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“TDB-DST supports Indigenous Cybersecurity Solution for Secure Data Transfer Across Air-Gapped Networks”

March 23, 2026 4 min read Science & Technology Internal Security GS3 (Science & Technology Cybersecurity Internal Security)
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What Happened

  • The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has extended financial support to Matisoft Cyber Security Labs Pvt. Ltd. (New Delhi) for developing an advanced indigenous cybersecurity solution.
  • The project — "Development of an Advanced Open-Source Framework Sanitization Tool Facilitating Secure Data Transfer Across Air-Gapped Networks" — targets secure, controlled data exchange in highly sensitive environments such as defence and critical infrastructure.
  • The solution is a USB sanitization and data transfer control software designed to meet the stringent security requirements of organisations like the Indian Navy, operating without internet connectivity.
  • The technology integrates three core security capabilities — Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR), and Content Disarm & Reconstruction (CDR) — into a single indigenous platform.
  • TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak stated that the initiative reduces India's dependence on foreign cybersecurity systems for strategic applications.

Static Topic Bridges

Air-Gapped Networks and Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure

An air-gapped network is a computer system or network that is physically isolated from unsecured networks, including the public internet. This isolation is a fundamental security measure used in high-security environments such as military command systems, nuclear power plants, financial clearing systems, and classified government databases. Despite physical isolation, air-gapped systems remain vulnerable to threats carried via removable media (USB drives), supply chain compromises, and electromagnetic side-channel attacks (such as TEMPEST).

  • Common attack vectors on air-gapped systems: malicious USB drives (Stuxnet worm used this method to target Iranian nuclear centrifuges in 2010), rogue insiders, infected firmware
  • USB sanitization: involves scanning USB devices for malware before allowing data transfer into isolated networks — the core function of the Matisoft solution
  • Content Disarm & Reconstruction (CDR): strips potentially malicious content from files while preserving their usable structure — goes beyond antivirus scanning
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP): prevents unauthorized exfiltration of sensitive data
  • Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): real-time monitoring and response to threats at device level
  • India's National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) under NTRO identifies sectors with critical infrastructure requiring such protection

Connection to this news: The Matisoft solution specifically addresses the USB-based attack vector on air-gapped networks — a real and documented threat to defence systems — by combining sanitization, DLP, EDR, and CDR into one platform, reducing the attack surface for organisations like the Indian Navy.

Technology Development Board (TDB) and India's Science-Industry Interface

The Technology Development Board (TDB) is a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), established under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995. Its mandate is to provide financial assistance to Indian industry and other agencies to develop and commercialise indigenous technology or adapt imported technology for wider domestic applications. TDB bridges the gap between R&D and commercial deployment — a role critical to India's Atmanirbhar Bharat goals in technology.

  • Established: 1996 under Technology Development Board Act, 1995
  • Parent body: Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology
  • Functions: grants, loans, and equity support to Indian firms for technology commercialisation
  • Focus areas: defence technology, clean energy, medical devices, agriculture, cybersecurity
  • Unlike DSIR (which certifies in-house R&D units), TDB actively funds external commercialisation projects
  • National Cyber Security Policy 2013 and proposed National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 both emphasise indigenisation of security tools

Connection to this news: TDB's support to Matisoft illustrates the government's dual strategy of indigenising defence-grade cybersecurity tools (reducing import dependence) while fostering a domestic cybersecurity industry — aligned with both the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Digital India missions.

India's Cybersecurity Framework and Defence Cyber Capabilities

India's cybersecurity ecosystem involves multiple agencies: the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under MeitY handles civilian cyber incidents; NCIIPC under NTRO protects critical information infrastructure; and the Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA) under the Ministry of Defence handles military cyber operations. The government has been progressively indigenising cybersecurity tools to reduce reliance on foreign products that may carry supply-chain risks.

  • CERT-In: India's national nodal agency for cybersecurity incident response (under IT Act 2000)
  • NCIIPC: Protects critical sectors — power, telecom, transport, banking, defence, space
  • Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA): Established 2019, a tri-service command under the Integrated Defence Staff
  • National Informatics Centre (NIC): Provides ICT backbone for government — also relies on air-gapped systems for sensitive data
  • India's Personal Data Protection Act framework (DPDP Act 2023) creates additional compliance requirements for data handling
  • Zero-day threats: Previously unknown vulnerabilities that bypass conventional antivirus — CDR technology is specifically effective against these

Connection to this news: The Matisoft project directly supports the DCyA and NCIIPC's goals by providing an indigenously developed, auditable, open-source-framework-based tool — making it less susceptible to foreign supply-chain compromises that could affect proprietary foreign cybersecurity software used in Indian defence networks.

Key Facts & Data

  • Funding body: Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST)
  • Recipient: Matisoft Cyber Security Labs Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
  • Project: USB sanitization + secure data transfer tool for air-gapped networks
  • Primary user target: Indian Navy and similar defence/critical infrastructure organisations
  • Core technologies integrated: DLP (Data Loss Prevention), EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response), CDR (Content Disarm & Reconstruction)
  • System modules: 7 core modules including centralized policy control, real-time threat monitoring, file sanitization, secure licensing, automated updates
  • Key feature: Operates without internet connectivity — purpose-built for air-gapped environments
  • Maintains detailed audit logs and enforces USB usage policies
  • Entire technology stack: indigenously developed by Matisoft R&D team
  • TDB established: 1996, under Technology Development Board Act, 1995
  • NCIIPC: India's nodal agency for critical information infrastructure protection (under NTRO)