New Intelligence Report: AI and Smart Cars Could Make Us Vulnerable

Advances in “smart” appliances and artificial technology pose new risks to America’s cybersecurity, according to a new report assessing threats to U.S national security, which James R. Clapper presented Tuesday to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

The very first threat identified in the report is the potential chink in American infrastructure posed by the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) — a term used to describe the proliferation of consumer devices and appliances that are networked, whether it’s smart cars or smart toasters. The report begins:

“Smart” devices incorporated into the electric grid, vehicles—including autonomous vehicles—and household appliances are improving efficiency, energy conservation, and convenience. However, security industry analysts have demonstrated that many of these new systems can threaten data privacy, data integrity, or continuity of services. In the future, intelligence services might use the loT for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials.

The report also says that the “increased reliance on AI [artificial intelligence] for autonomous decision making is creating new vulnerabilities to cyberattacks and influence operations,” pointing to previous incidences of erratic blips in automated systems causing significant fluctuations in the stock market.

AI systems are susceptible to a range of disruptive and deceptive tactics that might be difficult to anticipate or quickly understand. Efforts to mislead or compromise automated systems might create or enable further opportunities to disrupt or damage critical infrastructure or national security networks.

The door swings both ways though, as the report notes that all advances in technology “will pose challenges to our cyber defenses and operational tradecraft but also create new opportunities for our own intelligence collectors.”

[h/t PopSci]

[image via Cryteria/Wikicommons]