A Red Teaming Framework for Securing AI in Maritime Autonomous Systems

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being ubiquitously adopted to automate processes in science and industry. However, due to its often intricate and opaque nature, AI has been shown to possess inherent vulnerabilities which can be maliciously exploited with adversarial AI, potentially putting AI users and developers at both cyber and physical risk. In addition, there is insufficient comprehension of the real-world effects of adversarial AI and an inadequacy of AI security examinations; therefore, the growing threat landscape is unknown for many AI solutions. To mitigate this issue, we propose one of the first red team frameworks for evaluating the AI security of maritime autonomous systems. The framework provides operators with a proactive (secure by design) and reactive (post-deployment evaluation) response to securing AI technology today and in the future. This framework is a multi-part checklist, which can be tailored to different systems and requirements. We demonstrate this framework to be highly effective for a red team to use to uncover numerous vulnerabilities within a real-world maritime autonomous systems AI, ranging from poisoning to adversarial patch attacks. The lessons learned from systematic AI red teaming can help prevent MAS-related catastrophic events in a world with increasing uptake and reliance on mission-critical AI

Physicochemical Characterization and Biocompatibility of Alginate-Polycation Microcapsules Designed for Islet Transplantation

RÉSUMÉ La microencapsulation représente une stratégie visant à protéger les cellules ou les tissus thérapeutiques du rejet de greffe à l’aide d’une barrière physique. Cette approche est avantageuse puisqu’elle ne nécessite pas l’administration d’immunosuppresseurs à long terme et qu’elle permet l’option d’exploiter des sources de cellules non-cadavériques (ex. les cellules d’animaux). Les microcapsules que nous étudions sont conçues pour l’immunoprotection des îlots de Langerhans (qui sont responsables de sécréter l’insuline) dans le but de traiter le diabète insulino-dépendant. La transplantation d’îlots microencapsulés n’est pas encore utilisée régulièrement en clinique parce que la survie et le fonctionnement des cellules greffées restent limités. Un facteur qui contribue à l’échec de la greffe est la biocompatibilité inadéquate des microcapsules ellesmêmes. Dans ce cas, les cellules immunitaires adhèrent à la surface du dispositif et sécrètent des substances cytotoxiques pouvant pénétrer la barrière protectrice et endommager les cellules à l’intérieur. Ensuite, du tissu fibrotique se développe autour de l’implant, ce qui peut obstruer ou limiter la diffusion des nutriments, de l’oxygène, du glucose et de l’insuline à travers la membrane et ultimement mener au dysfonctionnement et/ou la mort des cellules encapsulées. Au moins deux groupes de recherche ont démontré la faisabilité, sous conditions optimales, de fabriquer des microcapsules d’alginate-polycation biocompatibles. Cependant, la plupart des laboratoires ont de la difficulté à reproduire de tels résultats. Ceci souligne notre manque de connaissances à propos des paramètres importants qui déterminent la biocompatibilité de la microcapsule. Cette situation est fortement reliée au fait qu’aucun standard n’existe pouvant nous guider dans la fabrication des microcapsules afin d’atteindre une biocompatibilité et une bioperformance optimales. A l’aide des techniques d’analyses physicochimiques, cette recherche cherchait à comprendre quelles propriétés de la microcapsule sont importantes pour déterminer sa biocompatibilité. L’objectif de ce travail était d’élucider les corrélations entre la structure chimique, les propriétés physicochimiques, et la biocompatibilité in vivo des microcapsules à base d’alginate. Ces informations aideront la communauté scientifique à comprendre les facteurs----------ABSTRACT Microencapsulation represents a method for immunoprotecting transplanted therapeutic cells or tissues from graft rejection using a physical barrier. This approach is advantageous in that it eliminates the need to induce long-term immunosuppression and allows the option of transplanting non-cadaveric cell sources, such as animal cells and stem cell-derived tissues. The microcapsules that we have investigated are designed to immunoprotect islets of Langerhans (i.e. clusters of insulin-secreting cells), with the goal of treating insulin-dependent diabetes. Microencapsulated islet transplantation has not yet reached regular clinical application because graft survival and function remains limited and variable. One of the main factors that contribute to graft failure is an inadequate biocompatibility of the microcapsule itself. Upon recognition of the microcapsule, host immune cells adhere to the device and secrete cytotoxic substances that are small enough to penetrate the protective barrier and potentially harm the cells within. As the inflammatory response persists, fibrotic tissue develops around the implant and can hinder the diffusion of cell nutrients, oxygen, glucose and insulin into and out of the microcapsule, thereby leading to encapsulated cell dysfunction and death. At least two research groups have demonstrated the feasibility of producing alginatepolycation microcapsules that are biocompatible. However, most labs have had difficulty reproducing such results. This underlines our lack of understanding about the parameters that are important for determining the biocompatibility of the microcapsule. This situation is intimately related to the fact that no standards currently exist to guide the fabrication process of microcapsules in order to achieve optimal biocompatibility and bioperformance. With the aid of techniques for physicochemical analysis, this research focused on understanding which properties of the microcapsule are the most important for determining its biocompatibility. The objective of this work was to elucidate correlations between the chemical make-up, physicochemical properties, and in vivo biocompatibility of alginate-based microcapsules. This information is expected to help the research community understand what factors must be controlled and standardized in order to achieve optimal biocompatibility. Our approach was based on the hypothesis that the immune response to the microcapsules i

Extinction Coefficient of Gold Nanostars

Gold nanostars (NStars) are highly attractive for biological applications due to their surface chemistry, facile synthesis, and optical properties. Here, we synthesize NStars in HEPES buffer at different HEPES/Au ratios, producing NStars of different sizes and shapes and therefore varying optical properties. We measure the extinction coefficient of the synthesized NStars at their maximum surface plasmon resonances (SPRs), which range from 5.7 × 10⁸ to 26.8 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ cm⁻¹. Measured values correlate with those obtained from theoretical models of the NStars using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA), which we use to simulate the extinction spectra of the nanostars. Finally, because NStars are typically used in biological applications, we conjugate DNA and antibodies to the NStars and calculate the footprint of the bound biomolecules.United States. National Institutes of Health (AI100190

Investigating the Security and Accessibility of Voyage Data Recorder Data using a USB attack

Voyage Data Recorders (VDR) or 'black boxes' for ships hold critical navigational and sensor data that can be used as evidence in an investigation. These systems have proven extremely useful in determining the cause of several previous shipping accidents. Considering the importance of the VDR and the increasing number of cyber-attacks in the maritime sector, the likelihood of it being attacked is high. This paper examines the security and accessibility of VDR data through a malicious USB device. A USB device is used after a series of tests, detailed in this paper, found it to be a viable way to compromise a VDR system. Intensive penetration testing was performed on a VDR, and this paper presents the four key highlights from the authors’ tests. The results show that real-world VDR data might not be secure from an insider threat with little to no cyber knowledge, and future VDRs may open that up to more outsider attackers. For a device like VDR, where confidentiality, integrity and availability of data are critical, a cyber-attack could therefore lead to serious repercussions.cyber-SHIP (Research England