AI-powered platform that reveals how text attacks connect and how to turn detection into defense
Written by Charlie Reed, for the Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium
Technology: SmishViz
Founder: Dr. Mir Pritom
Research home: Department of Computer Science | Cybersecurity Education, Research, and Outreach Center
Fueled by generative AI and weak regulation, text-message scams—known as smishing—are spreading faster than ever.
Computer science professor Dr. Mir Pritom is fighting back with SmishViz, a visualization platform that turns scattered text messages into a connected map of malicious infrastructure. The system helps cybersecurity analysts see how attacks share the same domains, servers, and tactics to transform isolated alerts into clear patterns of behavior.
“Detection alone isn’t enough,” Pritom said. “We need to see how the pieces fit so we can stop entire campaigns.”
Developed with TTAC support, the prototype was presented at a leading industry conference hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery this year and is now in user testing with cybersecurity professionals. SmishShot, Pritom’s companion project and the focus of a related patent in blockchain-based cybersecurity management, builds on his AI-driven research to strengthen defenses against the very attacks AI tools can enable.
SmishViz could help companies and lawmakers see what’s really driving text-based fraud, Pritom said, and how to dismantle it.
This story was made possible with support from TTAC and Launch Tennessee.