BT Group has announced the development of a new cyber defence technology known as the ‘network immune system’. This autonomous platform, inspired by the human immune system, leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to protect networks from cyber threats.

The system was created by BT’s research and development teams at Adastral Park in Suffolk, UK. The project, codenamed Inflame, involved a collaboration between BT’s security analysts, data scientists, and network automation specialists.

Autonomous Threat Detection and Response

The network immune system operates as an autonomous security platform that identifies and isolates threats at the network level in real time. By analyzing network traffic, its AI models detect anomalies that signal a potential cyberattack. Once a threat is identified, the system automatically blocks the attack’s path.

Instead of just blocking the threat, the technology diverts it away from customer services and into a ‘digital quarantine’. This process is designed to manage threats without disrupting legitimate network operations. The system has been trained using data from BT’s own networks and tested against tens of thousands of common cyber threats.

Integration and Scale

BT Group reports that its global networks face an average of 6,500 cyberattacks every day, and its security systems block approximately 1.8 billion malicious emails each month. The new network immune system technology is set to be integrated into BT’s existing global security services offered to business and public sector customers.

Howard Watson, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT Group, described the development as a “radical rethink” of network security. He emphasized that this AI-led approach is designed to be more proactive and predictive, moving beyond traditional reactive security measures.

Source: https://www.telecomtv.com/content/security/bt-develops-network-immune-system-54028/