DARPA has selected RTX’s BBN Technologies to support its Intelligent Generation of Tools for Security (INGOTS) program, which aims to improve cybersecurity by identifying and neutralizing cybersecurity threats.
Under the initiative, BBN will develop a system called STALAGMITE, a large-scale test platform designed specifically to evaluate and improve exploit detection tools.
The system will combine virtual and physical environments to simulate realistic Android vulnerabilities, allowing researchers to test how attacks unfold and how defenses hold up safely.
This approach aims to replace traditional manual testing methods, which are slow, expensive, and difficult to scale.
STALAGMITE will support automated, repeatable experiments to accelerate research on software vulnerabilities and the development of security patches.
By integrating multiple components into a single testing environment, the platform will also enable cybersecurity teams to detect and mitigate threats before they can cause damage.
INGOTS Program
The initiative is part of a broader US push to strengthen cybersecurity as threats to critical infrastructure continue to grow.
Washington’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has documented over 1,300 known exploited vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for faster, more scalable assessment methods.
In response, DARPA’s INGOTS program aims to automate the creation, modeling, and analysis of exploit chains, sequences of vulnerabilities that attackers use to bypass system defenses.
The aim is to integrate these tools into regular security testing to identify risks that isolated analysis may miss.
Spanning 36 months in three phases, INGOTS will deliver both theoretical research and practical tools.
Its outcomes are expected to support cybersecurity efforts across personal, government, and military networks.
