Two posters created by UMBC student researchers were highlighted during an informational hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, December 16, focused on the Information Security Research and Education (INSuRE) project.

UMBC is one of seven universities nationwide participating in INSuRE, a multi-disciplinary and multi-level collaborative research initiative. Through INSuRE, undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to work on various problems related to cybersecurity while being mentored by industry professionals.

Alan Sherman, professor of computer science, is a co-Principal Investigator (PI) of the INSuRE project, which began in 2013. He is leading seven UMBC students across three research groups as part of a 2015 fall course connected with the project, which is funded by a nearly $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Photo by Elliott P., CC by 2.0.  

December is National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month, and it is a reminder to consumers to be vigilant about the security of personal information. Precautionary measures often considered to be “common sense” are some of the best ways for individuals to protect their identity, says Rick Forno, director of UMBC’s graduate program in cybersecurity and assistant director of UMBC Center for Cybersecurity, in an article on WalletHub.

Destroying unneeded documents that contain personal information, such as old medical records and tax returns, rather than simply throwing the documents in the trash, can help individuals protect their identity. However, Forno emphasizes, “Common sense precautions…are by no means a guarantee of ‘total’ security against identity theft.”

So far in 2015 alone, 690 cybersecurity breaches granted hackers access to more than 176 million records. This has led to the implementation of more aggressive measures to improve cybersecurity across industries, and to more caution by individuals sharing information online, but there are still concerning issues that are beyond consumers’ control.

“A larger problem is how to guard against company and government sites that the individual does not control access to or the security of the data on those servers,” explains Forno.

Social media can also play a role facilitating identity thefts, he notes, reminding readers that hackers can utilize seemingly innocuous personal details posted on social media, such as “your friends’ or relatives’ names, your alma mater, car make/model, favorite color, sports team, etc.” “Here again, common sense practices are key,” he says. “It’s just something to be aware of as you view online risks generally.”  

Read the full article, “2015’s States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft and Fraud,” on WalletHub, including Forno’s advice to consumers.

Photo by Luke Jones, CC by 2.0.  

With the flurry of recent internet hacks, how safe is the information that we post online? Who will develop the innovations needed to secure our data in cyberspace? In a new Baltimore Sun op-ed, bwtech@UMBC Executive Director Ellen Hemmerly writes that the necessary innovation will come from Baltimore, thanks to the city’s proximity to the federal government and major defense and intelligence contractors, high concentration of cybersecurity and IT startups, and early experience with “revolutionary cyber companies.”

“Ultimately, cybersecurity is not just about national security, it’s also about our own economic security,” writes Hemmerly. “We’ve been vulnerable since day one, and what has changed has been the realization of how vulnerable we truly are.”

Hemmerly explains that Baltimore is already home to many innovative cybersecurity firms, and the city is attracting even more early-stage companies from around the nation and the world that want to be near leaders in , IT, security, defense and intelligence companies.

“The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) ranks fourth among U.S. research universities in information technology degrees and certificates awarded,” Hemmerly writes. “With cybersecurity becoming more interdisciplinary, Maryland has morphed itself into a leading ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the space.”

Read Hemmerly’s op-ed “A cybersecurity future in Baltimore,” published November 25 in the Baltimore Sun.

Image: Ellen Hemmerly. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. 

Wearable electronics, which includes devices like fitness trackers and smart watches, is a rapidly growing industry that promises to connect the real and digital lives of consumers. As the technology evolves, researchers have been challenged to improve the safety and quality of data transfer to and from wearable electronics. Anupam Joshi, cybersecurity, spoke to Nature about the security concerns raised by this emerging technology.

“With wearables… we truly are entering into a new era, and we have to start thinking of these issues,” Joshi declared. He shared how UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity is working on privacy issues related to wearable technology by creating an app to block out the faces of people who have requested privacy from Google Glass photographs. However, the technology could only reliably provide privacy if manufacturers implement it with dedicated hard ware, Joshi said. “Let’s say that Google was to build in a feature like this into every Google Glass so that it would automatically obey these kinds of commands — then it would work.”

Read “What could derail the wearables revolution?” in Nature.

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Sarah Jewett, head of the STEM Transfer Student Success Initiative, along with Susan Martin of the Center for Women in Technology, writes about the importance of promoting STEM success for underrepresented and underserved student populations.
• Roy Meyers, political science, questions the methods the Mercatus study used to determine Maryland’s fiscal health.
• Anupam Joshi and Richard Forno, cybersecurity, comment on the Ashley Madison data dump.
• Steve Bradley, visual arts, will speak at the Chesapeake Arts Center town hall meeting on September 8.
• Steve Sharkey ‘06, M.P.P. public policy, current head of Baltimore City’s Department of General Services, has been featured on the Baltimore Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list.
• Dennis Coates, economics, supports Baltimore City Council President Jack Young’s plan to sell the city-owned Baltimore Convention Center Hilton hotel.
• Medhi Benna, Center for Space Science and Technology, is lead author on a paper confirming neon in the moon’s exosphere.
• Lynn Cazabon, visual arts, has placed second in the Trawick Prize competition, held annually by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District to honor artists from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Jason Hughes ’15, M.F.A. intermedia and digital arts, claimed third prize.

Read more at UMBC Insights!

As Ashley Madison experienced a widespread data breach this week, Anupam Joshi and Richard Forno, cybersecurity, spoke to the media about Internet security and how the leak will affect high profile users in Washington, D.C.

In an interview with ABC2, Joshi cautioned that data breaches are increasingly becoming part of daily life. “Information is valuable,” he said. “People are after information. No security is perfect and once you marry these things, there is an incentive for someone to spend the right time and effort to steal some information.” He also spoke about users falling into a false sense of security. “Nothing is really secure on the Internet,” he warned. “If you don’t want the thing you’re doing to show up on ABC2 at some point then don’t do it.”

Forno spoke to Beta Boston and TV Newsroom about public reactions as the data breach revealed several government officials as users of the website. “Depending on who you talk to, you’ll get two wildly different opinions on the issue,” he said. “Some people will say, `Well, they broke the law, they hacked into this private company’s computers and stole data.’ Yeah, that’s true. But from the other side, you have to say, were they doing this for a public service?”

Richard Forno, assistant director for UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, was recently in American City and County to discuss government recruitment of cybersecurity practitioners. American City and County is a magazine that features stories of interest to state and local government officials.

In the article, Forno recommends that governments look for cybersecurity professionals with a combination of technical and soft skills. “You need people that have the right mix of technical talent and the ability to apply that talent effectively in the workplace,” he said.

Click here to read “Hunting cybersecurity talent” in American City and County.

The Washington Post reported on a new partnership between Northrop Grumman and UMBC that explores using cybersecurity tools to analyze health data.

Yelena Yesha, computer science and electrical engineering, is leading the project and commented on the partnership, saying that they plan to evaluate millions of patient records. Tools originally developed to examine cyberthreats and security risks will be used to go through the data. This will allow the researchers to examine a large amount of data to see trends in conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Click here to read “Northrop Grumman, UMBC team to study health data for populations” in The Washington Post.

UMBC’s Professional Graduate Programs are designed to prepare working professionals to grow academically and professionally, and become leaders in some of today’s most in-demand fields.

Participate in upcoming information sessions to learn about Professional Graduate Programs in Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, Health Information Technology, Biotechnology, Cybersecurity, Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Geographic Information Systems offered at UMBC’s Main Campus and at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, MD.

Fall Info Sessions:

• Systems Engineering & Engineering Management Virtual Info Session: Oct. 9, 12 – 1 p.m.
• Health Information Technology Virtual Info Session: Oct. 16, 12 – 1 p.m.
• Biotechnology Virtual Info Session: Oct. 21, 12 – 1 p.m.
• Cybersecurity Virtual Info Session: Oct. 23, 12 – 1 p.m.
• Industrial/Organizational Psychology Info Session: Oct. 29, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
• Geographic Information Systems Info Session: Nov. 5 & 6, 6 – 8 p.m.

RSVP here!

Each information session will highlight program format and curriculum, as well as the application process. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the session.

Earlier this year HP and the Scholarship for Women Studying Information Security (SWSIS) selected Victoria Lentz ’15, cybersecurity, and 10 other female cybersecurity students from across the U.S. to receive scholarships.

Lentz was in the first “cohort” of students to be accepted into UMBC’s Cyber Scholars Program, which began in Fall 2013. The program prides itself on influencing minorities and women to become involved in the cyber security and computing industries. With particular interests in malware and digital forensics, Lentz plans to work in the cybersecurity industry after finishing her undergraduate education to gain experience before returning to school for a Master’s degree.