RTX Releases Open-Source Toolkit for Covert Communication Networks

• •Maude-HCS is an open-source toolkit for covert communication networks released by RTX.
• •The toolkit allows rapid modeling and validation of hidden communication systems.
• •It aims to enhance both national security and internet freedom by enabling secure communications.

RTX's BBN Technologies has released Maude-HCS, an open-source toolkit for modeling and validating covert communication networks. Funded by DARPA under the PWND2 program, this toolkit is designed to help cyber defense teams create hidden communication systems that conceal both the content and existence of messages. Maude-HCS allows users to specify protocol behavior and adversary observables, generating results that can be used to audit claims of undetectability. The toolkit can predict latency and data rates with a low error margin compared to physical experiments, significantly reducing the time required for testing from weeks to hours. This release aims to support both national security and internet freedom, enabling secure communications in high-risk environments. The open-source nature of Maude-HCS allows universities and researchers to experiment with hidden communication designs outside classified settings. The toolkit is available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license.