The present International patent application is filed based on the Israeli patent application No. 285252 originally filed on Jul. 29, 2021.
The presently disclosed subject matter refers to a method and a system for detecting cyber attacks to one or more radars.
A classical rotating air surveillance radar system detects target echoes against a background of noise. It usually reports these detections (known as “plots”) in polar coordinates representing the range and bearing of the target. In addition, noise in the radar receiver may occasionally exceed the detection threshold of the radar's false alarm rate detector and be incorrectly reported as targets (known as false alarms). The role of the radar tracker is to monitor consecutive updates from the radar system (which typically occur once every few seconds, as the antenna rotates) and to determine those sequences of plots belonging to the same target, whilst rejecting any plots believed to be false alarms. In addition, the radar tracker is able to use the sequence of plots to estimate the current speed and heading of the target. When several targets are present, the radar tracker aims to provide one track for each target, with the track history often being used to indicate where the target has come from.
A radar track typically contains information on its position (in two or three dimensions), heading, speed and a unique track number. In addition, it may include track reliability or uncertainty information.
When multiple radar systems are connected to a single reporting post, a multi-radar tracker is often used to monitor the updates from all of the radars and form tracks from the combination of detections. In this configuration, the tracks are often more accurate than those formed from single radars, as a greater number of detections can be used to estimate the tracks. In addition to associating plots, rejecting false alarms and estimating heading and speed, the radar tracker also acts as a filter, in which errors in the individual radar measurements are smoothed out. In essence, the radar tracker fits a smooth curve to the reported plots and, if done correctly, can increase the overall accuracy of the radar system.
Radar real targets acquired via RF media are usually well validated by tracking algorithms such as, for example, a Multiple Hypothesis Tracking (MHT) that classifies the targets by modeling their physical behavior and by filtering erroneous (false) tracks or clusters.
The MHT allows a track to be updated by more than one plot at each update, spawning multiple possible tracks. As each radar update is received, every possible track can be potentially updated with every new update. The MHT calculates the probability of each potential track and typically only reports the most probable of all the tracks. For reasons of finite computer memory and computational power, the MHT typically includes some approach for deleting the most unlikely potential track updates.
While radar real targets are considered, the above procedure works quite well.
Nowadays, a new problem has appeared-a possibility of cyber attacks to a radar system.
Known existing cyber protection layers are capable of preventing cyber attacks.
In case a cyber attack on a radar system is not prevented and does take place, the existing cyber protection layers demonstrate quite low efficiency in real time.
For example, such layers are inefficient against advanced persistent attacks that can be driven by software-equipped entities, such as human attackers and/or malicious computer worms such as Stuxnet etc. Such entities may target, for example, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems of radars.
Cyber attacks are most dangerous and harmful as they may overwrite a radar system's behavior without being detected.
It is therefore the object of the invention to create a cyber layer that is capable of detecting stealthy cyber attacks where an attacker gains control over a radar system.
Such a cyber attack may be understood as an attacker's control over the radar system when the system's behavior is maliciously and at least partially overwritten (changed) on a logical layer, without being immediately noted.
Malicious changes of the radar system behavior on the logical layer due to a cyber attack should be understood as causing damage to data within the radar system, which may take place without causing damage to the radar system equipment.
As a result of a cyber attack, false targets may be injected or real targets may be removed, and reported through communication channels in a radar system, in the form of false data on a specific target, for example false data on its location, plot/track, velocity, classification, etc.
Usually, only data is damaged in cyber attacks, which causes difficulties in detecting the attack.
One of the main purposes of the proposed technique is to detect a cyber attack and to identify false injected data, by monitoring the logical layer (i.e., data) in a radar system. The data to be monitored includes raw data logs of one or more radar system modules and submodules.
Inconsistent behavior in performance of radar system units (modules) may be detected based on data received from these modules.
Each inconsistency results in an anomaly which may be observed and detected in the radar reports.
Modules of a radar system, inter alia, include block/s generating electromagnetic waves (beams) to be sent to targets, blocks for collecting data received by a number of beams about each specific target, processing the collected data thus obtaining a number of plots, and forming, from the plots, a track of a specific target.
Some other modules/units of a radar system which may be affected by an attacker will be mentioned in the detailed description and illustrated in
The new, improved radar system may comprise a data processing engine/unit for analyzing the common data input online, to determine whether the radar reports comprise false data related to a cyber attack.
Plots and tracks are the main entities to be analyzed in the proposed system. Additional entities may be specified, some of which will be discussed as the description proceeds.
All modules producing and reporting data will be monitored by a computer system of the radar system. Note that each module producing electromagnetic beams and/or other tangible physical output also issues data reports on its functioning. Such reports, among other data reports, form part of the common data input of the computer system.
It should be borne in mind that any data input in a radar system may supposedly be overwritten by an attacker during a cyber attack.
The proposed technique aims at online detection and analysis of anomalies in the radar system, for further determining whether such anomalies are cyber-oriented. The technique is implemented in and performed by a data processing engine/unit configured for detecting cyber attacks. In this description, it termed a processor and memory circuitry (PMC) or, more specifically, a Cyber Attack Detecting Unit (CADU). The unit may form part of a computer system of the radar system, but may be a stand-alone unit/product.
The technique may use Big Data infrastructure and Machine Learning algorithms to achieve its goal.
For detecting anomalies, the technique may check preliminarily selected characteristic features of specific entities, whose features may be extracted from raw input data by applying suitable algorithms. The characteristic features are extracted from raw data logs reported by various modules of the radar system, during a so-called feature extraction process. Sets of characteristic features for respective entities serve to detect whether local anomalies exist in all or any of subsystems, processes and sub-processes of the radar system. It should be kept in mind that raw data on these subsystems, processes and subprocesses is reported by various modules of the radar system.
For example, physical behavior of a track may be examined by a set of features extracted from one or more radar plots forming the track, whose set may include the following exemplary features (parameters): estimated jerk, a turn angle, type of the target, its maneuvering index, etc.
For detecting anomalies, a kind of reference should be used.
In one option, the reference may be in the form of values of the corresponding characteristic features, taking place when the radar system is not subjected to a cyber attack. Another option of the reference may be a behavioral model of the radar system built with using the characteristic features in the absence of a cyber attack.
The proposed technique may be understood as a kind of learning technique, which comprises a preliminary (training) step taking place in conventional circumstances, and applying the mentioned reference knowledge to the radar system.
Finally, a high-level algorithm (for example, a machine learning algorithm) may be applied for analysis, to identify correlations of local anomalies, to determine whether the local anomalies relate to a cyber attack. If they are such, the cyber attack is detected and actions are taken in response thereto. For example, cyber-related false tracks are detected and thus disregarded (say, eliminated from the radar display).
In this application, the term “correlations of local anomalies” may include combinations of local anomalies and/or dependencies there-between.
Further, the term “combinations” of local anomalies may include sequences thereof.
One possible correlation of local anomalies may be such that similar anomalies arrive in combinations: in groups, or in sequences/chains. For example, a number of plots/tracks detected by the radar system may be similarly biased in time; a number of plots/tracks may be similarly shifted in space; a number of plots/tracks may be presented by packets where contents of all plot points are replaced with zeros, etc.
Another kind of local anomalies may be an anomaly related to the energy conservation law. Radar produces two types of electromagnetic beams for “catching” a target: track beams and search beams. For detecting the mentioned anomaly, the proposed technique may compare the total load of a radar (in energy or in power) as reported by the radar, with the actual load of the radar. The actual (real) load may be computed by integrating the track-dwell time for a group of radars or all track and search beams during the same reported period. If there is a distinguishable mismatch between the compared values, it may be suspected that some of the tracks have been injected, removed and/or relevant data has been overwritten.
Such and other correlations of local anomalies (of the same or different kinds of the local anomalies) may be checked.
The correlations of local anomalies may be checked a) for a specific radar and/or for a group of radars; b) for radar/s and other module/s of the radar system; c) for a specific entity and/or for a group of entities, for any of a), b), c) together.
In view of the above, there is proposed a technique (a method, a system and a software product) which may be defined as follows.
A computer-implemented method for detecting a cyber attack in a radar system having a number of modules configured to produce data reports on their performance, said modules including at least one radar, the method being performed by a processor and memory circuitry unit (PMC), and comprising:
The PMC unit may be operatively connected and be in data communication with the radar system. It may be called a Cyber Attack Detection Unit—CADU.
Generally, the proposed method may be classified as a learning technique, where anomalies over some normal way of operation are to be detected and analyzed.
The step of analyzing the local anomalies may be performed by correlating (including finding combinations, sequences and/or dependencies of local anomalies) based at least partly on a machine learning algorithm.
The method may comprise performing said steps for one or more entities in parallel/online. Alternatively or in addition, the method may comprise performing these steps for one or more radars of the system in parallel/online.
The entire method may be performed online.
Said entities may be selected from a non-exhaustive list comprising at least a track and a plot.
The term “entity” may be illustrated by a number of examples/types. Entity types might include plots, tracks, beams, modules, entities at least partially related to energy, etc. As noted before, entities are characterized by sets of features, each of the sets reflecting (or being a function of) underlying processes.
The predetermined actions in response to the cyber attack may be, for example: issuing one or more alarms, deleting false plots or tracks created based on the radar reports, issuing urgent instructions to specific modules, etc.
In the proposed method for detecting one or more local anomalies, the raw data (at least of the radar reports) may undergo a so-called Features Extraction process, by applying relevant algorithms to the radar reports. The algorithms may be based on physical models describing the corresponding underlining radar system processes. For example, the physical models may include: a target kinematic model, an energy conservation law model, a track classification process model, etc.
A local anomaly may be detected based on checking at least one (first) set of characteristic features per entity.
More specifically, the step of detecting one or more local anomalies may comprise:
The second, reference set of local characteristic features should be understood as a set of features characterizing a specific type of entity in a situation free of a cyber attack. The reference set is usually obtained in advance.
For example, the second, reference, set of features for a rocket plot/track may comprise various physical and/or operational features: type of entity (say, plot or track), classification of the target (say a rocket, a helicopter, etc.), estimated accepted ranges/values for location, height, velocity, jerk, turn angle, maneuvering index, etc.
The reference sets of features are usually formed in advance, for example based on a radar's historic data.
The first, current set comprises a corresponding set of features which supposedly characterize said specific type of entity in a situation where a cyber attack is not excluded.
Only similar entities can be compared. In one example, a detected entity is a track. The second (reference) set of features may then refer to a generalized track, with its average expected numeric pattern, time shift, etc.
The corresponding features in the first and the second sets may differ from one another by one or more of the factors such as: presence, value, time shift, territory shift, classification, etc.
In case the extracted first, current set comprises fewer characteristic features and/or the present features respectively have values exceeding the predetermined ranges, a local anomaly may be detected.
Another way to detect one or more local anomalies (at least in said radar reports), is to utilize one or more expected behavioral models of one or more respective entity types, wherein each of said expected behavioral models is created for the radar system free of cyber attacks.
Said expected behavioral model is usually a mathematical model which may incorporate one or more of said physical models (mentioned above with reference to the feature extraction algorithms).
Since any expected behavioral model is built for a specific type of entity, it is associated with a corresponding said second (reference) set of characteristic features.
In one version, said expected behavioral model may be provided ready-made, from an outside source of information. For example, the behavioral model may be governed by a known physical law. The second, reference set of features may be then engineered/extracted from such a ready-made behavioral model. Consequently, the first set of features to be checked may be then respectively selected in accordance with the second set.
Alternatively, said at least one expected behavioral model may be built in the radar system in advance (in an offline, so-called training stage). Such a model may be built based on historical radar data collected in the absence of cyber attacks.
The obtained expected behavioral models may be stored in a database, for example in the same database of the historical radar data.
For building the expected behavioral models, the proposed method may utilize a high-level algorithm, for example a Machine Learning (ML) process using a Big Data infrastructure.
The expected behavioral models can be built for various targets (helicopters, airplanes, rockets, etc.) and for respective relevant entity types thereof (plots, tracks, etc.), so that each model is associated with its specific second (reference) set of local characteristic features. The behavioral models may be built either by utilizing such reference sets of features, or just based on historical radar data so that the reference features are extractable afterwards from the model.
It should be noted that while performing the online operations where no cyber attacks are detected, additional historical radar data may be accumulated. Also, additional behavioral models may be built online based on the updated historical radar data.
However, in case a cyber attack is indeed detected, the relevant cyber-affected radar data cannot be used for building the expected (reference) behavior models. Instead, such data may be separately accumulated so that new, cyber-affected behavioral models be built based on the cyber-affected radar data.
As mentioned above, any expected behavioral model is associated with the second (reference) set of the characteristic features. Some of the features may be physical, and some operational. Examples of the characteristic features of the second, reference set were given above (type of entity, classification of the target, estimated ranges of location, height, velocity, jerk, turn angle, maneuvering index, etc.).
Additional characteristic features, focused on possible attack vectors may be introduced into the second reference set, for example:
Possible cyber attack vectors may be understood as directions of cyber attacks, supposedly utilized by an attacker.
For example, the cyber attack vectors may occur to be:
It should be noted that new attack vectors may be uncovered, and the proposed method and CADU may be updated/configured accordingly. In particular, more characterizing features may be developed and more behavioral models may be built in advance according to the new uncovered attack vectors, so as to detect and overcome future cyber attacks.
It should be noted that all the models built for the system (both the physical models and the behavioral models) may be periodically calibrated and updated offline, including dividing the behavioral models into two groups: expected conventional (attack-free) models and attack-related ones.
Since behavioral models relate to data, they may be calibrated from time to time (say, daily before starting a cycle), to take into account changeable data flows. For example, numerous thresholds and parameters may vary depending on daytime/nighttime, season, weather conditions, etc. The calibration procedure may be applied during the offline stage.
Upon the so-called training process being carried out, e.g., when the expected behavioral models have been built during the offline stage and stored in a database, they may be fed (migrated, extracted from the database) to the online stage, thus allowing online anomaly detection.
For example, the first, current set of characteristic features can be introduced into a suitable expected behavioral model online, in order to check correspondence between the first, current set and the second, reference set of the characteristic features. If the model shows that the sets differ to an extent which is not permissible (say, one or more thresholds are exceeded), a local anomaly will be detected.
In addition to local anomalies, the proposed technique detects behavioral and operational anomalies by uncovering correlations (combinations, sequences and/or dependencies) of local anomalies. The behavioral anomalies may occur to be cyber-related. The mentioned behavioral and operational anomalies may be detected for example, by Machine Learning algorithms using Big Data infrastructures or by simple statistical thresholds.
The mentioned correlations (combinations, sequences and/or dependencies) of local anomalies may manifest themselves, for example, as one or more predetermined malicious anomaly sequences, as events with atypical energy consumption (especially in radars), etc. The high-level algorithm should therefore be capable of identifying various correlations of the detected local anomalies and performing analysis thereof. Analysis of the anomaly combinations/sequences may be temporal, peer group analysis, etc.
Practical examples of the predetermined operational/behavioral local anomalies coming in combinations/sequences when a radar system undergoes a cyber attack may be as follows (though other local anomalies' combinations/sequences are also possible):
At least one combination of local anomalies from the above non-exhaustive list may manifest in correlation between the local anomalies.
To this purpose, a further set of algorithms may be used, which refer to the cyber risks assessment and belong to a so-called cyber threat detection layer. This layer rectifies so-called “white-list” operational anomalies from cyber anomalies. Operational anomalies are usually single or non-correlated. For example, the anomaly that occurred in all tracks at once in the same region/time, or in a group of similar tracks/plots will be determined as a correlation, as a behavioral anomality and will manifest the presence of a cyber attack. Based on that, the affected tracks may be considered as false tracks.
Cyber anomalies may be distinguished from other operational anomalies, for example, based on one or more predefined attack vectors, some of which have been mentioned above.
One exemplary attack vector may be “injection of false tracks”, which can be detected, for example, when reported tracks appear with unstable integration/interception time on a target. That can be interpreted as wrong energy spent for target creation/detection.
Another exemplary attack vector may be “Non-physical Location Change”. If a GPS spoofing has occurred (which is a cyber anomaly), then all of radar targets will be shifted/biased; on the contrary, a shift/jump in a single track may be caused by a track filter misfunctioning operational anomaly, and does not comply with possible cyber attacks.
Further, there will be provided a processor and memory circuitry (PMC) configured to function as a data processing engine/unit for detecting cyber attacks (CADU), a computer system comprising the PMC (CADU), a radar system comprising PMC (CADU), and a suitable software product.
A processor and memory circuitry (PMC) is designed for detecting a cyber attack in a radar system having a number of modules configured to produce data reports on their performance, said number of modules including at least one radar; said PMC being configured as operatively connectable to and capable of establishing data communication with said modules for performing the following steps, preferably and mainly online:
The correlations may be predetermined, when the attack vectors and attack-related behavior models are already known. However, it is never known in advance, whether an attacker has invented a new attack vector, so new correlation/s may be detected which may serve for determining new attacks and even a new type/vector of cyber attacks.
All versions of the method, which have been described with reference to the method, apply mutatis mutandis to the above-defined data processing PMC (CADU) unit and present its various embodiments.
The PM (CADU) may incorporate a database for storing at least attack-free historical radar data (and optionally, also attack-related historical data) for creating therefrom the mentioned references suitable for detection of cyber attacks.
The historical radar data may be divided into attack-free data and attack-related data. Accordingly, the historical radar attack-free data may comprise sets of reference features and reference behavioral models. Similarly, the historical radar attack-related data may comprise sets of attack-related features and attack-related behavioral models.
The PMC (CADU) may be implemented as a stand-alone unit, for example, a processor, a computer, a disk-on-key, or a separate server.
There are also provided a control system comprising the defined PMC (CADU) unit, and a radar system comprising said PMC (CADU) unit.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a software product comprising computer-implementable instructions and data stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and designed to cause a processor and memory circuitry PMC (for example, CADU) of a radar system to take steps of the method defined above, namely:
The versions of the method, described above, apply mutatis mutandis to the software product defined above.
There is also provided at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having said software product stored thereon.
The proposed subject matter will be further described and illustrated by the following non-limiting drawing, in which:
Antenna (Radar) 100 performs transformation of the electric current into electromagnetic waves and vice versa (transmission and reception respectively). Usually, one bidirectional antenna is used, however, radar systems with two separate antennas (one transmitter and one receiver) also exist (a bi-static radar).
The main radar system network 106 can be connected to an organizational internal Network 108, to a SCADA network 109 that controls the utility services of the radar system (power, air conditioning, etc.), and to external entities over the Internet (110). The asterisk-like marks numbered (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) indicate a potential location of an attacker. More specifically:
In
Data reports of radars 100 and 102 are marked as 70, incoming data bus 80 of the radar system 60. Assume that data reports 70 of the radars 100, 102 are damaged by an attacker (marked by a black asterisk). As a result, the Generator of the Tracks and Targets of the Unit schematically marked 119A (see 119 in
The false or damaged information on the tracks will be fused to a data block 146, for monitoring the input data of the radar system. This is also marked by the black asterisk in the block 146.
Assume that the Radar 104 (see
As in
The functional modules comprised in PMC 130 (CADU) can include a features extraction module 134, a local anomalies detection module 136 and a cyber attack discriminating module 138.
In the CADU, each entity in the arriving data flow will be subjected to extraction of current features of the entity, by the corresponding block 134. The features extraction may be performed in different ways: based on a reference set of features, using one or more physical models relevant to the entity, or using a behavior model. The set of features or a model may be received either from an outside source (not shown), or from a radar database 144, more specifically from historical data 142 stored in it. The database 144 (at least its updatable historical data folder 142) may form an integral part of the CADU 130.
Communication between modules 134, 136 and 144 is indicated by bidirectional dash lines.
It should be noted that when there is no cyber attack (for example, that fact is confirmed by CADU 130 as “NO”), the feature extraction unit 134 may update the historical radar data 142 (folder 145, see below) with the currently extracted features, with respect to that specific type of entity.
The extracted current set of features is then subjected to local anomalies detection in block 136. Local anomalies (in this case, for radars 100 and 102 and their subsystems) may be detected, for example, by comparing the extracted current set of features with a reference set of features, or by introducing the current set of features to an expected behavior model suitable for the specific entity. The suitable set of features, or the suitable expected behavioral model, may be received either from an outside source (not shown), or from the radar database 144, more specifically from historical data 142 (folder 145) stored in it. Communication between modules 136 and 144 is indicated with dash lines. (See also
It should be kept in mind, that a number of entities (tracks, etc.) may be processed simultaneously in the units 134, 136, therefore a number of local anomalies may be obtained.
Also, in addition to radar reports, other data reports may be processed by CADU, which are not shown in this diagram, but shown for example in
Upon detecting local anomalies in unit 136, unit 138 of the CADU checks whether there are correlations and/or dependencies between the local anomalies in radar reports, and probably between them and other anomalies detected by the unit 136. High level algorithms may be applied for this purpose.
If such correlations are detected, they are further checked to discriminate between operational anomalies and cyber-related ones. In case cyber-related anomalies are detected, block 138 issues a predetermined action, for example an alarm 139 and an instruction to the database 144, whether to update its Historical Data 142, and how to do so.
It should be noted that the historical data 142 of the database 144 may be divided into two folders: attack-free data 145 which has been discussed, and attack-related data 147. The folder of historical attack-related data 147 might be created offline and be updated each time when CADU 130 detects a cyber attack. More specifically, attack reference features and/or attack behavior models may be created, stored in the folder 147, and used for providing an attack reference to the blocks 134 or 136 (for example, to allow the express attack detection).
Database 144 stores an historical radar data folder 142 concerning operation of the radar system in the absence of cyber attacks. For example, data on a huge number of typical entities (say, rocket tracks) may exist in the data folder 142. Data on some of the entities may be selected from the historical radar data and be used by feature extraction process in the block 134. The characteristic features of such entities may be extracted, for example, by using physical models (a kinematic model, etc.). Sets of characteristic features extracted for such typical entities may be considered so-called reference sets. Then, by applying a high-level Machine Learning algorithm (within block 135) to the extracted features, one or more expected behavioral models 137 can be built. These models 137 (actually being reference models) may then form a subfolder of attack-free behavioral models and may be stored in folder 145 of the historical radar data 142.
Optionally, the reference sets of features extracted by module 134, may also be stored in the folder 137 (and then together in the historical data 142).
The analysis whether the detected local anomalies are cyber anomalies requires some additional processing. Namely, the unit 138 (cyber discriminator) applies high level algorithms for checking whether there are correlations in the-detected plurality of local anomalies (say, in the form combinations, sequences and/or dependencies of the local anomalies). If such correlations are detected, a cyber incident may be determined. The correlations may correspond to some “predetermined” attack vectors known in advance for typical attacks. However, new correlations may be revealed, and new types/vectors of cyber attacks may be detected (and may accordingly be stored in the database 144 in the attack folder 147).
One exemplary attack vector, i.e., the injection of false tracks, will be described below. Any attack vector may be characterized by a combination of anomalies.
It should be noted that entities other than tracks and plots may be analyzed in the system.
There may, for example, be an entity at least partially related to the energy conservation law. Such an entity may be a hybrid entity which will be explained below. Radars comprise modules a) for forming, tracking and searching (scanning) electromagnetic beams, b) for registering information associated with such beams both before and after meeting of the beams with a specific target, and c) for processing the information obtained upon the beams' meeting with the target. Usually, radar reports comprise data on energy spent by the radar modules for creating a real track of a real target.
An attacker may create false tracks which are formed without spending energy of the radar.
Radar reports may therefore not correspond to the real energy spent by the radar system. To detect such a cyber attack, a hybrid entity may be constructed, which comprises (in the set of characteristic features) both the feature(s) related to data in a number of radar track reports, and the feature(s) related to the energy consumption of the radar. Alternatively, a regular entity (say, a track) may be analyzed with reference to some separately received data on energy consumption of the radar. Such a set of separately received data may be understood as a contradictive and therefore can be interpreted as caused by a cyber attack. As a result, a correlation (combination, dependence, sequence, etc.) of local anomalies may be detected.
In other words, in this specific case an anomaly in energy spent or not spent by radars for building tracks may be an indication of the mentioned specific attack vector (“injection of false tracks”).
Inter alia,
Having described the invention with regard to certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the description is not meant as a limitation, as further versions of the method, modifications of the PMC and the radar system will now become apparent to those skilled in the art, so that the description and the claims which follow are intended to cover such versions and modifications.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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285252 | Jul 2021 | IL | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IL2022/050768 | 7/17/2022 | WO |