NSIN “Reality Bytes” Hackathon Event

Overview

Department of Defense personnel responsible for analyzing the health and vulnerabilities of networks face a range of challenges to prioritize and focus on critical cyber-based threats. For example, they must manage a range of diagnostic tools across multiple software platforms while remaining vigilant for hard-to-detect events that could prove to be signals of phishing or hacking attempts from adversaries. Further diagnosis is often even more difficult for personnel in expeditionary environments with physical limitations on bandwidth, energy, and processing power.

Challenge

Develop concepts, technologies, or systems to improve the ability of personnel to visualize, monitor, and respond to cybersecurity events.

Focus Areas

Hardware

• How could Artificial Reality/Virtual Reality technologies help visualize cybersecurity operations?
• What other kinds of interfaces could help control and manage cyber-security operations?
• Are there commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies that could enhance the user experience?
• How could this technology be designed to work in a field scenario?

Software and Data

• How would you fuse and visualize large data sets, especially those focused on cyber operations?
• Are there data visualizations tools that can improve the ability of cyber analysts to track and monitor threats in real-time?
• Would a HUD or gaming interface present the data in a functional/usable configuration?
• How do you gamify the analysis of large data sets? How do you showcase and activate cyber defensive actions?
• Are there gamification technologies to increase cybersecurity professionals’ focus on key signals? What cues could tell a red, blue, or purple operator that they are seeing/experiencing something important or critical?

Registration is open for the latest NSIN hackathon, Reality Bytes, focusing on visualizing cyber operations. Starting April 18, this virtual hackathon will challenge innovators to develop concepts, technologies, or systems to improve the abilities of military personnel to visualize, monitor, and respond to cybersecurity events as they compete for one of three $15,000 top prizes.