Just as cyber attacks threaten businesses, individuals, and IoT systems, cyber warfare against military operations and government agencies continue to escalate. The real world outcomes are potentially devastating. Our FAST Labs™ Cyber Technology R&D team creates and automates advanced Resilience in Depth solutions across multiple defense and intelligence platforms. From aircraft, satellites, and ground vehicles to ships, submarines, and IT networks, we are out to ensure mission-critical systems operate undeterred as we evolve response solutions.
While most of our advanced cyber R&D is on behalf of science and technology groups within the U.S. DoD, internal BAE Systems initiatives also sponsor other related research. Although cyber challenges will continue to evolve, requiring our team to grow and evolve with or ahead of them, we categorize our current efforts in the following four focus areas:
Focus areas of Cyber Technology R&D
Platform cyber resilience
Cyber conflicts can change in a nanosecond. That's why BAE Systems' Cyber Technology R&D unit has moved past traditional static "defense-in-depth" technologies to more agile, responsive Resilience in Depth approaches. Approaches that use adaptive detection and defense technologies to stay ahead of ever-changing threats and intrusions.
These advanced Resilience in Depth solutions create greater resiliency in cyber attack prediction, detection, automation, and control in networks and non-traditional cyber environments. That includes military and commercial platforms. Our next generation artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms perform dynamic feature extraction, pattern classification, and reasoning over the cyber attack surface. This approach increases cyber resiliency, cyber safety, and cyber security of mission critical systems today and tomorrow.
Platform cyber effects
Our FAST Labs Cyber Technology R& D unit is pioneering tools and techniques for projecting "power through cyberspace" to support a variety of platforms used in U.S. combat and intelligence operations. Platforms used on land, in the air, at sea, in cyberspace, and beyond. These cyberspace intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies enable "mapping of opaque networks" through aggregation and analysis of stimulus-response data at the network perimeter.
Taking this approach further, we're also leveraging BAE Systems' experience in automated reverse engineering and cyber weapon development. This acts as a foundation for rapid, on-demand production of tailored cyber weapons usable in both offensive and defensive military missions.
Cognitive cyber
Cognitive cyber combines BAE Systems' knowledge of offensive and defensive cyber ops with our experience in 3rd wave AI, innovating and delivering cyber technologies that "respond at the speed of the attack." These technologies help cyber warriors and defenders operate inside an adversary's OODA loop, providing heightened levels of cyber mission assurance.
We're also using formal methods and deep cyber knowledge to develop next generation high-assurance cyber technologies that aid creation of cyber-physical security solutions. And we're pioneering big data analytics technologies, including cloud computing, that detect and recognize small-signature cyber intrusions at the speed of the cyber attack.
Our future goals for cognitive cyber include using explainable AI technologies to leverage neural networks, and autonomous assured cyber responses.
Complex systems & tools
By its very nature, advanced cyber technology incorporates an ongoing flow of complex systems and tools to be employed at different points and under different circumstances to overcome cyber conflicts. Some of the more constructive of these that our Cyber Technology R&D team calls on right now include:
- Automated binary reverse engineering for quick discovery of security vulnerabilities in embedded software
- Language-based security technologies that increase our ability to mine large sets of data based on context, semantics, and grammar syntax
- Embedded cyber technology for chip and board level intrusion detection and response that allows deep protection of embedded computing devices
- Automated cyber intelligence collection and analysis using 3rd wave AI for active, real time malware detection and response
In addition, our cyber warfare professionals are now developing several new, cutting edge tools, including predictive weapon effects, additional reverse engineering solutions, supply chain inspection and remediation technologies, and more. As long as there are cyber threats, our team will continue finding ways to stop them.
Technology collaboration
Our FAST Labs Cyber Platform R&D team welcomes collaboration with industry and academia on current or future projects. If you wish to learn more or are interested in participating with our team,
contact us here.
Life at BAE Systems
BAE Systems’ FAST Labs Cyber Technology R&D unit is a great place to work for those who want a challenging, but highly rewarding career doing some of the most important cyber work in the world today. Whether you are an experienced pro or a talented college senior or grad student with incredible cyber skills,
click here for our current job listings.
Learn more today. Contact our Cyber R&D representative to arrange a meeting.