Border security

Deep Threat Analysis: Going Beyond the Obvious to Improve Border Security

To prevent threats, one must predict threats. Adversaries are constantly changing strategies and tactics, and many of today’s border protection approaches are limited to watch lists and known patterns that fall short. A new approach, known as “deep threat analysis,” uses predictive analytics to examine the complex web of relationships and actions surrounding a traveler or shipment crossing a border. This yields better insights for thwarting bad actors.

To determine the risk associated with a traveler or shipment, deep threat analysis pulls data not only from airline and law enforcement records, but also from historical travel records or data regarding associates.

Deep threat analysis uses multiple techniques to provide a more insightful and comprehensive view. For example:

• Analysis of complex relationships.Correlates and connects travelers and circumstances, such as others traveling on the same plane or to the same destination.
• Sophisticated engineered rules.Compares travel details against previous illicit activities. For instance, DMV data can show if a person owns a car reportedly used during a crime.
• Statistical analysis or predictive analysis. Automatically detects and flags anomalies which may not be obvious to the human eye but which could indicate a potential threat.
• Continuous feedback or machine learning. Automatically updates threat assessment algorithms with the results from previous assessments – for improved accuracy with every assessment.