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To enable scaling of technology to enhance critical infrastructure resilience, MITRE commercialized its intellectual property for Cyber SEAL to Highway Ventures. The Arkansas-based startup studio, in partnership with VentureWell, a non-profit focused on advancing innovation and entrepreneurship, launched iolite secure, a cybersecurity startup that leverages Cyber SEAL’s ability to detect and mitigate cyber-physical threats to minimize downtime in critical infrastructure. Bridging the gap between government mission demands and industry solutions, MITRE tackles high-risk, cross-domain challenges that industry is either not yet positioned to address or where market demand and return on investment remains uncertain. MITRE will rapidly prototype technologies like Cyber SEAL and then transition them to industry for scaling. Lane Patterson, co-founder of Highway Ventures, credits MITRE’s expertise for the innovation behind Cyber SEAL's success. “FFRDCs [federally funded research and development centers like the ones operated by MITRE] are where purposeful technology is born. Ideas are not constrained by fluctuating demands of the market, which allows them to explore and develop technologies that are truly transformative. Cyber SEAL was developed with a level of cyber sophistication that you just don't find elsewhere. MITRE's deep understanding of cyber-physical systems and their vulnerabilities made them the ideal partner for bringing this technology to market.”
A love of learning and a leap of faith brought cybersecurity engineer Heidys Cabrera to MITRE. Heidys Cabrera didn’t know what to expect when she started her MITRE internship. She thought she’d gain technical skills but had no idea it would boost her confidence, too. Now a full-time cybersecurity engineer, Cabrera says by the end of her summer as an intern in MITRE's Cyber Futures program, “I had grown a lot and was not afraid to try new things or ask questions.” That was in 2022. The chance to keep broadening her knowledge on all fronts is what brought Cabrera back to MITRE—and keeps her here. She’s starting a master’s program through Georgia Tech, taking advantage of our Accelerated Graduate Degree Program education benefit. “My focus is computer science, with a specialization in machine learning,” she says. “I’ve already taken some graduate classes and received a lot of support from colleagues when I needed flexibility.” Cabrera sees the degree as a way to “prepare more for the growing opportunities in AI.” While her current cyber work already involves AI, Cabrera wants to deepen her understanding of its applications. She’s part of a MITRE independent research and development team that uses algorithms and reinforcement learning to identify optimal courses of action for Department of Defense missions.
MITRE has launched AADAPT™ (Adversarial Actions in Digital Asset Payment Technologies), a cybersecurity framework aimed at addressing vulnerabilities in digital financial systems such as cryptocurrency. Emulating the structure of the MITRE ATT&CK® framework, AADAPT provides developers, policymakers, and financial organizations with a structured methodology for identifying, analyzing, and mitigating potential risks associated with digital asset payments. By using insights derived from real-world attacks as cited by more than 150 sources from government, industry, and academia, the AADAPT framework identifies adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures linked to digital asset payment technologies, including consensus algorithms and smart contracts. "Digital payment assets like cryptocurrency are set to transform the future of global finance, but their security challenges cannot be ignored," said Wen Masters, vice president of cyber technologies at MITRE. "With AADAPT, MITRE is empowering stakeholders to adopt robust security measures that not only safeguard their assets but also build trust across the ecosystem."
April Castañeda, MITRE senior vice president and chief human resources officer, says she’s excited about all the things on her heaping plate: HR excellence, science and technology, enabling and empowering people ... plus superheroes, arts, roller derby, and more. Despite her numerous passions, two constants about April are her “West Coast casual” approach and her focus on prioritizing relationships with people to enable mission success. After joining MITRE, April went on a listening tour across the company to understand employees’ needs and concerns based on their experiences with HR. She’s since developed and launched a three-year People Strategy to continually improve HR operations. Her desired result is to align HR more closely with MITRE’s business side, reduce the administrative burden, and enhance the employee experience. “One of the biggest impacts we're going for is HR operational excellence. My philosophy is simplicity,” she says. “We're going to streamline our processes and make it so people know where to go for HR help and that they really feel heard.” This approach is important to April because “everything that HR does is personal. If we mess up, it's your benefits that get messed up. It's your kid who can't go to the doctor. Anything and everything we do is personal,” she explains.
Brian Abrahamson, senior vice president and chief operating officer (COO), brings nearly three decades of experience in driving a digitally enabled, mission-first approach to operational excellence in both the public sector and private industry. Abrahamson will lead efforts to position MITRE with best-in-class operational capabilities that support delivery of critical government missions. “Brian has achieved remarkable results in modernizing the operational practices of organizations like MITRE, and his leadership will be instrumental as we further sharpen our capabilities to drive efficiency and deliver on government missions,” said Mark Peters, president and CEO, MITRE. “His proven track record of simplifying complex operating environments and amplifying mission visibility makes him the ideal leader to strengthen MITRE’s commitment to Mission First, People Always.” As COO, Abrahamson will work across MITRE to champion a culture of continuous improvement and position MITRE as a benchmark for operational excellence, collaborating with cross-company teams to improve end-to-end operations to support MITRE’s federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs). He also will lead functional areas including corporate strategy, enterprise technology, global security, corporate real estate, and enterprise communications.
“As quantum computing technology continues to advance, organizations cannot afford to delay preparing for these transformative changes and threats to their security,” said Wen Masters, vice president of cyber technologies, MITRE. "This roadmap empowers CIOs (chief information officers) and CISOs (chief information security officers) to act decisively, taking proactive steps to protect sensitive data now and in the future.”
The U.S. must act decisively to drive AI #innovation and remain competitive. In our response to the AI Action Plan RFI from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, we highlight four key strategies to accelerate #AI development, including an urgent need to develop a talent pool of AI savvy experts to drive innovation.
At NVIDIA GTC, #TeamMITRE and NVIDIA showcased our work to advance #AI innovation for the U.S. government—helping agencies tackle mission-critical challenges like training large language models, leveraging #quantum research, and rethinking #telecommunications infrastructure. Together, we're demonstrating the power of cross-sector collaboration to drive #innovation, strengthen #NationalSecurity, and improve lives. #NVIDIAGTC #6G
At MITRE, we are committed to advancing technology that secures and strengthens our connected world. During MWC Barcelona, #TeamMITRE engaged in conversations on the security and independence of #telecommunications infrastructure as #5G adoption accelerates and the role Open Radio Access Networks (#ORAN) play in enhancing network flexibility and robustness. Our head of 5G/xG Andrew Thiessen joined fellow experts and NextNav to discuss the challenges, solutions, and future of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (#PNT) systems.
Welcome April Castañeda, our new SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, to #TeamMITRE. With April’s expertise and leadership, we are poised to continue building high-performing teams rooted in trust, transparency, and respect—empowered to expand innovative solutions for the nation.
