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BGU Cyber Security Experts at Davos (with video)

BGU Cyber Security Experts at Davos (with video)

February 22, 2018

Homeland & Cyber Security

Three top cyber security researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) addressed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) – the good, bad and the future – at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland in January. They were one of only two Israeli delegations presenting at the high-profile event, and the only experts asked to speak on this subject.

They discussed the opportunities and challenges artificial intelligence (AI) present to both hackers and defenders, who are harnessing the power of AI through machine learning and deep learning to extend their capabilities and further their goals. In three sessions, each of the speakers discussed how AI-enabled attacks are no match for current defenses.

How attackers use AI: 

Prof. Yuval Elovici addressed how attackers use AI to make their attacks undetectable. He is director of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs@BGU, the telecommunications company’s only research and development lab outside of Germany. Prof. Elovici is also director of BGU’s Cyber Security Research Center and a member of the BGU Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering. 

How defenders use AI:

Prof. Bracha Shapira, the Carole Weinstein Chair in Information Systems Engineering, discussed how defenders use AI to catch abnormalities and deviations. She is the vice dean for research at BGU’s Faculty of Engineering Sciences, and  a member of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs@BGU and the Cyber Security Research Center.

The AI arms race:

Prof. Lior Rokach focused on adversarial AI, and how attackers have started an AI arms race as they seek to circumvent systems. He also provided recommendations on how defenders can prevent such circumvention. Prof. Rokach is chair of the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering as well as a member of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs@BGU and the Cyber Security Research Center.

Cyber@BGU (CBG) serves as a shared research platform for some of the world’s most innovative and technologically challenging projects in partnership with global companies and governmental organizations. Situated in the Ben-Gurion Advanced Technologies Park in Beer-Sheva, Israel’s cyber capital, CBG encompasses the Cyber Security Research Center, a joint initiative with the Israel National Cyber Bureau, and the Telekom Innovation Laboratories, in partnership with Deutsche Telekom.

Research conducted under the Cyber@BGU umbrella includes AI-based cyber defense; IoT security; cyber for intelligent transportation and aviation; malware; fraud detection; and big data analysis for cyber security.