TinyML: Revolutionizing Cybersecurity with Minimal Resources

TinyML isn’t as tiny as you think.

It’s the realm of machine learning (ML) where size is no measure of strength. It’s the marriage between ML algorithms and embedded systems. Unlike the power-hungry ML models you are used to, TinyML explores the types of models that require incredibly low computational resources.

More precisely, this type of machine learning focuses on the development and deployment of ML models that run on devices at extremely low power with a feeble storage capacity, all at low latency. This enables battery-powered devices to be utilized for several always-on machine-learning use cases.

I have written A Tiny Introduction to TinyML if you’d like to read more about what TinyML is. This blog post will cover the cybersecurity applications of TinyML.

Top use cases of TinyML in cybersecurity

Being vigilant 24/7 is an efficient way to approach security, especially reactive security. This process is resource-intensive, both with respect to hardware and humans. The ability to be more vigilant with fewer resources can change the game. This is where the ability of TinyML models to thrive in resource-constrained environments shines.

The following are some of the use cases of TinyML in cybersecurity:

• Anomaly detection: TinyML models can help detect anomalies in network traffic or system behavior on edge devices.
• Malware detection on IoT devices: TinyML models can be trained to run directly on IoT devices, detecting malware based on patterns in device behavior or communication.
• Access control: TinyML can allow facial or voice recognition models to run on resource-constrained devices, helping to protect sensitive data.
• Device-level security: Since TinyML models enable local processing, IoT devices can detect and respond to threats locally. For instance, a smart camera can utilize TinyML to detect and alert unauthorized access attempts.

How to approach TinyML for cybersecurity

An important aspect of TinyML that needs to be emphasized is the fact that it allows devices to process and store data on-premise. This enhances data security and privacy as data doesn’t have to leave devices to be processed.

The ability to process locally or close to the sensor can possibly reduce the volume of data sent to centralized servers for analysis. This can help minimize false positives and improve the reliability of smart devices and the efficiency of cybersecurity monitoring.

Nevertheless, TinyML faces a few challenges, especially because it’s relatively new.

Firstly, data. Machine learning models typically require a large amount of data to make the right predictions or decisions. Developers will have a hard time training TinyML models with these large datasets as the devices on which they run are resource-constrained.

Secondly, there aren’t many algorithms designed specifically for TinyML deployment. Most ML algorithms out there are resource-intensive or overly complex in the lens of TinyML.

However, these limitations can be addressed by future research and development efforts.

In short, TinyML is one of the crucial steps towards creating unhackable solutions.

Check out TensorFlow Lite, uTensor, AIfES, and Arm’s CMSIS-NN which are a few of the popular frameworks used for deploying ML models in IoT devices. Also, check out Edge Impulse and OpenMV which are platforms used for TinyML app development.