CodeLock^® is one of the many gifts of Loudoun this holiday season. This is one story in a series of 31 that highlight #LoudounPossible opportunities in the county. Check back every day in December to learn more!

Loudoun’s CodeLock Could Revolutionize Cybersecurity

Innovation is an exercise in problem solving. Few cybersecurity problems have been as widespread and devastating as the SolarWinds attack, which began in October 2019, but wasn’t discovered until December 2020.

When all was said and done, more than 18,000 organizations were impacted, including 425 of the U.S. Fortune 500, major infrastructure and financial firms, all branches of the U.S. Military, most federal government agencies, plus hundreds of universities and colleges.

“CodeLock was invented in the immediate wake of what was, and will hopefully remain, the most damaging software supply chain attack in history,” Codelock CEO Brian Gallagher explained, from his Ashburn headquarters. “Through the insertion of unauthorized code, this attack wreaked havoc on cyber infrastructure, and cost companies and our country in excess of $100 billion.”

That’s a big problem to solve. And yet the solution is surprisingly straightforward.

“At the time, we asked ourselves the question: ‘Why is it that at a crime scene, you can create a chain of custody for evidence, but you can’t do that with software?’” Gallagher explained. “This became the foundation for our patent-pending solution, which creates a forensic chain of custody between the software developers and every line of code they create.”

To understand how the SolarWinds attack unraveled, it’s important to understand how enterprise software is built. In layman’s terms, it can require many cooks in the kitchen and ongoing handshakes between large teams of developers and the IT team tasked with securing access.

While a complete understanding of the SolarWinds attack may never be known, it is estimated that upwards of 1,000 developers created the malicious code that was inserted in the SolarWinds Orion code in just 100 milliseconds, leaving it undetected.

Had Codelock been used by SolarWinds at the time of the attack, its incorruptible blockchain and real-time monitoring would have identified the code insertion in the blink of an eye, as well as where the unauthorized incursion occurred.

Gallagher was working on a project for the Department of Homeland Security at the time of the attack and presented CodeLock as a solution to the department’s senior leadership within weeks.

“We received an unprecedented endorsement from DHS, saying: ‘CodeLock appears to have the capability to stop the most sophisticated criminal malware. With respect to cyberattacks from hostile nation-states, CodeLock would also be effective.’” Gallagher said with pride. “With this endorsement, we began building CodeLock into a commercial SaaS solution.”

Locating Codelock in Loudoun

Gallagher’s father served in the U.S Air Force and opened a business in Boston after retiring to civilian life. He put the family’s home up as collateral for his bank loan, and ended up losing everything.

“My origin story plays a major impact on who I am today,” Gallagher admits. “I was 5 years old at the time, and my family had no choice other than to pack our station wagon, grab as much as we could, and drive to Maryland where my mother had an aunt and uncle with room to take us in.”

It would be understandable if his parents played it safe after that, but Gallagher credits them with fighting for their careers, and fighting to keep the family together.

“This shaped me as a young child and drove a passion within me,” he said. “I always pushed to succeed at whatever I tried, and never wanted to find myself back in the same place my family was in as a young child.”

Gallagher inherited his father’s drive for greater good and public service, serving as an emergency medical technician in Maryland while he pursued training to become a paramedic. When the 9/11 attacks occurred, some of his team responded to the Pentagon while he headed north to assist at Ground Zero.

“My life was forever changed,” he said in reflection. “Shortly after, I joined the U.S. Secret Service and became a member of their Technical Security Division specializing in developing and deploying technology countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive hazards.”

His new life trajectory also brought him to Loudoun County, closer to where his wife grew up. When he left federal service in 2013, he took an executive role with a company based out of California, using Dulles International Airport to take meetings on the West Coast, Middle East and Asia.

“Whenever I got a free minute, I loved visiting the wineries in Western Loudoun or hanging at the pool with my friends and family,” he was sure to add. “Then in 2019, I felt that it was time for another transition.”

Realizing that every organization was becoming a “data company” without understanding how to protect that information, he launched what Codelock, Inc. would become.

“I have often described Loudoun Country to colleagues across the world as the East Coast’s  Silicon Valley,” he said. “We have some of the largest names in technology, from Amazon to Facebook, Google and Microsoft.

“Not to mention that the majority of the world’s internet traffic passes through Loudoun’s Data Center Alley! All of this is less than an hour from the nation’s capital.”

Now, Codelock is perfectly positioned to serve federal, private sector and nonprofit clients. Any organization with data has vulnerabilities that Gallagher and his team can help protect.

“Sometimes success is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Everything I have ever done in my life is a building block to shape who I am today, and what I am capable of doing tomorrow,” he said. “It was the result of years of planning, preparation, and growth that allowed me to see an opportunity and shape it at the right time and in the right place.

“Locating in Loudoun County and having the support of other technology companies is important to the growth of CodeLock.”

The Loudoun Innovation Challenge Experience

When Gallagher first heard about the Loudoun Innovation Challenge in 2021, he didn’t think Codelock was quite ready to compete.

“I knew that CodeLock would have the ability to change how software development was done around the world. I wanted the foundation of that to be in Loudoun County, with a passion and roots in national security.”

By early 2022, Codelock was already on better footing to compete.

“The application and competition process were extremely detailed, but I felt that the opportunity to represent Loudoun Country and stand out among my peers would be worth the effort,” he said. “I am so glad that I put the effort into applying. As a finalist, several doors have opened for me that never would have been possible before.”

In the next five to 10 years, Gallagher sees Codelock growing to the point of a successful exit.

“My dream is to own a winery in Western Loudoun, maybe with a speakeasy,” he said with a smile, “and continue my efforts in advancing technology and our nation’s national security. Being able to take a few family vacations every year and not have to worry about work back home would be simply amazing!”

For up-and-coming entrepreneurs, Gallagher’s advice is to be measured and find fun along the way.

“I always thought I would have more time to travel with my wife and family when I got older. Now that I am older, life only gets busier,” he said. “Enjoy some of the simple things in life.”

To learn more about how Codelock can protect your organization, check out their website today.

Thinking of starting or relocating your business in Loudoun County? We are a full-service economic development organization, dedicated to your #LoudounPossible business success. Working with us is like adding a team of no-cost specialists to your team, with expertise in the following areas:

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Contact Dave Diaz today to launch your #LoudounPossible journey.