The UAS Hack, a hands-on event dedicated to exploring the intersection of cybersecurity and drone technology was held from August 19 to 23, 2024, at the ORION NTROPEE hangar and concluded with resounding success.

This weeklong challenge brought together 15 talented university-aged participants to tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges in the realm of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and provided a unique platform for these emerging tech enthusiasts to learn, demonstrate their skills and push the boundaries of innovation.

“UAS Hack has truly exceeded our expectations,” said Eric Thayer, Chief Engineer at AIS and UAS Hack instructor. “The 15 students demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and technical expertise, tackling complex UAS cybersecurity challenges head-on. Their ability to produce innovative solutions showcases the promising future of our industry. We are already looking forward to planning next year’s challenge.”

The event provided a unique opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in the practical application of cybersecurity principles within the rapidly evolving UAS landscape. By leveraging ORION’s hangar space and New York’s 50-mile UAS corridor as well as expert mentors and instructors, UAS Hack offered participants a collaborative and challenging environment to learn, innovate and develop crucial technical skills.

“UAS Hack was an incredible learning opportunity,” said Zack Kornreich, UAS Hack participant and current master’s student at Binghamton University. “The hands-on experience with UAS cybersecurity gave me practical skills that will undoubtedly add value to my career. The event pushed me to think critically and creatively, and I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in my future endeavors.”

As the industry continues to evolve, events like UAS Hack play a critical role in ensuring that emerging talent is well-equipped to meet the cybersecurity challenges of tomorrow. The collaborative efforts between the 15 students, industry experts and sponsors have laid the groundwork for continued innovation and progress in the field of UAS cybersecurity.

The first ever UAS Hack, a hands-on event dedicated to exploring the intersection of cybersecurity and drone technology, will take place from August 19 to 23, 2024, in Rome, New York.

Over the course of five days, university-aged students and industry experts will revolutionize the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) landscape by fostering collaboration, creativity and critical thinking while addressing pressing cybersecurity challenges. AIS subject matter experts will be providing instruction and curriculum for this event.

“UAS Hack is designed to put students in front of industry professionals and industry-relevant platforms to give them an opportunity to grow their skills and learn more about what a security-related career would be like,” said Eric Thayer, Chief Engineer at AIS. “During the event, students will be mentored and trained on how to evaluate the security of UAS, identify potential threats and provide feedback to vendors and manufacturers.”

DARPA Researchers, Students and Industry Partners Demonstrate Micropatching to Secure Legacy Software

In November 2023, students from Colorado State University (CSU) and partners from Assured Information Security (AIS), Cummins Inc., NASA and GRIMM hosted a hackathon at Cummins, Inc., headquarters in Columbus, Indiana, where they challenged students and engineers from several different universities and industries. Participants used a new set of tools to improve the security and functionality of critical infrastructure systems and demonstrate the effectiveness of micropatching to government stakeholders and other industry professionals.

In continuation of the groundbreaking efforts propelled by the DARPA AMP program, another hackathon is taking place on March 6-8, 2024, at the ORION NTROPEE facility in Rome, New York, with researchers and engineers from AIS providing mentorship and support.

Enter the AMP tools, specifically tailored to address such scenarios by aiding developers and analysts in pinpointing root causes, implementing fixes, and ensuring the efficacy of those solutions.

“Traditionally, addressing such challenges would entail deploying reverse or low-level engineers with specialized skill sets,” said Salloum. “However, the AMP tools streamline this process, requiring less specialized knowledge upfront and empowering developers to enact changes directly within the source code. One of the pivotal contributions of AMP lies in providing assurance—a component often overlooked or deemed unattainable due to the absence of original components. In scenarios where the build-chain is lost, conventional software testing becomes unfeasible. Yet, AMP equips end-users with tools to identify binary modifications, assess their expectedness, and navigate rigorous certification processes with confidence. While the primary focus of the program is to support developer-centric operations, the benefits extend to low-level binary-space engineers, expediting their workflows. This collaborative effort has yielded a diverse array of tools catering to various stages of analysis, patching, and testing—a testament to the program’s versatility and efficacy.”

Students Take the Spotlight

The AMP Hackathons are a culmination of multiple years of research being applied by the next generation of engineers to address real security concerns in transportation and aerospace.

“Our goal was to patch a bug that caused rovers to miscalculate temperature messages it received, and we needed to ensure we did this in a minimally invasive way and while speeding up the patching process,” said Jake Jepson, Cybersecurity Graduate Research Assistant at CSU. “Reverse engineering in the software space is so broad that no tool is going to work every time. The tools developed through AMP are much more effective which is why our team was able to generate 16 patches in two days. We wanted to push the tools to the limit to not only see if we could develop a patch that worked, but could we develop a patch that works in different ways.”

On the last day, participants shared their experience in using AMP tools to rapidly generate and verify security patches and deploy them to the target systems with minimal impact. Their success demonstrates the potential for broader application of micropatching techniques across legacy software.

“The work, dedication, and innovation of students at the hackathon will have a ripple effect that will undoubtedly be felt in the broader landscape of national security and how we continue to make progress under the AMP program with DARPA,” said Eric Thayer, Chief Engineer at AIS. “Students were able to successfully leverage AMP tools to address real security concerns. This first hackathon marked a significant stride in fortifying critical infrastructure systems against cyber threats. Beyond the event, the broader implications of AMP tools represent a paradigm shift in how we deal with legacy software vulnerabilities, offering rapid and minimally invasive solutions. We’re eagerly anticipating the next hackathon at the ORION NTROPEE facility in Rome, New York.”

(Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

AIS is proud to announce its CEO, Charles Green, will be participating in an upcoming roundtable discussion on artificial intelligence (AI). The free event, hosted by New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-C-Rome, and Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr., will take place on February 28 from 6:30pm to 8pm at Mohawk Valley Community College’s Rome Campus.

The roundtable will bring together elected officials, industry experts and thought leaders to explore the benefits and challenges associated with AI technology.

“The use of artificial intelligence is becoming more and more common,” said Sen. Joseph Griffo. “Given its widespread emergence, many people have questions and/or concerns and want to learn more about this technology.”

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. highlighted the importance of addressing both the potential benefits and risks associated with AI.

“AI has the potential to significantly improve many areas of our lives,” said Picente. “But we must tread carefully as we explore its capabilities and the negative aspects that could arise.”

At AIS, the Season of Giving is more than a tradition; it’s a heartfelt commitment to making a positive impact on the community and spreading joy to those who need it the most during the holidays.

We embraced the season of giving this month with our annual United Way Workplace Campaign. Each year, we host a workplace campaign encouraging employees to donate to the United Way of the Mohawk Valley, an organization committed to improving our communities. Its mission is to better people’s lives through programs that are focused on the building blocks of a good quality life – education, health and income stability.

AIS is proud to announce its exclusive sponsorship of the AIS Executive Suites at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. This partnership signifies AIS’s commitment to the community and enhancing the sports and entertainment experience for fans in the Mohawk Valley.

The AIS Executive Suites offer an unmatched blend of luxury and excitement for attendees, providing premium seating with spectacular views of the action on the ice. New this year is the AIS Cyber Lounge, which was previously known as the Zuhaus. The AIS Cyber Lounge is the largest of the suites and is available for private rentals at the multitude of events that take place at the Adirondack Bank Center.

The AIS Executive Suites sponsorship will officially launch at the Utica Comets season opener against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, October 13.

“Our partnership with AIS is an exciting addition to the Adirondack Bank Center,” said Robert Esche, President of Mohawk Valley Garden. “It is clear that AIS and its leadership are committed to our area and the people in it, so the partnership is a natural fit. We are excited to launch the AIS Executive Suites and Cyber Lounge as we embark on a new season this Friday.”

During its summer employee picnic, AIS worked with local non-profit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to build 28 beds for children in need in Central New York.

Twenty-five employees and family members volunteered their time the morning of the annual picnic to assemble the beds and together, raised $1,000 for the community. AIS also donated $5,000 towards materials.

“Our employees walked away from the bed build feeling really good about helping children and families in our community,” said Erin Bushinger, Director of Corporate Communications. “The Sleep in Heavenly Peace organization has an inspiring mission, and it was an honor to support it by helping to ensure that local children have a place to sleep at night. They made the process fun, simple and efficient and we look forward to continuing to volunteer with them.”

As of August 2022, the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Utica Chapter has delivered more than 427 beds to children in need this year and 552 since its inception as a chapter in August of 2021. They currently have a wait list for more than 175 beds.

About Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Sleep in Heavenly Peace believes that all children deserve a safe and comfortable place to lay their heads. Across the United States, too many boys and girls go without a bed—or even a pillow—to sleep on. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health. That’s where Sleep in Heavenly Peace comes in. This group of volunteers is dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. For more information, visit https://shpbeds.org/chapter/ny-utica/.

Do the Right Thing is one of the five values that guide our company each day.

AIS is committed to supporting the needs of our communities so they can prosper in a multitude of ways and this year, we were afforded the opportunity to try something new. We launched a values-infused donation initiative and the process was simple – employees nominated charities and organizations that were near and dear to them. From there, the selected agencies went through a scoring process and employees were asked to vote on the organizations that they felt best aligned with our five values.

The winners were:

Do the Right Thing – St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital

Be Transparent – Open Insulin Foundation

Live Boldly – Sponsors for Educational Opportunity

Adapt and Overcome – Foodlink

Make It Happen – The V Foundation for Cancer Research

During November, the season of giving, we are thankful for this process that allowed all of us to collaborate and diversify the philanthropic efforts of our company, and we are thrilled to be supporting these incredible organizations this year.

We hope everyone has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!