TSA Taps Peraton to Provide IT Support Services, Secure Transportation Systems

The Transportation Security Administration has selected Peraton to enhance the agency’s IT equipment, services and processes and provide support to TSA employees, contractors and personnel deployed at various locations. 

Work will be performed under a five-year, $342.7 million Information Technology Management, Performance Analysis and Collaborative Technologies II contract awarded to Peraton subsidiary Perspecta Enterprise Solutions. 

With the IT support services, TSA can achieve its IT strategic mission goal to protect U.S. transportation systems, Peraton said.

According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors, including transportation, rely on internet of things and operational technology devices and systems, making them common targets of cyberattacks.

Data from Check Point Software Technologies showed that weekly ransomware attacks on the transportation industry between June 2020 and June 2021 increased by 186 percent. The attacks included a New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority system breach.

The cyberattack did not affect mass transit operations because the hackers failed to access systems that control MTA-operated vehicles; however, there are concerns that similar events could harm passengers and result in hackers obtaining sensitive data such as employee or customer information.

In response to the cyber threat, the TSA announced in December 2021 that surface transportation owners and operators should comply with new cybersecurity requirements, including reporting cyber incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within 24 hours and developing and implementing a cybersecurity incident response plan to reduce the risk of operational disruption.