BGU's top cybersecurity researchers addressed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) - the good, bad and the future at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, January 23. They were one of only two Israeli delegations presenting at the high-profile Davos event.
The BGU researchers' session entitled Cyber-Forensics with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was part of the IdeasLab forum. The IdeasLab connects big ideas with big thinkers in an engaging session format where discussion leaders pitch cutting-edge scientific innovations.
The BGU cyber research experts discussed how both hackers and defenders are harnessing the power of AI and how AI-enabled attacks are no match for current defenses.
“Ben-Gurion University is honored that our world-renowned cybersecurity research expertise was prominently featured at this major world event," says BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi. “This is a significant milestone for the University and further acknowledgment that BGU is the place to go for cutting-edge cybersecurity innovation."
BGU speakers included:
Prof. Yuval Elovici - Prof. Elovici explained how attackers utilize AI to render 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. Elovici is also director of the Cyber Security Research Center and a member of the BGU Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering.
Prof. Bracha Shapira - Prof. Shapira addressed how defenders use AI to catch abnormalities and deviations. She is the vice dean for Research, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, BGU. Prof. Shapira is a former chair of the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering, and a member of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs@BGU and the Cyber Security Research Center. Prof. Shapira is the incumbent of The Carole Weinstein Chair in Information Systems Engineering.
Prof. Lior Rokach - Prof. Rokach discussed 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 multi-national 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.
Core research included under the Cyber@BGU umbrella includes IoT security; cyber for intelligent transportation; cyber for aviation; malware; AI-based cyber defense; fraud detection; and Big Data analysis for cybersecurity.
Above left to right: Prof. Lior Rokach; Prof. Yuval Elovici; Prof. Bracha Shapira; Oleg Brodt, R&D Director of Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs@BGU and the Cyber Security Research Center
