On the same day it invaded Ukraine in 2022, Russia disabled thousands of satellite modems across Ukraine and other European countries, aiming to disrupt communications. A new AI-assisted tool, Argo, developed by Atalanta, aims to help close that kind of vulnerability amid concerns about continued Russian aggression and newer Iranian threats to cyber infrastructure.
Argo: A New Capability for Defending Critical Systems
Argo includes technology now being used to prove the resilience of Viasat’s satellite communications network, which was targeted in the 2022 hacking attack, against emerging adversary attacks. Industry experts say it presents a new capability for those trying to defend critical systems in the emerging cyberwarfare theater.
Software Understanding: A Comprehensive Approach to Vulnerability Analysis
Atalanta’s leaders say the new technology relies on what it calls “software understanding,” combining complex mathematics along with artificial intelligence technology to create the first commercially available system that can analyze software and internet-connected systems for vulnerabilities in a more comprehensive manner.
The conflicts in both Ukraine and Iran have highlighted the danger that hackers can pose to everyday life. This summer, several government agencies have warned that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems, among other critical infrastructure.
“The tools and techniques of yesterday do not scale for today and ‘software understanding’ is going to be the path forward for anyone building a system of consequence for the United States,”
said Atalanta CEO and co-founder Anjana Rajan.
Real-World Applications: Viasat and the Genesis Mission
Viasat’s chief of cyber strategy, Nick Saunders, said the new technology not only ensures that the Viasat network is hardened against future attacks but produces the math that backs up that claim. Atalanta’s technology has also been tapped to work on the Genesis Mission — the Department of Energy’s effort to create autonomous nuclear reactors.
Greg Shannon, the chief cybersecurity scientist at the government’s Idaho National Laboratory, said the kind of technology that Atalanta is making available will likely eventually become the standard for testing any new capability.
- The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has been investing billions in this technology for a couple of decades.
- DARPA is the military’s cutting-edge research office, which also helped pioneer technologies such as the internet and stealth aircraft.
Last year, Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, told a DARPA software conference in a prerecorded address that he saw the mathematics underpinning Atalanta’s technology as the future of the military and he wanted it to “become the DoD’s gold standard” for cybersecurity.
Related Threats and Incidents
Related incidents include hackers using AI to target Siemens PLCs in critical US sectors and novel private APN pivot letting hackers sabotage a second Polish energy facility.
The US has also banned foreign-made humanoid robots, targeting China over national security concerns, and the EU has announced plans to crack down on AI deepfakes, illicit imagery, and hacking with a new team in Brussels.
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Source: SecurityWeek