The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has published the scoring system for the final leg of a competition to build an artificial intelligence-powered system that could safeguard the nation’s critical infrastructure. The AI Cyber Challenge, or AIxCC, final competition will assess competing systems on their ability to find and fix intentionally introduced synthetic and real world vulnerabilities, the agency said Wednesday.
Mission to Protect CI Systems
The competition recognizes the threat malicious actors from around the world pose to systems Americans rely on every day. From bridges and highways to hospitals, the systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks.
“Cyberthreats to critical infrastructure are broad and unrelenting,” commented Andrew Carney, program manager for the AI Cyber Challenge. “We’re looking for breakthrough systems that can give software defenders an edge when it comes to outpacing adversaries.”
AIxCC Details
The final competition will have four rounds culminating at DEF CON 33, which will take place in Las Vegas in August. Only the final round will be scored. The first three rounds will be unscored exhibitions of proposed cyber reasoning systems.
During the final round, each CRS will showcase how it identifies and patches vulnerabilities in software critical to industry, national security and the public.
“Now, we’re raising the bar and putting the top systems to the test against a broader and more complex range of challenges, with the goal of developing systems that the public and private sectors can use immediately to secure critical code,” added Carney.
Seven teams that advanced during the semifinal round held in August 2024 will participate in the final competition.
