Things you need to know:
– The healthcare industry faces a growing threat from cyberattacks targeting hospital IT systems. In response, the U.S. government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has committed more than $50 million in funding to a groundbreaking program called UPGRADE (Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense).
– UPGRADE’s success has the potential to significantly improve hospital cybersecurity and protect patient care from cyber threats. By automating security measures and minimizing downtime, UPGRADE revolutionizes the way hospitals defend their IT systems, ultimately saving lives and ensuring uninterrupted care.
Automating Security for Uninterrupted Care
UPGRADE aims to revolutionize hospital cybersecurity by automating the process of fixing vulnerabilities and mitigating threats. This is especially important because traditional patching methods require taking devices offline, potentially disrupting critical patient care. UPGRADE aims to develop software tools that will:
- Scan for vulnerabilities: Continually identify weaknesses in the hospital's IT systems.
- Automatic patch deployment: Automatically installs fixes for identified threats, minimizing downtime.
- Develop and test your solution: If no existing patches are available, create and test custom defenses.
Building a safer future for hospitals
The project will focus on four key areas:
- Vulnerability mitigation platform: Development of a central platform for managing and deploying security solutions.
- Digital twin for your machine: Create digital simulations of hospital equipment to safely test security patches.
- Automatic Defect Detection: Build AI-powered systems that automatically identify vulnerabilities in real time.
- Custom Defense Development: It provides a platform for developing and deploying unique security solutions against specific threats.
