US Department of Energy Funds Factom Blockchain Testing to Protect Energy Systems

Factom Blockchain Startup Takes Part in US Government Funded Testing of National Electricity Protection Technology

TFA Labs, a company specializing in developing secure IoT solutions, is experimenting with the Factom protocol to verify that devices on the electrical network are not infected with malware. Supported by a $ 200,000 grant from the US Department of Energy, the project aims to increase the safety of millions of such devices.

In some cases, TFA Labs is considering storing raw data, such as the status and status of devices on the Factom blockchain. In other cases, the company wants to assign digital identification to the firmware installed on the devices. In the case of file manipulations, they will create a cryptographic hash that does not match the digital identifier, indicating that a problem has occurred.

“We can store raw data or data hashes,” said TFA Labs CEO Dennis Bunfield. “They’re perfect for using IoT devices.”

The first phase will last until March next year, by which time TFA plans to create a working prototype. If the experiment proceeds to the second stage, TFA laboratories will cooperate with device manufacturers and may receive about $ 1 million from the Ministry of Energy for the further development of the project.

Last year, the US Department of Homeland Security allocated
More than $ 192,000 Factom blockchain startup for testing the beta version of the platform for protecting data received from surveillance cameras and sensors of the US Border Guard.

Recall also that last month, the US Department of Energy allocated
$ 1.05 million grant to organizations working on the commercialization of the blockchain platform for energy distribution management.