Perri Adams, DARPA
Several years after the introduction of widely-accessible, powerful generative AI, security researchers are still working to understand how it will, and will not, alter their domain. Will AI be the panacea that revolutionizes static analysis and arbitrarily generates proof-of-concept exploits, or will its applicability be limited to well-constrained subproblems, leading to incremental, but not unsubstantial, gains in the field? While too soon to offer answers, we'll look to recent work to explore how white hat security research will be shaped by AI.
Then, having asked what AI can do for us, we'll ask what we can do for AI. Over the last several decades, offensive security research has gone from ad hoc efforts, often unappreciated, to an essential part of the cybersecurity ecosystem, responsible for some of the most effective defensive measures we have today. As the AI industry rapidly comes into its own, what lessons can be learned from the paths forged by white hat hackers?
Perri Adams, DARPA
Ms. Perri Adams is a special assistant to the director at DARPA, where she advises stakeholders at the agency and across the U.S. government on the next generation of AI and cybersecurity technology.
Prior to this role, Adams was a program manager within DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O), where, among other programs, she created the AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC). Previously, she was also a technical advisor for research and development programs at DARPA.
Before joining the agency, she supported various U.S. government customers, including other parts of the Department of Defense, while at Boeing and Two Six Technologies.
A frequent speaker on both technical and cyber policy issues, her written work has been published by Lawfare and the Council on Foreign Relations. She has also advised and collaborated with think tanks such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
For years, Adams has been an avid participant in cybersecurity Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions and was one of the organizers of the DEF CON CTF, the world's premier hacking competition. Adams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a proud alumna of the computer security club, RPISEC.
author = {Perri Adams},
title = {{AI} and White Hat Hacking: A Symbiotic Relationship?},
year = {2024},
address = {Philadelphia, PA},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = aug
}