EAGER: SaTC-EDU: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Research and Education at Scale

破坏性网络攻击的规律性使网络安全成为社会面临的重大挑战。人工智能（AI）在筛选大量网络安全数据，以前所未有的效率主动识别新出现的威胁方面具有重大前景。然而，人工智能和网络安全是多样化、复杂和快速发展的领域。因此，在可解释和可信赖的人工智能、人工智能系统的验证和人工智能安全（包括用于安全的人工智能和用于人工智能的安全）方面，缺乏多元化的劳动力。为了积极培育一个充满活力的人工智能网络安全系统，该项目将利用跨学科的学术和行业领导者来支持一个新的“AI4Cyber”教育和研究计划的发展，该计划可以大规模交付，以满足对庞大、多样化和训练有素的人工智能网络安全劳动力快速增长的需求。项目团队建议整合传统上不同的人工智能工具、数据和资源，这些工具、数据和资源来自行业（例如，FireEye、微软）、非营利组织和国家科学基金会项目（例如，安全和可信赖的网络空间、CyberCorps®和网络基础设施的网络安全创新）。AI4Cyber将为网络安全领域的人工智能提供资源，以促进创新教学法，并促进五种数据丰富且不断发展的网络安全应用的跨学科研究。这些应用包括网络威胁情报、隐私分析、虚假信息和计算宣传、安全运营中心和对抗性机器学习。该项目还将有助于在专业协会和行业网络安全场所促进高度可见的竞赛和知识共享。此外，AI4Cyber将被整合到edX上提供的第一个免费的网络安全人工智能大规模开放在线课程（MOOC）中，edX是世界上最大的非营利性MOOC提供商。选定的课程内容也将被整合到亚利桑那大学和印第安纳大学的网络安全硕士课程中。由于亚利桑那大学和印第安纳大学都被指定为国家安全局和国土安全部网络防御学术卓越中心，而亚利桑那大学是一所西班牙裔服务机构，因此拟议的项目不仅质量高，而且还具有覆盖不同学生群体的潜力，并增加人工智能网络安全工作人员的多样性。该项目由安全与可信网络空间（SaTC）计划的一项特别倡议支持，旨在促进网络安全、人工智能和教育领域之间前所未有的合作。SaTC项目与《联邦网络安全研究与发展战略计划》和《国家隐私研究战略》保持一致，旨在保护和维护网络系统日益增长的社会和经济效益，同时确保安全和隐私。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The regularity of devastating cyber-attacks has made cybersecurity a significant challenge for society. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds significant promise in sifting through large volumes of cybersecurity data to proactively identify emerging threats with unprecedented efficiency. However, AI and cybersecurity are diverse, complex, and rapidly evolving areas. As a result, there is a lack of a diverse workforce knowledgeable in explainable and trustworthy AI, validation of AI systems, and AI safety (including AI for security and security for AI). In order to proactively foster a vibrant AI for cybersecurity system, the project will leverage interdisciplinary academic and industry leaders to support the development of a novel “AI4Cyber” education and research program that can be delivered at scale to meet the rapidly increasing demand for a large, diverse, and well-trained AI cybersecurity workforce. The project team proposes to integrate traditionally disparate AI tools, data, and resources from industry (e.g., FireEye, Microsoft), nonprofit organizations, and National Science Foundation programs (e.g., Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace, CyberCorps®, and Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure). AI4Cyber will serve as a resource for the AI for cybersecurity community to facilitate innovative pedagogy and foster interdisciplinary research for five data-rich and ever-evolving cybersecurity applications. These applications include cyber threat intelligence, privacy analytics, disinformation and computational propaganda, security operations centers, and adversarial machine learning. The project will also help to facilitate highly visible competitions and knowledge sharing at professional societies and industry cybersecurity venues. In addition, AI4Cyber will be integrated into the first free AI for Cybersecurity Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) delivered on edX, which is the world’s largest nonprofit MOOC provider. Selected course content will also be integrated into the master’s in cybersecurity programs at the University of Arizona and Indiana University. Because both the University of Arizona and Indiana University are designated as National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, and the University of Arizona is a Hispanic Serving Institution, not only will the proposed programs be of high quality, but they also have the potential to reach a diverse set of students and increase diversity in the AI-cybersecurity workforce. This project is supported by a special initiative of the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program to foster new, previously unexplored, collaborations between the fields of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and education. The SaTC program aligns with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan and the National Privacy Research Strategy to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.