DARPA Seeks Automated System to Expedite Military Software Certification

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for new tools to automate the process of evaluating software platforms for military use.

DARPA said Friday it aims to help certifiers fast-track software verification and assurance activities through “Big Code” analytics and a model-based framework as part of the Automated Rapid Certification Of Software program.

The goal of the three-phase ARCOS effort is to transition an individual software module to a military software platform.

“Software requires a certain level of certification – or approval that it will work as intended with minimal risks – before receiving approval for use within military systems and platforms,” said Ray Richards, a program manager at DARPA’s Information Innovation Office.

Activities under the ARCOS effort include developing automated evidence generation techniques for new and existing software, curating evidence while retaining provenance, constructing assurance cases and establishing technologies for validating an assurance case argument.

DARPA will discuss the project with interested parties at a Proposer’s Day scheduled for May 14.