Research at University Cyber Center Continues to Lead

Two National Science Foundation grants totaling $1.5 million will further the work of University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the university’s Cyber Center for Security and Analytics.

A UTSA Today article last week detailed the work of professor Elias Bou-Harb, who is leading the research. He is the center's director and a tenured professor in the Carlos Alvarez College of Business.

A grant to study critical infrastructure, “Collaborative Research Cyber Training Implementation: Medium Cross-Disciplinary Training for Joint Cyber Physical Systems and IoT Security,” is worth $1 million and co-led by UTSA professors Paul Rad and Rita Mitra.

The project will study cyber and physical attacks on critical infrastructure, the university reported. Researchers will focus on water systems.

“For this project, we’re not just looking at the sensors, but we’re looking at how these sensors and the civil engineering infrastructure actually interact with each other and the security implications of this type of interaction,” Bou-Harb said. “Why is this important? Because typically security and physical control researchers conduct their research independently.”

The second grant will focus on security for consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as smart home devices, smart watches and other Internet-connected devices.

“Collaborative Research: CISE-MSI: Active and Passive Internet Measurements for Inferring IoT Maliciousness at Scale” began this month. The three-year $500,000 grant will support research endeavors and translate that to the classroom, according to the magazine.

UTSA is also home to the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security and the Institute for Cyber Security, while continuing to grow its cybersecurity partnerships. Its college of business offers degrees in cybersecurity, applied cyber analytics and IT.

According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA), “UTSA’s superior training and educational opportunities — combined with close proximity to cybersecurity offices and installations of the NSA, DHS, FBI and the Air Force — have helped the San Antonio area become a nationally recognized hub for cybersecurity.”