Boehlert Announces Homeland Security Award for Local Company

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford) today announced that a local company has been awarded a major cybersecurity research and development (R&D) contract by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Boehlert said that GrammaTech Inc., headquartered in Ithaca, NY, will be awarded a $442,011 contract from the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate to produce a software analysis tool that will enable third parties to examine large software packages for security weaknesses. The company will subcontract portions of the effort to the University of Wisconsin and Symantec Corporation. GrammaTech’s contract, which was one of only 17 selected out of 130 proposals, is for two years with a third-year option.

Boehlert was instrumental in establishing the DHS S&T Directorate and oversees the division as Chairman of the House Science Committee. He has also pushed for DHS and other government agencies to increase their focus on cybersecurity.

Boehlert hailed GrammaTech’s contract saying, “Today’s announcement is yet another example of how our area is becoming a hub for cybersecurity R&D. The proximity of world class institutions such as Cornell University and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome has enabled local high-tech companies like GrammaTech to flourish by helping them attract world class talent and lucrative government contracts.

“I congratulate GrammaTech on their successful proposal. They won this highly competitive contract the old fashioned way: they earned it. I am pleased that GrammaTech’s very important work will further strengthen our local economy while providing critical security support for the nation,” Boehlert said.

Tim Teitelbaum, GrammaTech’s CEO said, “We are very excited about this project because it has the potential to significantly improve system security. Most manufactures only ship executables, not source code. The goal of this project is to create a tool that will examine those executables for vulnerabilities. Third parties will be able to analyze a program, even when the source code is unavailable.”