A lot can happen in a month.
It’s enough time to learn a new habit or teach an old dog a new trick. And if Tiffany Bao and her team of researchers at Arizona State University get their way, we will also be able to reverse engineer any cyberphysical system in 30 days or less.
Cyberphysical systems are everywhere. They differ from other forms of technology that may contain computer hardware. In a cyberphysical system, a combination of hardware and software components typically work together to control a piece of equipment.
A small computer that monitors a car’s tire pressure is an embedded device. A self-driving car is a cyberphysical system. Satellites, HVAC systems, smart irrigation systems and even the Amazon Echo are examples of cyberphysical technology.
Concern is growing that these systems are vulnerable to attack.
More alarming than the notion that a Google Home might go rogue is the fact that cyberphysical equipment — including drones, unmanned vehicles and mission platforms — is in widespread use on United States military bases. Experts worry that these systems could be hacked. They have drilled against scenarios where cybercriminals assume control of motors, valves and more, possibly triggering explosions and fires.
Team turns out toolkit to secure systems
How this tech will be protected and secured is of vital national security interest. That’s why the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has awarded a $15 million grant under its Faithful Integration, Reverse-engineering, and Emulation, or FIRE, program to a team of researchers who will work to secure these systems.
Bao, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, will play a pivotal role in these efforts. Her team of cybersecurity professionals includes Associate Professors Adam Doupé, Yan Shoshitaishvili and Fish Wang, as well as Assistant Professors Zilin Jiang and Giulia Pedrielli, all faculty members in the Fulton Schools.
The team is developing a suite of tools that officials can use to reverse engineer middle-scale cyberphysical systems. Their project is known as SENPAI — Strategic Exploration, Navigation and Patching of Abstracted Integrations.
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