College of Engineering and Information Technology Distinguished Speaker Seminar

Cybersecurity has been an area of study for about 50 years.  It has come a long way in that time but is still an immature field in many ways.  In this talk, I will share some recollections of the history and advances that I believe have been of special note, such as the rise of malware and the move to large-scale networking.  I will also share some observations about the current computing environment and what it portends for cybersecurity needs in the coming years.  I will conclude with time for Q&A from the audience.

Professor Spafford is one of the most senior academics in the field of cybersecurity. During his 46 years in computing—including 37 years as a faculty member at Purdue University — Spaf (as he is widely known) has worked on issues in privacy, public policy, law enforcement, software engineering, education, social networks, operating systems, and cyber security. He has been involved in the development of fundamental technologies in intrusion detection, incident response, firewalls, integrity management, and forensic investigation. His interests range over these and many other areas, and this has been one of the factors behind his leadership of CERIAS, the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, of which he is now the Executive Director Emeritus. In that role, he continues to be a polymathic futurist, although occasionally, some view him as simply an iconoclastic crank.

Dr. Spafford has been recognized with significant honors from various organizations. These include being elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S) and the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); a Life Fellow of the ACM, the IEEE, and the (ISC)2; a Life Distinguished Fellow of the ISSA; and a member of the Cyber Security Hall of Fame — the only person to ever hold all these distinctions. In 2012, he was named one of Purdue's inaugural Morrill Professors — the university's highest award for the combination of scholarship, teaching, and service. In 2016, he received the State of Indiana's highest civilian honor by being named as a Sagamore of the Wabash.