CSEE faculty Anupam Joshi and Rick Forno were interviewed this week by several media outlets on the impact and cybersecurity aspects of the Ashley Madison data breach.

Ashley Madison is a popular website with “more than 33 million members in 46 countries” that provides services “for married men and women looking to have a discreet affair.”  Last month a group claimed to have obtained data about the site’s users and threatened to release it unless the site’s Toronto-based company, Avid Life Media Inc., shut down the service. Earlier in the spring, the company had announced plans for an IPO later in the year. The company called the hacker’s bluff and the group, the Impact Team, released more than 30G of customer data in several dumps this week. Avid Life has confirmed that some of the customer data posted is legitimate.

Professor Joshi, director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity and also chair of the CSEE department, was interviewed by ABC2.  In the interview,  he 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.”

Dr. Forno, Center for Cybersecurity assistant director and head of UMBC Cybersecurity Graduate Program 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?”  He also discussed the incident with South Korea-based radio program “This Morning with Alex Jensen.”

Some material adapted from an Insights article by Achsah Callahan.

Name: Danielle Haskin

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: McNair Scholars Fellowship

Position Title: Primary Investigator/ Researcher

Major(s)/Minor(s): Emergency Health Services/ Sociology 

Expected Graduation Year: May 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

Since this is the first research project I have done, I am learning everything from scratch. Being the primary investigator, I am in charge of the entire study with the support of my mentor, Dr. Rick Bissell. I was required to secure an avenue to disperse my surveys, maintain contact with people to find events to meet patients, write an extensive research report, and present my findings at multiple research conferences among other tasks that were required to ensure a well executed study. 

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I was walking through the halls and noticed a signup sheet for the McNair Scholars program.  I had decided to attend UMBC because of its highlight on undergraduate research but was not sure on how to begin the process, so when I read up on the program, I thought McNair may be a good starting point. I was later contacted to complete the application process by the graduate research assistant and statistician for the McNair program. The program requires for you to develop a research proposal and submit it for a competitive position in the summer research institute.   

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Being a first generation college student there were academic questions I had and no ideas where to get answers. The McNair Scholars program has allowed me to develop a research proposal, conduct the research, and write a publishable paper all with the support of those who have previously gone through the same process. I was awarded a Fellowship through the Summer Research Institute, SRI, that mimicked a graduate fellowship process. This SRI provided room and board along with a stipend to conduct my research over the summer. I also received graduate school preparation and incentives such as a GRE prep course, GRE exam waivers, and application fee waivers when I apply to graduate schools. Having preparation for the next step in my education has been wonderful!

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I am conducting research in order to gauge the receptiveness of an adult diabetic population to a community paramedicine, or similar community based healthcare service. The information I gather should support the research that has been ongoing by various community based health care personnel. I am filling gaps that are currently in the literature since this is still an emerging topic. This program aims to help populations that are underserved by traditional health care programs. I have worked in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association throughout this project and hope to continue to help the community through education and support. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

Get involved early! If you have the slightest idea you may want to work on a project talk with your adviser or a professor that may be able to help you find a project. You don’t have to begin by developing your own research either. There are constantly projects that professors or graduate students are working on that may need your help. If you determine that you like it, joining a program such as McNair Scholars really is the best route because they allow you to fully develop, plan and conduct your research. Also looking into the Undergraduate Research Award or presenting at URCAD is something you should keep in your mind. The experience really is priceless!

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

This research project has required that I get out of my comfort zone and move onto the next step in both my education and career. I am involved in projects that I didn't previously think I had the experience for all because of the connections I have made through my research. 

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!

Ph.D. Proposal

ACCESS: An Assistive Contactless Capacitive
Electrostatic Sensing System

Alexander Nelson

12:00pm Friday, 21 August 2015, ITE 325b

The objective of ACCESS is to develop fabric capacitor sensor arrays as a holistic, wearable, touchless sensing solution. The fabric sensors are lightweight, flexible, and can therefore be integrated into items of everyday use. Further, the capacitive sensing hardware is low-power, unobtrusive, and easily maintainable. The research includes: the construction of fabric sensor prototypes and custom sensing hardware; the development of adaptive signal processing and gesture recognition; and the creation of an assistive cyber-physical interface for mobility impairment. The research is conducted with advisement from medical professionals and private consultants, and evaluated in clinical trials by individuals with upper-extremity mobility impairment. Proposed future work includes evaluation of the assistive device for computational overhead, the inclusion of personal contextual information in gesture recognition and device actuation, and investigation of a dense spatial-resolution capacitor sensor array as a low-resolution greyscale imaging system.

Committee: Drs. Nilanjan Banerjee and Ryan Robucci (Chairs), Chintan Patel, Sandy McCombe-Waller (UMB Medical School)

Take a look at all the events lined up for Critical Social Justice: Baltimore 365!

October 19th | Monday

Baltimore 101: Why Baltimore Matters – 12PM to 1PM in Commons 329 – Who are we talking about when we talk about Baltimore? Led by Dr. Jodi Kelber-Kaye.

Dialogue with Delegate Washington: LGBTQ Youth Homelessness – 7PM to 8:30PM in Commons 329 – Maryland State Delegate Mary Washington will speak about LGBTQ youth homelessness in Baltimore, including a brief overview of the history of LGBTQ rights in Maryland, where things stand now, and how you can get involved. Directly following this conversation there will be a small reception. Event sponsored by: Student Life’s Mosaic: Center for Culture and Diversity. 

October 20th | Tuesday

Baltimore in Action: Always Rising Keynote Event – Doors open at 6:30PM, keynote begins at 7PM in the UC Ballroom – Teach-in panel moderated by radio host Marc Steiner featuring Baltimore social justice activists: Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III, faith-based activist and community organizer; Dr. Marisela B. Gomez, public health advocate and author; Tawanda Jones, activist and sister of Tyrone West; Jacqueline Robarge, founder of Power Inside; Kwame Rose, social activist and hip-hop artist. Meet-and-greet reception with the speakers will follow the keynote.

October 22nd | Thursday

Vines, Rhymes, & Headlines: Telling the Story of Baltimore – 12PM to 1PM on Commons Main Street – Discussion with Karen Houppert, author and editor-in-chief of Baltimore City Paper. Moderated by Professor Deborah Rudacille (English). 12PM to 2PM – Multimedia exhibit exploring Baltimore as captured through the mainstream media – and the tweets, photos, music, and new media pushing back. Event sponsored by: the Women’s Center. 

From Belief to Action: An Interfaith Dialogue – 5PM to 6:30PM on Commons Main Street – Moderated roundtable discussion with religious and spiritual leaders engaged in social justice activism in Baltimore followed by a facilitated audience conversation. Panelists will highlight the many ways that their religious and spiritual beliefs and practices inform and propel their work towards justice and equality. Event sponsored by: Student Life’s Mosaic: Center for Culture and Diversity. 

October 23rd | Friday

How to Talk to Kids about “-Isms” – 10AM to 11AM in the Women’s Center – Roundtable discussion about the challenges and best practices for introducing children to social justice. Invited panelists include: Lisa Gray, Dr. Jodi Kelber-Kaye, and Dr. Marcela Sarmiento Mellinger. Event sponsored by: the Women’s Center. 

Walking Tour of a Baltimore Neighborhood – 12:30PM to 3PM, meet at Commons & Park bus stop – Join Dr. Kate Drabinski from GWST for a 90-minute walking tour that will take us from the UMBC shuttle stop at MLK and Pratt, into Pigtown, and back across MLK for a tour of the Westside. Free tickets available at the CIC desk from September 28th through October 21st.

If your department or organization is planning a program this fall semester that reflects the spirit of Critical Social Justice: Baltimore 365, let us know at womens.center@umbc.edu!

More details and events will be announced leading up to CSJ: Baltimore 365, so like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and use the hashtag #CSJ365 to keep up-to-date with the latest news!

* All events are free and open to the public.

** Contact womens.center@umbc.edu if you need special accommodations. 

The Critical Social Justice initiative is coordinated by the Women’s Center with Student Life’s Mosaic: Center for Culture and Diversity. 

The US Navy Summer 2016  Internship Program is back and recruiting UMBC Students! 

The US Navy has partnered with UMBC to specifically hire multiple interns for 3 different Summer 2016 programs: Fleet Cyber Command Intern, Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group Intern, and Navy Information Operations Command Intern. Position descriptions and brochures are listed below. 

Additionally, on  September 9, the US Navy will be on campus to recruit interns and full-time hires for this competitive program as part of the UMBC Connects program. Military and Civilian career paths are available!

Summer 2016 Fleet Cyber Command Intern (9276401)

Brochure

Longer Description

All Policy, Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Majors Encouraged to Apply

Summer 2016 Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group Intern (9276402)

Brochure

Longer Description

All Technical Majors Encouraged to Apply (CS, CE, IS, BTA, EE, Cyber, and Math)

Summer 2016 Navy Information Operations Command Intern (9276403)

Brochure
Longer Description

All Technical Majors Encouraged to Apply (CS, CE, IS, BTA, EE, Engineering, Cyber, and Math)

You must apply to these positions via UMBCworks with an approved resume. All resumes must be submitted no later than September 30th. You need to complete the security application in order to apply. To schedule an appointment to have your resume reviewed, log into UMBCworks or call our office 410-455-2216. Additionally, you can stop by our drop-in hours (M-F 2-4pm).

An interview with UMBC Computer Science Ph.D. student Kavita Krishnaswamy appeared in a recent post on the UMBC Alumni Blog.

Every so often, we’ll chat with an alum about what they do and how they got there. Today we’re talking with Kavita Krishnaswamy ’07, mathematics and computer science. Krishnaswamy has spinal muscular atrophy and has not been able to leave her house in six years. Thanks to Beam Telepresence Technology, a robotic program that allows her to remotely view and navigate spaces through her computer screen, she’s presented her doctoral thesis and attended conferences across the country. The current Ph.D. student talks about her experience with the Beam and her research on robotics and accessibility.

Read the full interview on the UMBC alumni blog.