Agencies Recognize University as a National Center of Academic Excellence
Members of UMass Lowell's iSafer research team were recently presented with a prestigious cyber-defense research designation. Shown at the presentation were, from left, Suzanne Spaulding of the Department of Homeland Security, UMass Lowell faculty Jie Wang and Xinwen Fu, and Leonard Reinsfelder of the National Cryptologic School Commandant's Education and Training Program.
10/04/2016
Media contacts: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – The U.S. National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security have designated UMass Lowell a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research in recognition of the university’s intensive cyber-security research and academic programs.
UMass Lowell was selected for the designation, also known as CAE-R, because of the university’s work to serve the nation with its contributions to the protection of the information infrastructure, according to Lynn Hathaway, national program manager for CAE-R at the NSA. In her announcement of the CAE-R designation, Hathaway also noted the importance of higher education as a solution to defending America’s cyberspace.
For more than a decade, UMass Lowell’s education and research programs have helped meet the fast-growing demand for a highly trained cyber-security workforce needed to secure the nation’s critical infrastructure and classified data, which face a skyrocketing number of cyber attacks, including through malware and phishing, said Xinwen Fu, associate professor of computer science and co-director of UMass Lowell’s Internet Security and Forensics Education and Research (iSAFER) team. “We are truly honored that the university has been recognized with this prestigious title,” he said.
Cyber threats will continue to rise as the number of Internet-connected devices grows exponentially. In 2015 alone, more than a billion personal information and medical records were stolen or lost to cyber thieves, according to a recent Internet Security Threat Report by Symantec Corp. And “ransomware” attacks, through which cyber criminals ensnare personal computers, smartphones and other network-connected devices and hold their data hostage for a profit, increased 35 percent last year.
These are just the latest examples of the ongoing worldwide challenge in battling cybercrime. In response, UMass Lowell researchers at iSAFER, in collaboration with various academic, industry and federal agencies and national labs, have been actively conducting cyber-defense research, creating security awareness and developing advanced cyber-defense tools and technologies.
For example, Fu and his students demonstrated how Google Glass and other video-recording devices can be used to track and steal the passwords of unsuspecting users of smartphones, tablets and ATMs. Other research by faculty and students associated with iSAFER includes projects in digital forensics, network and mobile security, data privacy, cryptography, hardware security, sensor networks and more.
“Our Ph.D. candidates are working on research projects ranging from studying the security and privacy of drones and Big Data to detecting malware in mobile devices,” said Fu. “Our faculty and students have published more than 60 papers on cyber defense in peer-reviewed journals and proceedings in the last five years, and have given talks and presentations at premier cyber-security conferences across the country. Our work is being supported by the National Science Foundation, DARPA, the Army Research Lab and many others.”
Undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a variety of cyber defense-related subjects are offered by UMass Lowell’s departments of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering and the School of Criminology and Justice Studies, and the Division of Online and Continuing Education offers a graduate certificate program with Hanscom Air Force Base.
UMass Lowell’s CAE-R designation is effective through 2021.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,500 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu