Ransomware can mean life or death at hospitals, but DEF CON hackers have a plan

Ransomware can mean life or death at hospitals, but DEF CON hackers have a plan

March 26, 2024 at 09:23AM

DARPA’s AI Cyber Challenge, targeting critical infrastructure, now includes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as a partner. The aim is to develop AI-based technology to find and fix vulnerabilities in healthcare systems, preventing destructive cyberattacks. This partnership offers an additional $20 million in rewards for competing teams.

The key takeaways from the meeting notes are as follows:

– DARPA has added the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as a partner to its Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) to address cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure in healthcare organizations.
– The collaboration aims to develop AI-based technologies to find and fix vulnerabilities in medical devices, biotech, and hospital IT systems to prevent destructive cyber attacks against life-saving equipment and facilities.
– The recent ransomware attack on Change Healthcare highlighted the potential impact on patient care and safety, prompting the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in healthcare.
– The AIxCC competition consists of two tracks: the Open Track and the DARPA-funded Small Business Track. The partnership with ARPA-H will ensure the competition addresses critical flaws in healthcare, with an additional $20 million in rewards committed by the research agency.
– The competition includes challenges based on real-world software used in critical infrastructure systems, such as the Linux kernel challenge, which focuses on securing healthcare systems by addressing vulnerabilities in devices running Linux operating systems.
– The ultimate goal is to improve the resilience and security of healthcare systems through the development of AI-enabled technology and addressing specific vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.

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