DARPA awards Carnegie Mellon professor $6 million to prevent unmanned vehicle hacks

Not only do military officials need to worry about the security of computers belonging to personnel, but unmanned vehicles are also a potential target for hackers. To that end, DARPA has awarded Franz Franchetti, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon, a 4.5-year $6 million grant to develop defenses capable of recognizing and warding off infiltration attempts. According to the university, the objective of Franchetti and a team of six other experts is to “help computers figure out that they are under attack and to help them survive and continue operating.” Tackling cyber threats — which cost the military billions of dollars per year — is a tall task, but Franchetti’s colleagues seem confident he can deliver. “We have the innovative talent and research expertise to begin developing some long-range solutions,” said Ed Schlesinger, head of Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.