The US government agency ARPA-H has allocated over $50 million to support the development of technology aimed at automating the process of securing hospital IT environments. This initiative, called Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense (UPGRADE), seeks to create software tools that can identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in hospital computer systems and automatically deploy patches to address these threats.
Teams have been invited to apply for funding to develop UPGRADE, which will specifically focus on testing and deploying software fixes in hospital networks with minimal disruption to patient services. The project is seeking participants to work on creating a vulnerability mitigation platform, developing digital twins of hospital equipment, auto-detecting flaws, and creating custom defenses.
ARPA-H was established by President Joe Biden two years ago with the goal of investing in breakthrough technologies to benefit medicine and healthcare. The agency, which reports to the US Department of Health and Human Services, is committed to enhancing cybersecurity in the healthcare sector through initiatives like UPGRADE.
HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm emphasized the importance of protecting healthcare systems from cyberattacks, highlighting the critical need for secure and resilient hospital operations. With healthcare facilities increasingly targeted by ransomware attacks, UPGRADE aims to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of hospitals across the country.
The project is a response to the escalating threat landscape facing healthcare organizations and the unique vulnerabilities they face compared to other critical infrastructure sectors. ARPA-H is collaborating with DARPA on initiatives like the Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) to bolster cybersecurity defenses in critical infrastructure.
AIxCC, a two-year competition announced by DARPA, focuses on developing AI-based tools to secure code used in critical infrastructure. Teams participating in the challenge are competing for a chance to advance to the semifinals at DEF CON in August, with the ultimate goal of enhancing cybersecurity in critical infrastructure sectors.
