Rapid improvements in the worlds of security and privacy mean that, even as the world sees an unprecedented number of threats, both online and in the physical world, we are better equipped to defend ourselves than at any other time in history. Whether it’s using AI to improve threat detection or creating cryptography than can withstand even a quantum-level computing threat, innovative tech is helping keep our identities and bodies safe.
The companies behind these technologies are among the honorees in Fast Company‘s Next Big Things in Tech awards for 2022. See a full list of all the winners across all categories here.
Winners: Security and Privacy
Adversa AI
For putting AI’s accuracy to the test
Adversa created the world’s first commercial AI Red Team to test the security of AI algorithms. The company has pioneered a three-pronged approach to AI security: educating firms on privacy and security through its online course, evaluating the security of AI-powered systems, and offering practical solutions to better defend those systems.
Ambient.ai
For using AI to improve real-time threat detection
The Ambient.ai platform uses computer vision to improve video monitoring and threat detection, scanning for so-called threat signatures—that is, patterns of events that suggest suspicious behavior (for example: loitering near a security checkpoint). Ambient.ai’s facial recognition-free formula goes a long way toward minimizing bias by scanning for a series of red flags, rather than a lone alert.
Anonybit
For making biometric data less hackable
Anonybit decentralizes identity data such as biometrics and private keys into anonymized bits, which are then circulated through a peer-to-peer network of nodes. This zero-knowledge proof system does away with the central honeypots of personal data that have repeatedly fallen victim to cyberattacks over the years.
PQShield
For protecting data from quantum attacks
A spin-out from Oxford University’s Mathematical Institute, PQShield offers cryptography for chips, the cloud, and applications that’s resistant to rogue decryption using ultra-powerful quantum computers. The company’s cryptography extends to everything from IoT firmware to end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal. In addition, PQShield is working with the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology to replace current cryptographic methods with new, quantum-secure algorithms.
SandboxAQ
For helping today’s companies assess tomorrow’s threats
SandboxAQ offers clients access to its Security Suite, a set of tools that helps organizations transition to quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. The company offers a multi-step cryptographic migration process: discovery of any security vulnerabilities with a company’s infrastructure, followed by the initial transfer of critical IT infrastructure over to post-quantum cryptography, and finally a full transition to the new algorithm.
