indigenously developed system is capable of detecting threats via "proactive technologies," such as the monitoring of minute fluctuations in network traffic.

"HP’s scalable network monitoring system allows for a new, dynamic method of identifying suspicious data and detecting threats before they enter the system," explained Mike Freeman, vice president, Federal Business, HP. "This system is one of the first of its kind to apply statistical physics to continuously monitor the defended networks and their environments."

Cyber warfare threats continue to pose a critical threat to US national security. As IT Examiner previously reported, Russian hackers were recently accused of executing a serious malware strike against CENTCOM (US Central Command), the military entity responsible for coordinating operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The attack affected numerous computers in combat zones and FOBs (forward operating bases) and downed a highly protected classified network. 

The malware application responsible for the attack has been identified as Agent.bz, which is spread when a flash drive is plugged into an infected computer. X