Fairfax, Oct. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A team of Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS) data scientists took first prize to win AFCEA International’s Emerging Professionals in Intelligence Committee’s (EPIC) 2021 App Challenge requiring participants to identify and respond to modern cybersecurity challenges with real-world approaches that can be deployed at scale.
The TRSS team, named PhishRSS, developed an approach for assessing and addressing counterintelligence phishing risks related to users’ LinkedIn profiles. PhishRSS identified previous real-world targets of reconnaissance with public LinkedIn profiles whose jobs, experience and recommendations were collected through a custom-built LinkedIn engine. Combining analysis, keywords, and relevant categories, the team developed a hierarchical detection and ranking algorithm modeled after the CARVER strategic prioritization framework. CARVER, which stands for criticality, accessibility, recuperability, vulnerability, effect and recognizability, is a Vietnam-era approach that identifies and ranks specific targets for effective use of attack resources.
With the number of challenges and resource constraints that government agencies and businesses alike face in developing better and safer technologies, the annual AFCEA EPIC App Challenge provides that much-needed spark to ignite innovation and keep development going, said Ray Cross, AFCEA’s vice president for Intelligence. “Apps are increasingly necessary, from operational success to day-to-day living, and we need to leverage the talent of innovators willing to develop and then share their successes so that we all may benefit,” Cross said. “It’s inspirational to watch them create, collaborate and then deliver.”
TRSS colleagues volunteered to test PhishRSS’s application on their LinkedIn profiles, which provided a learning opportunity for everyone. “Even if you think your privacy settings only include people you trust, there are ways around those hurdles, even on the clear web, like premium account features, cached versions, and open source tooling,” said Chris Smith, a data scientist at TRSS and the app challenge team lead.
The team assessed and scored the phishing risk of a set of LinkedIn profiles, deduced an adversary’s goals based on the target set, and create a ranked order of defensible attributes. Their final submission included automated extraction of data and features, risk modeling, and proposed avenues for mitigating counterintelligence concerns. Their proposal won the $5,000 first place prize. Judges included Col. Candice Frost, USA, commander of U.S. Cyber Command; Lisa Bennett, senior intelligence adviser and assistant G2 in the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command; and Yvette Nonte, national defense strategy integrator with Warfighter Support, Combatant Command Intelligence Support in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
The EPIC App Challenge offered valuable lessons about identifying and addressing counterintelligence problems in real time. Associate Technical Consultant Hannah Lensing said, “Foreign adversaries aren't only interested in developing relationships with people with government information. Intellectual property, trade secrets, keyholders to infrastructure and personnel, all should be protected.”
The announcement was made during the Intelligence & National Security Summit, a virtual event co-hosted by AFCEA and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. The summit brings together government, military, and industry to collaborate on critical national security challenges. TRSS is proud to support INSA and AFCEA and partner with the United States’ security and intelligence communities.
EPIC focuses on developing leaders, networking and giving back to the Intelligence Community. The committee, comprising IC professionals ages 40 and younger from the public and private sectors, enhances AFCEA’s outreach and education to the community. It is an extension of the association’s longstanding Intelligence Committee.
# # #
AFCEA International is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit international professional association that connects people, ideas and solutions globally. Established in 1946, the membership association serves the military, government, industry and academia by developing networking and educational opportunities and providing an ethical forum. This enables military, government, industry and academia to align technology and strategy to meet the needs of those who serve. AFCEA operates under the guidance of a board of directors, international staff and committees. A large network of chapters is managed by a group of regional vice presidents. Join online.
Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS) is a trusted brand with a proven track record supporting security and safety priorities. All engagements are supported by a culture of innovation drawing on extensive experience supporting our clients’ critical challenges and our experts’ real-world experience in law enforcement, national security, and intelligence positions. TRSS is an independent, wholly owned US-based subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
Attachment
