MCLEAN, Va., 9 March , 2012. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a cybersecurity task order by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to strengthen cybersecurity protections across all Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community networks by implementing the Host Based Security System (HBSS) as part of the DoD Information Assurance and Computer Network Defense contract.

The task order was competitively awarded under the Encore 2 contract vehicle and is valued at $189 million over a three-year base period with two one-year options. As prime integrator, Northrop Grumman will provide software license maintenance support, training, help desk and architectural infrastructure support personnel.

HBSS is the DoD's commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) suite of automated and standardized software used to provide host based security – security on desktops and laptops versus at the boundary such as routers and switches – against both internal and external threats.

In October 2007, the DoD mandated HBSS for eventual installation on all unclassified and classified networks. The full implementation of HBSS is being completed in an effort to defend government networks from increasing numbers of sophisticated cyber attacks.

Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman will provide support in architecting, engineering, maintaining, deploying and implementing the HBSS solution. This includes but is not limited to the Combatant Commanders, Services, Field Activities and Agencies and the intelligence community's networks and associated host platforms.

Initial work will be performed at Fort Meade, Md., with implementation activities across all DoD locations. Northrop Grumman's teammates on the contract include McAfee, Santa Clara, Calif., and CDWG, Vernon Hills, Ill.

Northrop Grumman has been working on the deployment of HBSS since 2008. The company recently completed deployment of HBSS 3.0 across 263 active duty U.S. Air Force bases and Air National Guard sites.