Federal intelligence services are seeking a developer to create software that can predict cyber threats before they emerge.

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity finished a bidding procession Monday for a contractor to create what it calls CAUSE, or Cyber-attack Automated Unconventional Sensor Environment. “CAUSE aims to develop and test new automated methods that forecast and detect cyber-attacks significantly earlier than existing methods,” the agency’s summary explains. “The program is envisioned as a multi-year, multi-phase, research effort.”