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The military relies heavily on complex cyber-physical systems for a range of applications, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), weapon systems, communication networks, control systems, and surveillance systems. These systems incorporate both hardware and software components and are uniquely designed and composed, making them potentially more susceptible to cyber-attacks.
UAVs or drones are equipped with sensors and other technologies that enable them to gather intelligence, conduct surveillance, and even engage in combat operations. Weapon systems rely on cyber-physical systems to operate, including guidance systems and precision munitions. Communication networks, control systems, and surveillance systems use complex cyber-physical systems to detect and track potential threats, control military equipment, and enable secure and efficient communication across various military branches and units. The security and reliability of these systems are critical to maintaining the military’s strategic advantage and ensuring the safety of military personnel and equipment.
For deeper understanding of CPS system threats, vulnerabilities and mitigation please visit: Cyber-Physical Systems Safeguarding: Guardians of the CPS Grid Against Threats and Vulnerabilities
The Pentagon has launched a classified program to reverse-engineer and exploit emerging technologies and cyber-physical systems (CPS). The program, known as Faithful Integrated Reverse-Engineering and Exploitation (FIRE), is aimed at developing new methods for understanding and countering the threats posed by these technologies.
The primary goal of FIRE is to develop new ways to quickly “find, exploit, and patch vulnerabilities in medium-complexity cyber-physical systems.” DARPA notes that the tools developed in FIRE must achieve these goals at an unprecedented pace of at least a month of receiving hardware for analysis.
“The FIRE goals are driven by the proliferation of low-cost commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components (e.g., sensors, actuators, and algorithms) resulting in diverse classes of CPS including smart meters, medical devices, autonomous vehicles, and industrial control systems to name a few,” reads a broad agency announcement issued by DARPA in March 2023.
“Furthermore, agile development practices have shown that even highly complex systems such as cars can be remotely patched every few weeks. Innovative CPS vulnerability analysis tools and techniques are needed to keep pace with increased system diversity and decreased analysis timelines.”
FIRE is being led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and it is expected to cost $20 million over five years. The program is working with a number of academic and industry partners, including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan, and IBM.
The FIRE program is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to make a significant impact on the ability of the United States to defend itself against the threats posed by emerging technologies and CPS. These technologies are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, and they are being used in a wide range of applications, from military to civilian. As a result, it is becoming more difficult to understand and counter the threats they pose.
The FIRE program is a step towards addressing this challenge. By developing new methods for reverse-engineering, exploiting, and detecting emerging technologies and CPS, the program is helping to ensure that the United States is prepared to defend itself against these threats.
The FIRE program is focused on three main areas:
- Reverse-engineering. The program is developing new methods for extracting information from emerging technologies and CPS. This information can be used to understand how these technologies work, and to develop countermeasures against them.
- Exploitation. The program is developing new methods for modifying and exploiting emerging technologies and CPS. This information can be used to disable or reprogram these technologies, or to inject malicious code into them.
- Detection and prevention. The program is developing new methods for detecting and preventing attacks on emerging technologies and CPS. This information can be used to protect these technologies from being used to launch attacks.
The FIRE program will also help to improve the military’s ability to exploit vulnerabilities in enemy CPS. By understanding how enemy CPS work, the military will be able to develop more effective attack methods.
The FIRE program is a critical step in ensuring the security of military systems. By developing new tools and techniques for analyzing and exploiting CPS vulnerabilities, the FIRE program will help to keep the military ahead of the curve in the cyberwarfare arena.
Overall, developing innovative CPS vulnerability analysis tools and techniques is essential to identifying and patching vulnerabilities in military cyber-physical systems. This can help maintain the security and reliability of critical infrastructure and keep pace with the increasing diversity of cyber-physical systems, as well as the growing threat of cyber-attacks from potential adversaries.
