Responding to cyber attacks in real time
Computer Science Assistant Professor Dr. Sajal Saha is researching ways to build artificial intelligence-powered systems that can respond instantly to cyber attacks, stopping them before they cause damage or access sensitive data.
Cyber attacks targeting major public and private organizations are becoming all too common with nefarious actors exploiting systems for theft, espionage or simply to cause disruption. UNBC Computer Science Assistant Professor Dr. Sajal Saha is working to fight back by building a real-time response system that can stop these types of attacks the moment they’re detected.
“We are building smart cybersecurity systems that can identify, act and protect on their own,” Saha says.
Currently most cybersecurity systems rely on human experts to step in after an attack is detected, but by the time a person acts it can be too late.
With the support of a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Saha is tackling modern cybersecurity challenges. He’s building a system powered by artificial intelligence that will be able to detect, explain and stop cyber attacks in real-time with little to no human help.
Saha’s grant, worth $222,500 over five years, will support the work of 10 students, six at the graduate level and four undergraduates.
By combining Internet traffic forecasting, machine learning and large language models, the project aims to create safer, smarter networks, particularly for emerging technologies like 6G.
“As networks like 6G grow, we need fast, reliable and explainable tools to keep them safe,” he says.