The rapid digital transformation without security considerations has resulted in the rise of global-scale cyberattacks. The first line of defense against these attacks are Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS). Once deployed, however, these systems work as blackboxes with a high rate of false positives with no measurable effectiveness. There is a need to continuously test and improve these systems by emulating real-world network attack mutations. We present SynGAN, a framework that generates adversarial network attacks using the Generative Adver-sial Networks (GAN). SynGAN generates malicious packet flow mutations using real attack traffic, which can improve NIDS attack detection rates. As a first step, we compare two public datasets, NSL-KDD and CI-CIDS2017, for generating synthetic Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) network attacks. We evaluate the attack quality (real vs. synthetic) using a gradient boosting classifier.

Motorists could soon enjoy quicker and easier getaways on bank holidays, as government announces plans today (26 August 2019) to open up data on planned changes to the road network, highlighting potential traffic jams up to months in advance. Tech firms could soon get access to this data thanks to a review of legislation around Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) - the orders behind restrictions on the road network which allow for temporary roadworks or permanent changes to the road. Companies will potentially be able to develop and enhance navigational apps powered by AI, warning drivers up to months in advance of planned disruption to routes and offering alternatives to help save time and money. As a road user, there is nothing more frustrating than discovering roadworks and getting stuck in traffic jams. Today's announcement will help open up data, reducing congestion, pollution and frustration for road users.

Automated recognition and talent management are on the list of the US Army's AI Task Force, as a result of its year-long collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon University on incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into US Army systems. The task force's access to sensors, different types of electro-mechanical devices, and computing capabilities are enabling them to create AI for other applications as per the plan in the 2018 directive, which states, "The Army is establishing the Army-AI Task Force (A-AI TF) that will narrow an existing AI capability gap by leveraging current technological applications to enhance our warfighters, preserve peace, and, if required, fight to win." Five university staffers at National Robotics Engineering Center, an integral part of CMU's Robotics Institute, have formed an AI Hub to work directly with the Army task force. The task force is starting to fill gaps in its systems with AI. In March, the US Army invested US$72 million in a five-year AI fundamental research effort to research and discover capabilities for augmenting military personnel, optimizing operations, increasing readiness, and reducing casualties. According to the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, which is the US Army's corporate laboratory (ARL), in March, CMU will lead a consortium of multiple universities to work in collaboration with the Army lab to accelerate R&D of advanced algorithms, autonomy and AI to enhance national security and defense.

Nowadays Artificial Intelligence represents an essential technology and an area of high strategic importance that generates tremendous benefits, bringing solutions to numerous societal challenges. The recent innovations have huge disruptive potential. Society needs to be prepared to harness the power of AI, and understand its impact on the economy and society. In the digital era, learning the way AI works and its implications for our lives has become fundamental. Are you wondering how AI might affect your job or your life?

Between walking at a leisurely pace and running for your life, human gaits can cover a wide range of speeds. Typically, we choose the gait that allows us to consume the least amount of energy at a given speed. For example, at low speeds, the metabolic rate of walking is lower than that of running in a slow jog; vice versa at high speeds, the metabolic cost of running is lower than that of speed walking. Researchers in academic and industry labs have previously developed robotic devices for rehabilitation and other areas of life that can either assist walking or running, but no untethered portable device could efficiently do both. Assisting walking and running with a single device is challenging because of the fundamentally different biomechanics of the two gaits.

SAN FRANCISCO – When Liz O'Sullivan was hired at the New York City-based artificial intelligence company Clarifai in 2017, she felt lucky to find work at the intersection of two of her main interests: technology and ethics. Two years later, she found herself facing a moral dilemma. Clarifai was developing aerial photography and object detection tools as one of several companies working on Project Maven, a Pentagon drone surveillance program. After several conversations with friends and colleagues, O'Sullivan realized this type of technology eventually could be used for autonomous weapons. In January, she wrote to Clarifai CEO Matt Zeiler on behalf of a group of employees, seeking clarification on whether the technology would be used to create weapons and asking him to commit to a series of ethical measures.

BAGHDAD – Two paramilitary fighters were killed on Sunday in an unclaimed drone attack near Iraq's western border with Syria, the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi force said in a statement. The deaths come after a month of mysterious blasts at Hashed al-Shaabi arms depots and training camps that some of the force's top officials blamed on the U.S. "Two unidentified drones targeted a Brigade 45 position belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi in the Anbar district, 15 km (10 miles) from the Iraqi-Syrian border," the statement said. The attack "killed two fighters from the unit, wounded another and burned two vehicles," it added. The statement did not accuse any particular force and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Hashed was established from disparate armed groups and volunteers who united to fight back the Islamic State group's sweep across a third of Iraq in 2014.

NEW YORK – From the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia to the crowded neighborhoods of Beirut, a drone war has taken flight across the wider Middle East, raising the stakes in the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. In the year since President Donald Trump withdrew America from Iran's nuclear deal, there's been an increasing tempo of attacks and alleged threats from unmanned aircraft flown by Tehran's and Washington's allies in the region. The appeal of the aircraft -- they risk no pilots and can be small enough to evade air-defense systems -- fueled their rapid use amid the maximum pressure campaigns of Iran and the U.S. As these strikes become more frequent, the risk of unwanted escalation becomes greater. The U.S. military nearly launched airstrikes against Iran after a U.S. military surveillance drone was shot down in June. Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets attack targets in Syria on an almost weekly basis, including on Saturday night.

Fox News Flash top headlines for August 25 are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com Lebanon's Hezbollah leader vowed Sunday to shoot down any Israeli drones that enter Lebanese airspace from now on after one allegedly crashed and another exploded in Beirut overnight. Hassan Nasrallah said during a speech that one of the drones had been flying low among buildings and was clearly on a military "suicide mission," which he called "clear aggression." Officials of Iran-backed Hezbollah denied firing at the drones.

Did you know math could help NASA travel faster and farther? Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) mathematician Randy Paffenroth has been combining machine learning with 19th-century mathematics to make NASA spacecraft lighter and more damage tolerant. His goal is to detect imperfections in carbon nanomaterials used to make composite rocket fuel tanks and other spacecraft structures by using an algorithm he developed. The algorithm allows for higher resolution scans that provide more accurate images of the material's uniformity and potential defects. These yarns are wrapped around structures like rocket fuel tanks, giving them the strength to withstand high pressures.