Meet the startup that just won the Pentagon’s first AI defense contract

The Department of Defense has awarded its first generative AI protection contract to Jericho Security, marking a strategic shift in army cybersecurity. The $1.8 million Small Enterprise Expertise Switch (STTR) Section II contract, introduced by way of AFWERX, duties the New York-based startup with growing superior cybersecurity options for the Division of the Air Drive.

“This is among the first generative AI contracts awarded in protection, marking a serious milestone in how significantly our army is addressing AI-based threats,” Sage Wohns, CEO of Jericho Safety, advised VentureBeat in an unique interview

How AI-powered phishing assaults goal army personnel

The corporate’s method facilities on simulating advanced, multi-channel phishing assaults that mirror real-world eventualities. “In immediately’s panorama, phishing campaigns aren’t restricted to only emails—they contain coordinated makes an attempt throughout a number of platforms like textual content messages, telephone calls, and even video calls,” Wohns defined, describing assaults that chain collectively a number of types of communication to deceive targets.

What units Jericho’s expertise aside is its deal with human vulnerability — broadly thought-about the weakest hyperlink in cybersecurity. The corporate claims that as much as 95% of information breaches stem from human error. Their platform creates personalised safety coaching packages primarily based on particular person danger profiles, utilizing generative AI to simulate refined assaults together with deepfake impersonations and AI-generated malware.

Deepfake assaults and drone pilot concentrating on: The brand new frontier of army cybersecurity

The contract comes at a crucial time, as army personnel face more and more focused assaults. “There was a extremely publicized spear-phishing assault concentrating on Air Drive drone pilots utilizing pretend person manuals,” Wohns revealed, highlighting how the corporate helped consider vulnerabilities by way of assault simulation and specialised coaching.

For a younger firm competing within the crowded cybersecurity market, touchdown a Protection Division contract represents a serious validation. The deal positions Jericho Safety to increase past its industrial roots into the profitable authorities sector, the place cybersecurity spending continues to develop amid escalating threats.

Navy contracts usually require stringent safety measures. Wohns emphasised that Jericho maintains “military-grade cybersecurity requirements” together with end-to-end encryption and remoted safe environments for dealing with delicate army information.

The subsequent technology of AI protection: Predator and prey mannequin

In contrast to conventional cybersecurity approaches that react to identified threats, Jericho Safety employs what Wohns calls a “predator and prey” mannequin. “We began with assault simulation, giving us a steady stream of real-time information to boost each offensive and defensive capabilities,” he mentioned. This twin method permits their AI programs to evolve alongside rising threats reasonably than merely responding to them.

The Air Drive contract, executed by way of AFWERX—the innovation arm of the Division of the Air Drive—is a part of a broader initiative to speed up army adoption of personal sector expertise. AFWERX has awarded over 6,200 contracts value greater than $4.7 billion since 2019, working to strengthen the U.S. protection industrial base and velocity up expertise deployment.