In the television series "Person of Interest", at the center of the plot is the "Machine": a supercomputer connected to the entire network of security cameras, mobile phones, etc., which can collect and analyze data on human activity, predicting terrorist and criminal acts.
In a similar context, a competition is underway by the American intelligence services, with the aim of developing software that will be able to analyze publicly available data and the network activity of a specific organization to identify patterns that indicate an imminent cyberattack/hack.
The current plans include a four-year "race" to develop a completely new way to detect cyberattack incidents, hours and weeks earlier than current systems, according to IARPA (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity).
Theprogram's systems will calculate when an attacker could try to compromise a system or install malicious code, while also predicting when an attacker could potentially "flood" a network with false traffic that "freezes" the operation (Denial of Service).
Such systems have been used to predict the spread of Ebola, as well as other diseases or political unrest. However, it is believed that they can also be used to predict cyberattacks.
The event in January attracted about 150 participants. As the article states, it will not be “high-precision” science, as false alarms are certain to occur – and human assistance will always be required. The goal is not to replace human analysts, but to reduce the size of the “barn” in which the “flea” is being sought.
Source: secnews.gr
