
The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) is working on a European project to protect AI systems from cyberattacks. Specifically, the project focuses on improving AI security against so-called adversarial attacks. The adversarial attacks seek to trick AI into interpreting malicious data as good.
According to Salvador Cuñat, a researcher of the SATRD group at the Universitat Politècnica de València, these attacks are especially critical in areas such as computer security, computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP).
For example, these attacks can modify malware code so that antivirus clasifies it as software, create emails with slight changes so that phishing or spam do not recognise them, modify synthetic fingerprints to circumvent access control systems, or minimally modify text (spelling errors, invisible symbols) to deceive a hate speech or fake news detector.
‘These are attacks that can lead to minor problems (an AI model that confuses an animal), but they can also cause accidents, fraud, and security breaches, hence the importance of developing new tools to combat them,’ says Salvador Cuñat.
Thus, one of the goals of the project is to develop a new security platform that will make AI systems more robust against this type of cyberattack. Besides, it proposes the implementation of the Cyber Ranges tool to train AI professionals in cybersecurity.
The project is primarily aimed at AI developers and data analysts, companies and organisations from all sectors that incorporate artificial intelligence in their daily activities, industrial associations and cybersecurity providers, as well as the scientific community.
“This project seeks to offer greater protection and resilience for AI systems against adversarial attacks and provide them with new tools to ensure security and privacy in AI, but also to contribute to greater trust and wider adoption of artificial intelligence in Europe,' concludes Cuñat.
Funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe programme (HORIZON-CL3-2023-CS-01), the CPAID project is coordinated by Uni Systems Luxembourg Sàrl and will conclude in September 2027.
Outstanding news
Study a degree at the best technological university in Spain
National Research Award
The UPV and Beihang University strengthen their academic and scientific alliance
Study in English
THE Impact Ranking