IDF App will Thwart Hacks by Detecting Fake Profiles

The IDF C5I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, and Intelligence) Directorate recently held two Hackathons to generate innovative technological solutions. One of them is a fake profile detector that addresses the smartphone hacking threat

IDF App will Thwart Hacks by Detecting Fake Profiles

Photo: IDF

“The civilian world is constantly developing technologically and we want to coordinate the IDF’s technological development with it, knowing the next battle will be in the cyber world,” says Lt. Col. Nurit, head of the Technology Branch of the LOTEM IT Division, which deals with IT innovations in the IDF, Big Data, and analytics. This year, according to a publication on the IDF website, the Hackathon focused on Chatbot technology – programs that can conduct conversations by studying human behavior and responses. Two ideas stood out from the rest:

An AI First Response: An emergency can happen anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. Under stress, it can be difficult to remember whom to contact. The Blue Light Chatbot can assist in such emergencies. The user simply writes a message, and the bot automatically classifies the situation and notifies the appropriate authorities – the IDF, police, firefighters, or even the city council. If the bot will have trouble understanding the situation or identifying the location, it will ask more questions, just like in a real conversation.

Mr. Know It All: This bot’s purpose is to help soldiers and civilians with any army-related question they may have. Like any good student, it is learning one step at a time. “We’re exposing the program to a lot of information, and then asking it questions about it,” Says Cpt. Nir, one of the project’s team leaders. “At first, the answer sounds weird and the words are kind of messed up, but as we keep explaining and teaching the program, it becomes more intelligent and capable of having a conversation, just like how a child learns.” The goal is to give answers to very specific and personal questions, so the more people use the chatbot, the more it will learn and be able to provide more intelligent and helpful answers.

A week later, the C5I Officers' Course held their own Hackathon. This time, the cadets had more leeway for building creative and timely projects. One of them was a fake profile detector.

About a month ago, Hamas operatives tried a new tactic and opened fake Facebook profiles to follow IDF soldiers and hack their phones. One Hackathon team decided to solve this problem at the source. They are programming an app that can detect fake profiles by searching the web for their profile pictures and checking their friends list. If the picture is stolen, for instance, and if the suspicious profile’s friends are not connected in any way, the app can tell you it’s fake.

 

This article was originally published on the IDF website.