San Antonio, TX– Namauu Technological & Industrial (NTI) was awarded a contract by VIA Metropolitan Transit to assist the transportation giant with developing tactics, techniques, and procedures to improve their cyber defensive posture and better prepare for modern advancing threats. The US takes the cyber threat facing its transportation infrastructure seriously as demonstrated by the White House designating it as one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors in 2013, however the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in 2021 and the fact only 60% of state and local transit agencies have a cyber plan in place have lawmakers worried. According to the Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan published by Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Transportation, this vulnerability is due to the “…growing reliance on cyber-based control, navigation, tracking, positioning and communications systems, as well as the ease with which malicious actors can exploit cyber systems serving transportation.”

VIA is the mass transit agency serving San Antonio, Texas, United States, and its surrounding municipalities. It began operation in 1978 as a successor to the San Antonio Transit System. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 20,168,900, or about 62,600 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2022. In addition to the city of San Antonio, VIA serves many other Bexar County municipalities, including Alamo Heights, Balcones Heights, Castle Hills, Converse, Kirby, Leon Valley, Olmos Park, Shavano Park, and Terrell Hills. While VIA does not directly serve some Bexar County municipalities such as Hill Country Village, Hollywood Park, Live Oak, Selma, Schertz, Universal City and Windcrest, many of them are within driving proximity of outlying park and ride facilities.

NTI’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kekai Namauu stated “this award felt a little different from some of our other non-Department of Defense work.” He concluded: “San Antonio residents rely on VIA daily to get to work, run errands, or even visit loved ones. I take the opportunity to serve those who are serving our community very seriously.”