The question of cyber-crime prevention seems to be a hot topic among security practitioners. As already reported, OpenDNS researchers are working on NLPrank, a threat detection technology.
Another prevention tool has been founded recently by several institutions. The device is dubbed DeepCode, and its purpose is to detect flaws in various software products before they are released on the market.
DeepCode is designed by Cambridge University and Draper Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and development facility, focused on the development of advanced technology. According to their statement, DeepCode aims at detection and repair of bugs and vulnerabilities found in software prior to its release.
It is not of any surprise that security practitioners work towards cyber crime prevention. Data breaches occur every day and endanger both organizations and ordinary users. According to various companies providing anti-malware solutions, cybercrime’s global revenue estimates more than $445 billion a year.
Let’s take a glimpse at the FREAK bug situation. Researchers have reached the conclusion that the recent FREAK attack is very hard to stop, with more than 1200 popular Android apps still vulnerable to the bug. If a tool like DeepCode functions successfully, vulnerabilities could be avoided, and many headaches spared.
One of the team leaders of DeepCode is Andrew Ng, an Associate Professor at Stanford University. He is also known as the founder of the Google Brain project, which developed massive-scale deep learning algorithms. Another expert, working on the device, is Brad Gaynor, associate director for Cyber Systems at Draper Lab.
How does DeepCode function?
DeepCode will be designed to examine terabytes of open-source software. It will be able to detect vulnerabilities in binary and source code. Once set, the tool will not only identify bugs in both codes, but it will also instantly recommend system repairs to replace the weak components with more secure ones.