Back to news

April 30, 2018 | International, C4ISR

DARPA wants to arm ethical hackers with AI

By:

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to leverage human-artificial intelligence teaming to accelerate the military's cyber vulnerability detection, according to agency documents.

The task of securing the Pentagon's diverse networks, which support nearly every function of the military's operations, presents a nightmare for defense officials. The current time-intensive and costly process involves extensively trained hackers using specialized software suites to scour the networks in search of vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited, but the scarcity of expert hackers makes detecting cyberthreats a challenge for the Defense Department.

DARPA's Computers and Humans Exploring Software Security (CHESS) program seeks to bolster existing cyber defenders with a new tool that would render much of the current toolkit ancient history: artificial intelligence.

The program aims to incorporate automation into the software analysis and vulnerability discovery process by enabling humans and computers to reason collaboratively. If successful, the program could enhance existing hacking techniques and greatly expand the number of personnel capable of ethically hacking DoD systems.

To achieve its goal, DARPA will solicit proposals from industry across five technical areas, including developing tools that mimic the processes used by expert hackers and ultimately transitioning a final solution to the government.

“Through CHESS, we're looking to gather, understand and convert the expertise of human hackers into automated analysis techniques that are more accessible to a broader range of technologists,” the DARPA program description reads. “By allowing more individuals to contribute to the process, we're creating a way to scale vulnerability detection well beyond its current limits.”

While DARPA sees artificial intelligence as an important tool for enhancing cybersecurity efforts, officials emphasize the essential role humans play in the collaborative process.

“Humans have world knowledge, as well as semantic and contextual understanding that is beyond the reach of automated program analysis alone,” said Dustin Fraze, the I2O program manager leading CHESS. “These information gaps inhibit machine understanding for many classes of software vulnerabilities. Properly communicated human insights can fill these information gaps and enable expert hacker-level vulnerability analysis at machine speeds.”

The CHESS program will span three phases lasting a total of 42 months. Each phase will focus on increasing the complexity of an application the CHESS system is able to analyze effectively.

https://www.c4isrnet.com/it-networks/2018/04/27/darpa-wants-to-arm-ethical-hackers-with-ai/

On the same subject

  • Boeing, CAE Agree to Enhance P-8 Training Solutions for Canada, Germany, and Norway

    April 4, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    Boeing, CAE Agree to Enhance P-8 Training Solutions for Canada, Germany, and Norway

    OTTAWA, April 4, 2023 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and CAE [NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE] signed teaming agreements to expand multi-mission platform collaboration in Canada, Germany and Norway. These agreements utilize the complementary capabilities of each company to provide superior management, technical and cost-effective training solutions for the P-8A Poseidon program. “These agreements aim to advance mission readiness for defense customers operating Boeing P-8 aircraft,” said Torbjorn Sjogren, Boeing vice president and general manager, Government Services. “Working together, Boeing and CAE can deliver outcome-based pilot and aircrew training, maintenance ground school, in-service support, and instructor training at the point of need.” As a member of Team Poseidon in Boeing’s Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) offering, CAE is part of a Canadian P-8 industrial footprint that builds on 81 Canadian partners on the platform. “Mission success depends on advanced preparation and rapid response,” said Daniel Gelston, CAE Defense & Security president. “As a premier provider in flight training and simulation, we leverage collaboration to create an agile network of proven training, simulation and in-service support solutions to deliver critical readiness for defense forces worldwide.” This collaboration amplifies a long-standing relationship spanning commercial and defence portfolios across the globe. For more than a decade CAE has delivered operational flight trainers on the Boeing P-8A platform supporting the U.S. Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force and United Kingdom Royal Air Force.

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 14, 2020

    July 15, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 14, 2020

    NAVY Bay City Marine Inc.,* National City, California (N32253-17-D-0003); Caliedo & Sons Services Inc.,* Ewa Beach, Hawaii (N32253-17-D0004); Delphinus Engineering Inc.,* Eddystone, Pennsylvania (N32253-17-D-0005); Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc.,* Portsmouth, Virginia (N32253-17-D-0006); Propulsion Controls Engineering,* Aiea, Hawaii (N32253-17-D-0007); Pacific Shipyards International LLC,* Honolulu, Hawaii (N32253-17-D-0008); QED Systems Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (N32253-17-D-0009); Confluence Corp., doing business as Regal Service Co.,* Honolulu, Hawaii (N32553-18-D-0003); Marisco LTD,* Kapolei, Hawaii (N32253-18-D-0004); and Integrated Marine Services Inc.,* Chula Vista, California (N32553-18-D-0005), are awarded a $49,000,000 modification, increasing the ceiling for a total of $98,000,000 on the surface multi-award (SURFMAC), indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. The SURFMAC is a firm-fixed-price IDIQ for the procurement-involving repair, maintenance and alteration of U.S. government waterborne vessels and surface ships visiting or homeported in the Hawaiian Islands. Work will be performed on Oahu, Hawaii. Types of trades required are ship fitting, sheet metal, welding, pipefitting, painting, machining/mechanical, electrical, electronics, woodworking, lagging and rigging. Sample work includes, but is not limited to, ventilation, air conditioning, tank work, structural repairs, fumigation, electrical system repair, pump repair, fan repair, decking, fire system repairs and updates. Work is expected to be completed by September 2022. The 10 contractors may compete for delivery orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. Funds will be obligated at the order level. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems, Braintree, Massachusetts, is awarded a $42,192,128 not-to-exceed, undefinitized modification to previously awarded contract N63394-19-C-0007 to exercise options for production of Next Generation Surface Search Radar (NGSSR) systems. The NGSSR will replace all variants of the current AN/SPS-67, AN/SPS-73, BridgeMaster E series and commercial-off-the-shelf radar systems. Work will be performed in Wake Forest, North Carolina (85%); Chantilly, Virginia (14%); and Braintree, Massachusetts (1%). This contract modification will acquire the first NGSSR production lot following a contract award for design and production of three qualification systems. The primary objective of NGSSR is to replace legacy systems due to current military threats and obsolescence issues. Work is expected to be completed by April 2023. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy); and 2017 and 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $21,096,064 will be obligated at time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The NGSSR was not competitively procured in accordance with 15 U.S. Code 638(r)(4) under the Small Business Innovation Research Phase III program/2018 National Defense Authorization Act. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity. PAE Aviation and Technical Services LLC, Greenville, South Carolina, is awarded a $25,918,520 modification (P00026) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00421-15-D-0007. This modification exercises an option to extend services for organizational, selected intermediate and limited depot maintenance and logistics support for Northrop F-5F and F-5N aircraft in support of the Specialized and Proven Aircraft Program. Work will be performed in Key West, Florida (40%); Fallon, Nevada (30%); and Yuma, Arizona (30%), and is expected to be completed by January 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ARMY Swan Contracting LLC,* Petersborough, New Hampshire, was awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rapid-response temporary roofing projects in the event of an emergency. Bids were solicited via the internet with 16 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2027. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0034). Blue Tarpon Construction LLC,* Gulf Breeze, Florida, was awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rapid-response temporary roofing projects in the event of an emergency. Bids were solicited via the internet with 16 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2027. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0035). Venegas Construction Corp.,* Ponce, Puerto Rico, was awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rapid-response temporary roofing projects in the event of an emergency. Bids were solicited via the internet with 16 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2027. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0036). Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $34,951,039 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee) contract for system operations and sustainment services and test and training services in support of the Saturn Arch Aerial Intelligence Systems Quick Reaction Capability Program. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; and Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 16, 2024. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army Reserve) funds in the amount of $34,951,039 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-C-0024). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY US Foods Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $22,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 127-day bridge contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Virginia and North Carolina, with a Nov. 17, 2020, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3281). (Awarded July 10, 2020) New Maryland Clothing,* Baltimore, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $12,268,935 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for men's and women's uniform dress coats. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(3), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-3. This is a two-year base contract with one one-year option period. Location of performance is Maryland, with a July 13, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1298). American Water Operations and Maintenance LLC, Camden, New Jersey, has been awarded a $7,636,368 modification (P00038) to 50-year contract SP0600-15-C-8302 with no option periods to increase the operations, maintenance, renewal and replacement charges for the water and wastewater utility systems at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Locations of performance are New Jersey and California, with a May 31, 2066, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2066 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. AIR FORCE Thomas Instrument Inc., Brookshire, Texas, has been awarded a $7,100,000 requirements-type contract for the depot-level overhaul of the C-5 visor door actuator. Work will be performed in Brookshire, Texas, and is expected to be completed by July 13, 2025. This award is the result of a non-competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8538-20-D-0004). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2273894/source/GovDelivery/

  • In platform design and construction, the best surprise is no surprise

    May 16, 2024 | International, Naval

    In platform design and construction, the best surprise is no surprise

    Opinion: The case of the ubiquitous Boeing 737 airliner can provide a useful guide to ensure ships are scalable, affordable and relevant.

All news