Intelligence in National Security

1. Intelligence in National Security Association of Former Intelligence Officers Banquet 2 May 2014 Dr. John M. Poindexter john@jmpconsultant.com

2. Agenda • My goal -- Improving product to help decision makers • National Security Equation • Big Data • Cognitive Computing • Privacy Problems and Potential Solution

3. Data -> Information => Knowledge p> Options e> Action National Security Equation Involves All of National Security Community Not Just Intelligence… Extensive Automation More Cognitive c> Where operators (functions) are: Collection = human and sensor (e.g. Internet) collection of data ->Analysis = selects data-in-contextto produce information =>SenseMaking = understanding what the information means p> PathFinding = deciding what to do about it in policy context e> Execution = “operational forces” carry out decision Iteration = many steps are often repeated (e.g. Action changes the world and thus new collection is required.) c> • Simplified but basic non-linear process that is essential to understand. • Analysis is an over-used term. • This provides a working definition of Sensemaking and Pathfinding. • Process carried out in a collaborative environment with relevant agencies. • Collaboration is essential to bring diversity to problem of uncertain data. • Need competitive SenseMaking to give decision makers range of understanding. • Great deal of confusion amongst the terms data, information and knowledge. • “Operational Forces” – military, diplomatic, economic, public diplomacy, law enforcement, covert. Goal: Develop information technology components to aid process.

4. Improvement Requires Co-Evolution Of: Increasing Difficulty

5. Big Data – Major Problem but Opportunity Characterized by: • Volume • Velocity • Variety • Veracity ---------------- data

6. DataBases For analysis there are problems… • DataBases are designed for storage – not analysis • Great for storage of collection • Originally designed for back office operations • Personnel, inventory and accounting • Ok if queries are of static form • Tables are designed to answer these queries promptly • With intelligence, complex query forms are dynamic • Can’t predict a priori what needs to be asked • In this case table joins are usually required • With Big Data these joins are very time consuming • Typically Hours to Days • Often said about DataBases – “Write Once Read Never”

7. MemoryBase – A New Technology Design influenced by analogy to human memory… Multiple Contexts Organization: White House Matrix Person: Poindexter Matrix Who/What is related? How? Where? When? Sense-Making Who/What is similar? How similar/different? What could happen? Where? When? What has been done before? Did it work? Decision Support A matrix for every person, place, and thing A matrix for every situation, action, and outcome

8. MemoryBase Characteristics Works like the human brain, but never forgets… • Does not replace databases, but is an adjunct • Ingests distributed data in heterogeneous formats • Static and streaming – structured and unstructured text • Incoming schemas are translated to generic schema • Scales to Big Data • Standard off-the-shelf servers • Dynamic query response time in sub-second to seconds independent of MemoryBase size • Now moving to more cognitive functions • Produced by Saffron Technology, Inc. • Intel has made a multi-million dollar investment recently

9. Privacy Appliance Concept Access to Big Data has privacy implications… • Recent revelations about access to Big Data by the USG have raised concerns again about privacy – Section 215. • Government agencies in the national security domain work diligently IAW the law to protect the privacy of innocent individuals while protecting the US from various threats. • The people want this protection, but are concerned about privacy. • The problem is the people don’t trust the government. • Maybe technology can help with this. • Complicated, but possible. • When I was at DARPA after 911, we came up with a concept for a Privacy Appliance and began research. • It was the only part of the TIA program that was not transferred to the IC and work on it stopped.

10. Concept for Controlled Data Access Leave data distributed, identify critical data bases… Patterns are important to search for data-in-context to avoid 6-degrees of separation problem. Pattern-based Query Privacy Appliance Collaborative, Multi-Agency Analytical Environment Transactions Automated Data Repositories World Wide Distributed Data Bases Filtered Results Red teams simulating threat organizations plan attacks and develop patterns of transactions that are indicative of attack planning.

11. privacy appliance privacy appliance privacy appliance user query data source cross-source privacy appliance data source response Government owned Independently operated data source Commercial or Government owned Finding Relevant Information -- Analysis While protecting the privacy of innocents, sources & methods… • Contains MemoryBase (MB) Index • Updated in real time • Authentication • Authorization • Anonymization • Immutable audit trail • Inference checking • Selective revelation • Data transformation • Policy is embeded • Create MB Index

12. Inference control knowledge base Query blocked or allowed User query Immutable audit trail The Privacy Appliance ConceptAll functions highly automated to reduce time late… Policy & Business Rules Embedded (machine readable) Selective Revelation & Anonymization Authorization tables MemoryBase Processing Transparent, cryptographic protected shell (much like network guards) Masking • Search Patterns are authorized by a judicial authority (e.g. FISA court). • Selective Revelation to limit response details depending on level of authorization. • Inference Controlto identify queries that would allow defeat of anonymization. • Access Controlto return identifying data only to appropriately authorized, authenticated users. • Immutable Audit Trailfor accountability – must have way of analyzing routinely. • Maskingto hide analyst intent – especially for non-government data bases. • MemoryBase index created to home in on relevant data bases. Publish source code for appliance. Need to avoid Clipper Chip problem.