23 Jan 2018

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s (BGU) top cyber security researchers will address the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) - the good, bad and the future - at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday, January 23rd. They are one of only two Israeli delegations presenting at the high-profile Davos event.

The BGU researchers’ session, Cyber-Forensics with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is part of the IdeasLab forum on Tuesday, January 23, in the Congress Centre. The IdeasLab connects big ideas with big thinkers in an engaging session format where discussion leaders pitch cutting-edge scientific innovations.

Cyber research

The BGU cyber research experts will discuss the opportunities and challenges artificial intelligence (AI) presents to both hackers and defenders, who are harnessing the power of AI through machine learning and deep learning to extend their capabilities and further their goals−both good and bad. In three sessions, each of the three BGU speakers will discuss how AI-enabled attacks are no match for current defenses.

Ben-Gurion University is honored that our world-renowned cyber security research experts will be prominently featured at this major event,” says Prof. Rivka Carmi, BGU president. “This is a significant milestone for BGU and further acknowledgement that BGU is the place to go for cutting edge cyber security research and innovation.”BGU is the place to go for cutting edge cyber security research and innovation"

BGU speakers include:

Prof. Yuval Elovici - Prof. Elovici will address how attackers utilise AI to make their attacks undetectable. He is director of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs at BGU, the telecommunications company’s only research and development lab outside of Germany. Elovici is also director of BGU’s Cyber Security Research Center at BGU and a member of the BGU Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering.

Prof. Bracha Shapira - Prof. Shapira, the Carole Weinstein Chair in Information Systems Engineering, will discuss how defenders use AI to catch abnormalities and deviations. She is the vice dean for research, Faculty of Engineering Sciences. Prof. Shapira is a member of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs at BGU and the Cyber Security Research Center.

Prof. Lior Rokach - Prof. Rokach will focus on adversarial AI, and how attackers have started an AI arms race as they seek to circumvent systems. He will also provide recommendations on how defenders can prevent such circumvention. Prof. Rokach is chair of the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering as well as a member of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs at BGU and the Cyber Security Research Center.Cyber at BGU (CBG) serves as a shared research platform for some of the world’s most innovative and technologically challenging projects

Shared research platform

Cyber at BGU (CBG) serves as a shared research platform for some of the world’s most innovative and technologically challenging projects in partnership with global companies and governmental organisations. Situated in the Ben-Gurion Advanced Technologies Park in Beer-Sheva, Israel's Cyber Capital, CBG encompasses the Cyber Security Research Center, a joint initiative with the Israel National Cyber Bureau, and the Telekom Innovation Laboratories, in partnership with Deutsche Telekom.

Research conducted under the Cyber at BGU umbrella includes AI-based cyber defense; IoT security; cyber for intelligent transportation and aviation; malware; fraud detection, and big data analysis for cyber security. The WEF Annual Meeting will be held January 23-26, in Davos, Switzerland. The BGU sessions will be available on the WEF YouTube channel following the session.