Working
dogs often play a niche role in various military operations and investigations.
They are are historically recognized for their unique sensory and search
capabilities in which humans have vitally depended on. Growing up, working dogs
have always been an integral part of my life. My dad was a former explosives
canine handler and division specialist. In Fall 2019, I was looking for a
course project that I could use to simultaneously further my experience outside
of the classroom. So, I decided to look at what I already knew. I discovered
that non-line-of-sight (NLOS) canine control was well sought after by handlers
and that little research had been conducted involving working dogs in the cyber
domain. I initiated a plan of research and began reaching out to canine
trainers and relevant researchers. I asked my professor, Dr. Winston, to mentor
a project that bridges the gap between working dogs and cybersecurity.
Despite
recent developments in artificial intelligence and an increased emphasis on
robotics, nothing compares to the to the portability, agility, and trainability
of working dogs in mission environments.
By developing a mobile low-power signal and packet gathering sniffer,
harness-wearing working dogs would be able to directly contribute to passive
reconnaissance operations as the delivery device to areas of interest. Once the dog reaches the target location and
hides, operatives would then be able to remotely execute probing commands and
automated scripts utilizing modern hacking software and log analysis tools.
However, long distance off leash handler-to-canine communication remains a
challenge.
Nevertheless,
based on current canine training practices, this project aiming to solve the
dilemma by integrating established lidar, radar, and GPS technologies coupled
with wireless signal capturing capabilities. Following a ‘just enough data’
paradigm, fault tolerant NLOS communication between handler and canine may be
achieved
By
utilizing a smartphone, microcomputer, and software-defined radio, remote
communication via audio frequencies and harness vibrations may be established
over a peer-to-peer LTE network supported by machine learning detection
algorithms and signal engineering techniques. The development of this
technology would provide governments and agencies a niche risk averse
alternative to unmanned-aerial-vehicles and hardware dead drops. The intended
cyber psychical system use-cases are for discrete night operations where
human-threatening boundaries are present. Working dogs may be the most reliable
and non-invasive weapon for delivering cyber reconnaissance tools in these scenarios.
