South Jersey Transportation Authority (Hammonton, NJ) and Pentera Security (Petach Tikva, Israel) Receive BIRD Cyber Award to Develop and Implement an Airport Cyber Protection[...]

TRENTON, NJ - South Jersey Transportation Authority (Hammonton, NJ) and Pentera Security (Petah Tikva, Israel) will work together to develop and implement an airport cyber protection solution across the entire attack surface, after their proposal was awarded $550k from the BIRD Foundation, a U.S.-Israel bilateral program that promotes the joint development and commercialization of innovative technologies by funding projects between U.S. and Israeli entities.

"We could not be more excited about the partnership between SJTA and Pentera," said Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the NJ Israel Commission in her capacity as Secretary of State. "I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the NJ Israel Commission and the BIRD Foundation for supporting this project, which will highlight the camaraderie, ingenuity, and commitment to progress shared between New Jersey and Israel."

"Connecting Israel's Pentera with South Jersey Transportation Authority is exactly the kind of collaboration that we love to see," said Karin Elkis, NJ Israel Commission Co-Chair. "We are drawing on Startup Nation's expertise in cybersecurity, while simultaneously engaging with an important local infrastructure partner to impact the national landscape through innovation."

"SJTA and Pentera coming together to move air travel security forward is just the beginning," said Mark Levenson, Co-Chair of the NJ Israel Commission. "With the help of our partners at the BIRD Foundation and our supporters in the State and throughout the community, this project provides a blueprint for additional opportunities."

"The SJTA is thrilled to announce this recent partnership with Pentera," said Stephen F. Dougherty, SJTA Executive Director, "and can't thank the BIRD Foundation's assistance enough in helping us secure this grant for the Atlantic City International Airport. Together, we are taking significant steps toward safeguarding our critical infrastructure against emerging threats. This collaboration not only strengthens our cybersecurity posture, but also highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing the safety of global air travel."

"The BIRD Cyber program, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Israel's National Cyber Directorate, advances the U.S.-Israel partnership to build more secure and resilient infrastructure," said Mr. Jaron Lotan, Executive Director of the BIRD Foundation. "We see this project as one which we hope will advance cybersecurity, public safety, and air travel at the Atlantic City International Airport, followed by other small and medium size U.S. airports."

The project between SJTA and Pentera will develop and pilot a cyber protection solution specifically focused on the needs of small and medium sized airports, such as Atlantic City International Airport. The technology developed in this project will provide continuous cyber-posture visibility & situational awareness and will include a fusion of various sources such as external attack surface management, vulnerability assessment (IT & OT) & management, breach & attack simulation (BAS), passive network sensors, endpoint sensors, loT analytics tools, and threat intelligence. The BIRD Foundation will award $550,000 to the project, which is 50% of the total budget.

About the New Jersey Israel Commission: The New Jersey-Israel Commission, which operates within the New Jersey Department of State, was established in 1989 to promote the development of trade, culture and educational exchanges; encourage the development of capital investment and joint business ventures; and foster a spirit of cooperation between the citizens of the State of Israel and the State of New Jersey. New Jersey-Israel trade in goods accounted for approximately $1.84 billion annually, and thousands of jobs for New Jersey residents.

About the BIRD Foundation: The BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation encourages and facilitates cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and offers funding for selected projects. The BIRD Foundation supports projects without receiving any equity or intellectual property rights in participating companies or their projects. BIRD funding is repaid as royalties from sales of products that were commercialized as a result of BIRD support. The Foundation provides funding of up to 50% of a project's budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not require repayment if the project fails to reach the sales stage.