Stopping Cyberattacks In Mid-Battle (Navy)

U.S. Naval Institute ^ | September 2024 | Vice Admiral Roy Kitchener, U.S. Navy (Retired), Captain Alan MacQuoid, U.S. Navy (Retired) and Kevi

[Retain Mike]

Suppose, during a battle at sea— with missiles flying—an adversary is trying to disrupt a ship’s sensor- fusion system, so that it mischaracterizes what the sensors are seeing. With current cybersecurity methods, it could take minutes or even hours for analysts to determine that the system is being attacked. And by then it might be too late.

However, a new approach that uses AI could, for example, send an alert to the combat systems officer—in real time—that there is a high probability that an attack on the sensor-fusion system is underway. Armed with that information, the CSO could limit any possible damage by quickly shutting down the part of the system that looks like it might be under attack.

With this new wartime approach, AI continuously monitors system activity, and looks for patterns of attack that have been established by analysts beforehand using historical, modeling and simulation and other data. If the AI spots activity that matches a pattern of an attack, it sends an alert.

The idea is to catch even just the possibility of a cyberattack early enough in battle, when supervisors might have only seconds—not minutes or hours—to stop it. In order to spot what may be a cyberattack, the AI might only need to see the first few steps an attacker makes, perhaps before any damage is done. And that may be enough for the AI to provide the probability of an attack. Even if supervisors aren’t sure yet whether a cyberattack is actually underway, getting alerted and knowing the probability could help them keep the ship in the fight.

[Retain Mike]

This article reminds me of how much the bridge of a ship has changed. A shipmate in our ship’s association has piloted the museum ship LST-325 on its Mississippi trips. He notes the wheel and engine order telegraph are still in place on the bridge, but the ship is actually controlled by a joystick from the deck above. I like to remind him that his rating of Signalman has gone the way of Airship Rigger and Coal Heaver.

During Operation Lam Son 719, I was onboard an LST as part of an amphibious ready group traveling up and down the NVA coast making amphibious assault demonstrations to distract some of their forces. We would shut down all electronics periodically to puzzle the enemy and to provide those standing watch with some fun. As Officer of the Deck, I would then have to rely on signal flags, speed lights, pelorus bearings, paper maneuvering board solutions, and stadimeter readings to stay on station.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

How many today have the needed skills to revert to such manual navigation?

“...the CSO could limit any possible damage by quickly shutting down the part of the system that looks like it might be under attack.”

That sounds ridiculous to this layman. You can’t shut down the Fire Control System or the Phalanx defensive system.

[LouieFisk]

What could possibly go wrong?

[Retain Mike]

I think that is right. There are few backups. Shooting a .50cal machine gun at an incoming missile will not help.

[MV=PY]

This is a great application for AI!

[minnesota_bound]

What say as an example some one installed a starlink antenna and wifi on a navy ship. Naw, could never happen.

[Svartalfiar]

This isn’t AI.. It’s just data filtering and analysis..