NSF offers grant to Tipper
October 27, 2008 - David Tipper, Associate Professor and Chair of the Telecommunications & Networking Program, has been awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop and test methods for evaluating information assurance mechanisms for Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The two-year grant will support a collaborative effort between researchers at three different institutions: Duke University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the University of Pittsburgh. There is a critical need for systematic Information Assurance (IA) methods that enable ICT systems to adapt and survive any type of disruption or attack. A major hurdle in the development of such IA techniques is the lack of models and metrics which support evaluating the effectiveness of IA mechanisms. This project is focused on the development of metrics and models that will allow one to quantitatively study the technical aspects of IA for the network component of the ICT infrastructure. The basis of the approach is to build a common scalable framework with a well-defined set of metrics and application scenarios. The impact of the models and metrics developed is that they will provide the techniques and tools necessary to determine the effectiveness of IA mechanisms. In addition, they will allow for the detection of bottlenecks and the evaluation of tradeoffs between levels of information assurance, performance and cost.
Professor Tipper has been on the faculty of the iSchool since 1994 and became Chair of the Telecommunications and Networking Program in 2007. He was awarded his PhD by the University of Arizona in 1988. His current research interests include network design, virtual network design, methods for improving network survivability, the development of efficient algorithms for nonstationary/transient queuing analysis, and the design and analysis of network controls (e.g. routing, admission control, scheduling, etc.) His research has been supported by grants from various government and corporate sources such as the National Science Foundation, IBM, DARPA and MCI.
Pitt designated as a "National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research”
July 8, 2008 - The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have announced that the University of Pittsburgh is designated as a “National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research” for the years 2008 – 2013. This designation was bestowed at a ceremony on June 4, 2008 at the annual conference of the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education at the University of Texas at Dallas. Pitt is one of 23 such National Centers; this honor recognizes the quality of the School of Information Sciences’ Information Assurance and Security curriculum and research program. Ronald L. Larsen (Dean) and James Joshi (lead faculty for the Security Assured Information Systems Track of Study) were present at the designation ceremony.
The National Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Research (CAE-R) Program was launched in September 2007 by the NSA and DHS to support research that will build the nation’s capacity for robust IA technology and the ability to respond to a catastrophic event. The CAE-R program recognizes schools that foster an IA research focus in both curriculum, as well as labs. Universities designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Research are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through both the Federal and Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Programs.
The Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) tracks of study, offered in the graduate programs in both Information Science and Telecommunications, are key to the designation as a Center. The SAIS tracks focus on the design and development of secure networked information systems; the deployment, management and maintenance of networks, systems and IT infrastructures; and the evaluation and certification of the security of systems and software. The curriculum is also certified by the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) as meeting all five of the national standards for Information Assurance (IA) education. Currently, there are only 12 institutions that have all five certifications.
ARO Funded Research Project
June 2008 - SIS faculty are part of a research project funded by the Army Research Office’s Multi-University Research Initiative. Prashant Krishnamurthy and David Tipper will collaborate on research on how to construct robust and secure mobile ad hoc networks. "ARSENAL: A cross layer ARchitecture for SEcure resilieNt tacticAL mobile ad hoc networks” is a joint effort of 12 professors at 7 institutions: University of California, Davis; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of California, Riverside; Brigham Young University; University of Utah; University of Pittsburgh; and the Pennsylvania State University. The Army Research Office funded this innovative project for a five-year period at $6.25 million. The goal of this project is to develop a cross layer architecture that provides comprehensive security and resilience for mobile ad hoc networks. The resulting architecture will be able to adaptively provide the appropriate trade-offs between performance, security and fault-resilience. Krishanmurthy and Tipper are associate professors in the School of information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
James Joshi Promoted
June 2008 - James Joshi has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, with tenure, at the School of Information Sciences. Joshi, who joined the School’s faculty in 2003, is the lead faculty member for our Track of Study in Information Assurance and Security. His research interests include systems security, role-based access control, secure interoperability, distributed systems security, security and privacy of multimedia systems, security of XML documents, and systems survivability. Joshi received his PhD in Computer Engineering from Purdue University.
Joshi has received a number of grants including the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. Joshi was recognized for his work on "A Trust-Based Access Control Management Framework for Secure Information Sharing and Multimedia Workflows in Heterogeneous Environments." He has also received funding from the NSF in order to create the curriculum in Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) and to offer a scholarship program for students interested in the SAIS. Joshi has also received funding from the Department of Defense and secured equipment grants from CISCO Systems.
The faculty, staff and students at the School of Information Sciences congratulates James Joshi on his promotion.
Faculty Edit Information Assurance Publication
June 2008 - James Joshi, Prashant Krishnamurthy, and David Tipper have edited a volume on Information Assurance with Yi Qian of the University of Puerto Rico. "Information Assurance: Dependibility and Security in Networked Systems" was published in November 2007 by Elsevier and is intended for use by researchers, professionals and students in information security technology. The publication is extremely timely in that society is increasingly dependent upon network techologies – which come with new and complex threats to the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of electronic information. The book combines coverage of both security and survivability in a networked information technology setting. Each chapter provides insights from leading industry and academic researchers about state-of-the-art survivability and security techniques; they further explain how these components interact in providing information assurance. Topics covered include failsafe design features, design for system and network survivability, integration of dependability and security, monitoring and securing all-optical networks, evaluation of the robustness of operating systems, and integrated fault and security management. Joshi is an Assistant Professor; Krishanmurthy and Tipper are associate professors here at the School.
LERSAIS Receives $1 Million NSF Grant
June 28, 2007 - The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently approved a one million dollar
scholarship program for the Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) track at
the School of Information Sciences. Over a period of four years, the program
will support three cohorts of four graduate students in their pursuit towards
Masters and PhDs in Information Science or Telecommunications and Networking
with the SAIS track option; thus, ensuring a pool of qualified Information
Assurance (IA) professionals to protect the global cyberspace community.
Scholarship recipients will benefit from the multidisciplinary educational
environment combined with a high quality IA curriculum at SIS, which is one of
only twelve in the entire nation to receive certification in all five national
IA educational standards set by the Committee on National Systems Security (CNSS).
Additionally, the scholarship program emphasizes a "user-friendly" environment
where students/recipients are assured of: a diverse cross section of students; a
supportive mentoring network; and opportunities to engage in University-wide
opportunities for professional development. More specifically, the scholarship
program seeks to address the growing need for a workforce trained in the
development, design, and implementation of secure information systems. Graduates
of the SAIS track in Information Science and Telecommunications will be
qualified to manage the security of large networks and infrastructures.
On a broader, social level, the scholarship program will emphasize the
recruitment of underrepresented groups in IA through its relationships with
minority postsecondary institutions. Thus, ensuring a more diverse and
wide-ranging pool of qualified IA professionals to serve the global community in
its quest for protecting cyberspace.
SIS is proud to be a recipient of the NSF grant to support more Masters'
students in the Security Assured Information Systems track of study. The grant
was awarded to SIS faculty members James Joshi (Principal Investigator),
Prashant Krishnamurthy (co-PI), Michael Spring (co-PI), and David Tipper
(co-PI). This team of educators has been very successful in securing funding to
support the development of the track of study, the associated research center (LERSAIS),
and students interested in becoming information security professionals.
Joshi Receives NSF-CAREER Award
January
24, 2006 - The School of Information Sciences is pleased to announce that James Joshi, Assistant Professor, has been honored with the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. Joshi was recognized for his work on “A Trust-Based Access Control Management Framework for Secure Information Sharing and Multimedia Workflows in Heterogeneous Environments.” The NSF CAREER Award, totaling $416,419 over a five-year period, was announced on January 5, 2006.
The goal of Joshi’s research is to address the complex security and management issues related to emerging multidomain application (EMA) environments. These EMAs may include grid environments, peer-to-peer environments, and mobile environments which utilize multi-media and workflow technologies. These types of environments have the potential to efficiently automate workflow processes and to facilitate unprecedented levels in sharing of information and resources. Joshi will develop an access control and interoperational framework that will provide security for EMAs and that will address the privacy issues related to sharing multimedia data and workflows. The results of this research are expected to have a long-term impact on the development of secure data application environments and to contribute significantly to efforts to protect complex systems and infrastructures such as the national and global information grids.
Joshi’s research results will be incorporated into this security curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh, which is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
Joshi came to the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 upon completion of his Ph.D. studies in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. This tenure-track faculty member teaches courses on security management, developing secure systems, and program design and software tools.
Joshi is the co-founder of the Laboratory of Education and Research on Security Assured Information Systems (LERSAIS), a research center at SIS that facilitates the technical expertise of the University’s faculty to address the multidimensional problems in information assurance (IA). LERSAIS was developed to host high impact research on two key aspects of information assurance: security and availability, and to develop and support high quality education in security and information assurance.
The NSF CAREER Award supports the early career-development activities of teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of the organization. Previous NSF CAREER honorees from the School of Information Sciences include associate professors Marek Druzdzel and Peter Brusilovsky, as well as adjunct professor Sujata Banerjee.
SAIS Track Formalized in SIS; To Debut in Fall
July 25, 2005 - SIS is pleased to announce that a new concentration of
study – examining the cutting-edge field of Security Assured Information Systems
(SAIS) -- will be offered in the Fall of 2005 (06-01). This track is available
to those seeking Master of Science degrees in Information Sciences or
Telecommunications. In addition, those seeking to obtain a Certificate of
Advanced Study can participate in this track of study. The curriculum was
developed as part of a grant for Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service
by the National Science Foundation, awarded in 2004 to SIS faculty members
including Michael B. Spring (PI), James Joshi, Prashant Krishnamurthy, and David
Tipper.
Providing security and assurance to information systems has emerged as one of
the most daunting technological and social challenges of recent times. Major
corporations and private industry are expending a great deal of resources to
develop cybersecurity technology to secure their information systems. SIS is
pleased to meet the expected demand for professionals trained in secure
information systems by offering the SAIS track of study.
The SAIS tracks will consist of a set of required and elective coursework
together with a practicum/capstone course. A core component of the coursework is
a set of innovative laboratory exercises and classroom experiments that will
illustrate theoretical concepts and technologies and will provide students with
hands-on experience. The curriculum in SAIS has been certified by the Committee
on National System Security (CNSS) as meeting all the national standards for
Information Assurance (IA) education. Currently, there are only 12 institutions
that have all the five certifications. Among these, only Pitt and Johns Hopkins
are AAU accredited. Furthermore, Pitt is only one with all the certifications in
the state of Pennsylvania.
In addition to the required courses for a Masters Degree, students will take
these core SAIS courses: Introduction to Computer Security, Cryptography, and
Network Security. A series of elective courses will be offered including
Security Management, Information System and Network Infrastructure Protection,
Developing Secure Systems, and Security in E-commerce. Advanced courses that
will be offered include Advanced Cryptography, Advanced Topics in Security
Assured Information Systems, and Special Topics in Security Assured Information
Systems. Complete course descriptions are available at
www.sis.pitt.edu/~sais/.
LERSAIS Receives NSF Grant
July 8, 2004 - LERSAIS team receives NSF-Scholarship For Service award for the development and implementation of Security Assured Information System (SAIS) curriculum in the DIST. The funding of $286,710 will last for two years. The SAIS courses developed under this funding will constitute the SAIS track.
Dean Larsen and Prof. Joshi Accept NSA CAE/IAE Certification
June
9, 2004 - Dean Ron Larsen and Prof. James Joshi attended the conference organized by
the NSA and DHS on Jun 7-8 in West Point, New York, to receive the National
Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education certificate
given to the University of Pittsburgh.
Prof. Krishnamurthy Attends CNSS Conference; Accepts CNSS Certificates
April 15,
2004 - Prof.
Prashant Krishnamurthy yesterday attended the Annual CNSS Conference at Norfolk.
In the conference, he accepted the recognition and certificates given to the
School of Information Sciences for its security curriculum. The certificate
recognizes the courses developed for Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS)
track in DIST as meeting the following national standards: NSTISSI 4011, NSTISSI
4012 and NSTISSI 4013 (see below).
LERSAIS Efforts Earn Pitt CAE/IAE Designation
April 13, 2004 - LERSAIS team is pleased to announce that we have been successful in getting Pitt designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE). CAE/IAE designation is given to Universities meeting a stringent set of criteria established by the National Security Agency (NSA). For more information on CAE/IAE, please visit the NSA site.
SAIS Program Receives CNSS 4012 Certification
February 15, 2004 - Upon review of the University of Pittsburgh application, the Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE) Review Committee has also validated the mapping at 100% for the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) National Standard 4012. With this, the SAIS courses are now certified for the following three standards: NSTISSI 4011, 4012 and 4013. Certification for NSTISSI 4011 and 4013 were received in December, 2003 (Please see below for the news on certification of standards NSTISSI 4011 and 4013). The DIST will receive recognition and a certificate during the CNSS Annual Conference that will be held on 13-15 April 2004 in Norfolk, Virginia.
LERSAIS Initiates New Seminar Series
February 6, 2004 - The University of Pittsburgh's School of
Information Sciences (SIS) has implemented a new Information Assurance Seminar
Series, which is being presented by SIS' recently established Laboratory of
Education and Research on Security Assured Information Systems (LERSAIS).
Invited industry and academic experts will deliver a lecture on Fridays through
April 16, at 11 a.m. in 120 Lawrence Hall, 3942 Forbes Ave., Oakland. All
lectures are free and open to the public.
"With the increasing reliance on information systems and infrastructures, it is
important to protect the privacy of our personal information," said James Joshi,
assistant professor in SISą Department of Information Science and
Telecommunications. "We are presented with daunting challenges of ensuring that
our information systems are secure."
Infrastructures containing networked information systems have experienced
unprecedented growth because of rapid development in communications and
information systems technologies. Industries such as banking, finance, aviation,
healthcare, and the military rely on these systems. The emerging field of
information assurance works to protect and defend information and information
systems through protection, detection, and response methods.
"The School of Information Sciences has long been engaged in issues of
information security, but the changes wrought since 9/11 have made this an
increasingly vital issue of national importance," said SIS' Dean Ron Larsen.
"The LERSAIS Seminar Series is designed to raise the profile of our work in
information assurance and to expand its scope through the participation of
national leaders and technical experts in information security and assurance."
The LERSAIS focuses on the diverse problems related to security and survivable
information systems, networks, and infrastructures. It acts as a
multidisciplinary forum for the synergistic interaction among researchers within
SIS as well as with other experts in information assurance areas outside the
school.
SAIS Program Receives CNSS 4011 & 4013 Certifications
The
University of Pittsburgh's curriculum on Information Assurance (IA) has been
certified by the NSA to meet the standards set by the US government's Committee
on National Security Systems (CNSS). Upon review of the University of
Pittsburgh's application, the Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE)
Review Committee has validated the mappings at 100% for the Committee on
National Security Systems (CNSS) National Standard(s) 4011 and 4013. The courses
offered in the Department of Information Sciences and Telecommunications under
the newly started Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) Track were the
primary courses used to satisfy the standards. The IACE Program provides
consistency in training and education for the information assurance skills that
are critical to our nation. Several other courses from the Department of Library
and Information Sciences (LIS), Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE)
and Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) were also used
to indicate the breadth and depth of coverage of IA issues within the
University.
To fulfill the requirements of the standards 4011 and 4013, the three new
security courses (TELCOM 2810/INFSCI 2935: Introduction to Computer Security,
TELCOM 2820 Cryptography and TELCOM 2821 Network Security) developed for the
Security Assured Information Systems (SAIS) track in the DIST were used,
supplemented by the courses from the CS, ECE and GSPIA that include topics
related to information assurance as course modules.
Professors James Joshi, Prashant Krishnamurthy, David Tipper and Michael Spring
from DIST have been working on the development of the SAIS curriculum since
early 2002, and have been involved in this effort to get the certification for
the University of Pittsburgh. As part of this effort, DIST has been aggressively
moving forward in the field of IA education and research. The excellent feedback
from the review committee on SAIS curriculum indicates the tremendous potential
that Pitt has to contribute in the field of IA that has become so critical
today:
Comment 1: "The robust course descriptions, as well as the
supplemental information provided, solidly reflect course content and otherwise
facilitated the evaluation process. All of the input suggests that the
University of Pittsburgh is determined--and well on its way to becoming a
national leader in Information Assurance education and training. Well done,
Pitt."
Comment 2: "Their submission was well documented in all respects. They
have a very robust, impressive, curriculum that spans several academic
disciplines. Their courses contain CNSS/NSTISS overviews, and their Security and
Intelligence Studies course, PIA 2303, concludes with a mandatory trip to
Washington DC to see, first hand, how defense policy is made; with visits to the
State Dept, National Security Council, Pentagon, and others. Their already
strong IA curriculum continues to grow, with the implementation of a recently
designed Security Assured Information track."
The University will be receiving recognition and a certificate during the CNSS
Annual Conference that will be held on 13-15 April 2004 in Norfolk, Virginia.
Presentations will be made by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command,
Control, Communications and Intelligence. This conference is attended by more
than 200 representatives from federal departments and agencies, private industry
and academia and provides an excellent opportunity for you to network with
peers.
LERSAIS Faculty Organize WIA 2004
Professors Tipper, Krishnamurthy and Joshi are organizing a Workshop on Information Assurance (WIA'04) as program co-chairs. WIA'04 will be held in conjunction with the 23rd IEEE International Performance Computing and Communications Conference IPCCC 2004 - April 15-17, 2004 - Phoenix, Arizona. Visit the IPCCC site for more details on the program and WIA04 website for more information on the workshop.