AAICL (Avast AI and Cybersecurity Laboratory)

We decided to foster artificial intelligence and machine learning research through a joint laboratory with Avast, the global leader in digital security. This is a very first cooperation of its kind in this area. The Avast AI and Cybersecurity Laboratory (abbreviated AAICL), where most of the research will be conducted, is located at the FEE CTU campus on Charles Square. And we are excited to see where this cooperation will lead us in terms of research discoveries, great patents and papers as well as new colleagues on our team.

Investments and goals of the lab

Avast’s rich threat data from over 400 million devices globally will be combined our study of complex and evasive threats to undertake research on the means to pre-empt and inhibit attempts made by cybercriminals to use new technologies including artificial intelligence to mount increasingly sophisticated and damaging cyberattacks. The goals of our joint laboratory include to publish breakthrough research in this field, and to enhance Avast’s malware detection engine, including its AI-based detection algorithms. AAICL will be supported by a $1M (23 mil CZK) investment by Avast spread over a five-year period. The funding will be used to carry out scientific research in the AI and machine learning field, helping us  to grow our  talent pool and establish ourself as one of the leading academic institutions on AI and cybersecurity.

Participate in our research

AAICL is the product of previously successful teamwork between Avast and our center. Joint projects include as the Aposemat research project on IoT devices in February 2018, and more recently the discovery of Geost, a large-scale Android banking botnet targeting Russian citizens. The lab will be led by our researcher Sebastián García, who will create a program that tackles the big cybersecurity issues of our time, including the detection of evolving and highly-sophisticated malware, IoT security, and identification and analysis of fake news. AAICL will therefore employ three full-time senior researchers and up to ten PhD students of the FEE CTU. At the moment, not all positions are filled, so those interested in cooperation can contact the laboratory at takuskat@fel.cvut.cz.

Avast's press release (English): https://press.avast.com/avast-and-czech-technical-university-in-prague-establish-joint-ai-and-cybersecurity-lab 

Article on the CTU website (Czech): https://aktualne.cvut.cz/stalo-se/20191106-fakulta-elektrotechnicka-a-avast-oteviraji-spolecnou-laborator-zamerenou-na-umelou

Czech Crunch article (Czech): https://www.czechcrunch.cz/2019/11/cvut-a-avast-v-praze-oteviraji-laborator-umele-inteligence-cesky-antivirovy-gigant-ji-podpori-23-miliony-korun/

AI World (Czech): https://aiworld.cz/bezpecnost/avast-a-cvut-spolecne-oteviraji-cybersecurity-ai-laborator-494