The Central Intelligence Agency’s latest leak is the most recent major hack exposing information that could possibly compromise national security. In The Conversation, Anupam Joshi and Rick Forno, explain that this hack is a reminder of how cyberdefense strategies must be continually improved to ensure sensitive information is protected.

Joshi is a professor and chair of the department of computer science and electrical engineering and director of UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, and Forno is the assistant director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity and director of UMBC’s graduate program in cybersecurity. Their latest article has been republished by media across the globe and has been read more than 20,000 times.

“This round of leaks, of documents dating from 2013 to 2016,…reinforces perhaps the most troubling piece of information we already know: Individuals and the government itself must step up cyberdefense efforts to protect sensitive information,” write Joshi and Forno.

They ask readers to consider the risk to security and privacy compared with the benefits and convenience of modern technologies. “As citizens, we must decide what level of risk we — as a nation, a society and as individuals — are willing to face when using internet-connected products.”

Any electronic device connected to the internet is susceptible to a cyber attack, Joshi and Forno go on to explain, noting, “It’s not necessarily a good idea to have always-on and network-enabled microphones or cameras in every room of the house.”

Joshi also spoke with CBS Baltimore about how hacks can impact technologies consumers use every day, such as cars that now feature high tech navigation and entertainment systems. “The more electronic gizmos you have in your car, the newer the car you have, the more you’re connected to the network with your car, the greater the probability something can be done to your car,” he explained. Still, he noted, a hacker would need to have advanced technical knowledge and, likely, close proximity to the car to carry out such an attack.

To ensure that sensitive information is protected, Joshi and Forno say that focusing on “the mundane tasks of cyberdefense” is essential to maintaining security for everyone, from government to individuals, although they emphasize that no internet-connected technologies are immune to cyber hacks. Ultimately, they write, “Keeping others out of key systems is crucial to American national security, and to the proper function of our government, military and civilian systems.”

Read the full article in The Conversation, and watch the complete interview on CBS Baltimore.

Clouds continue to be one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change models. At night, clouds keep Earth warm by preventing heat from escaping. During the day, most clouds cool Earth by keeping some sunlight from reaching the surface. Understanding the balance of these opposite effects on a global scale, as clouds constantly form, move, and break up, is a major challenge to climate forecasting.

Jasper Lewis and Simone Lolli, scientists at UMBC’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, contributed to new research that reveals clouds’ effects on climate may be even more complex than previously understood. The study focuses on cirrus clouds, the wispy ribbons that float up to 20 km above Earth’s surface.

Cirrus clouds are known to contribute minimally, if at all, to cooling during the day because they are so thin. Lewis and Lolli’s study was the first to show that cirrus clouds can sometimes cool Earth during the day, depending on factors like the cloud’s thickness, height, and the temperature. “A cooling effect during daytime was something before known only in theory,” says Lolli, “but for the very first time we verified it with measurements.”

The study, led by the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, California and in collaboration with UCLA, analyzed 2012 data collected by the NASA Micro Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET) at Goddard Space Flight Center. The team’s previous work used data from NASA’s CALIPSO, an orbiting satellite.

“With the satellite you get many locations, but only one measurement per day,” said Lolli. “With ground-based instruments you can take measurements 24 hours per day.”

These measurement capabilities offer a huge advantage if you’re looking for variations between day and night. The copious data also allow the team to hypothesize how cirrus clouds affect climate differently across seasons and latitudes, which is critical to understanding global energy balance.

The research improved on previous work because Lewis designed new protocols to analyze the data, taking into account the huge size of cirrus clouds (up to hundreds of kilometers across) and their high elevation, which creates noise in the data.

Lolli’s task was to input the data into an existing model to determine whether the clouds were warming or cooling the atmosphere, a process known as “climate forcing.” Data input posed a major challenge, as the type of data MPLNET collected was not in a form the model could use. Lolli had to convert the data into something the model could accept, which required significant time, attention to detail, and, as Lolli puts it, a lot of math.

Recognizing the team’s innovative methodology and groundbreaking study results, the Naval Research Laboratory just honored Lewis and Lolli’s paper with the 2016 Alan Berman Research Publication Award. According to the award ceremony program, these competitive awards “not only honor individuals for superior scientific accomplishments in the field of naval research, but also seek to promote continued excellence in research and its documentation.”

For Lewis, the best part about receiving the award “is recognition of the significance of the work that you’ve done.” Lolli adds, “It’s very important, because it’s motivation for others to get going in this area of research.”

“Uncertainty about climate forcing is one of the big things that people don’t fully understand yet” in climate science, Lewis shares, “so this is a small step in the direction of moving that understanding a bit further.”

Read “Daytime cirrus cloud top-of-the-atmosphere radiative forcing properties at a midlatitude site and their global consequences“ in the Journal of the American Meteorological Society.

Image: NASA’s CALIPSO satellite, used to collect data for Lewis and Lolli’s previous work. Artist rendering from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Give us some food for thought! 

UMBC Dining is conducting Focus Groups for faculty & staff Tuesday 4/4, Wednesday 4/5 and Thursday 4/6. The session will last approximately 60-75 minutes.

Each participant will receive $50 Free UMBC Reward Dollars added to their UMBC Red Card!

The Central Intelligence Agency’s latest leak is the most recent major hack exposing information that could possibly compromise national security. In The Conversation, Anupam Joshi and Rick Forno, explain that this hack is a reminder of how cyberdefense strategies must be continually improved to ensure sensitive information is protected.

Joshi is a professor and chair of the department of computer science and electrical engineering and director of UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, and Forno is the assistant director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity and director of UMBC’s graduate program in cybersecurity. Their latest article has been republished by media across the globe and has been read more than 20,000 times.

“This round of leaks, of documents dating from 2013 to 2016,…reinforces perhaps the most troubling piece of information we already know: Individuals and the government itself must step up cyberdefense efforts to protect sensitive information,” write Joshi and Forno.

They ask readers to consider the risk to security and privacy compared with the benefits and convenience of modern technologies. “As citizens, we must decide what level of risk we — as a nation, a society and as individuals — are willing to face when using internet-connected products.”

Any electronic device connected to the internet is susceptible to a cyber attack, Joshi and Forno go on to explain, noting, “It’s not necessarily a good idea to have always-on and network-enabled microphones or cameras in every room of the house.”

Joshi also spoke with CBS Baltimore about how hacks can impact technologies consumers use every day, such as cars that now feature high tech navigation and entertainment systems. “The more electronic gizmos you have in your car, the newer the car you have, the more you’re connected to the network with your car, the greater the probability something can be done to your car,” he explained. Still, he noted, a hacker would need to have advanced technical knowledge and, likely, close proximity to the car to carry out such an attack.

To ensure that sensitive information is protected, Joshi and Forno say that focusing on “the mundane tasks of cyberdefense” is essential to maintaining security for everyone, from government to individuals, although they emphasize that no internet-connected technologies are immune to cyber hacks. Ultimately, they write, “Keeping others out of key systems is crucial to American national security, and to the proper function of our government, military and civilian systems.”

Everyman Theatre

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT

Overview:

The BMA is seeking a dynamic and innovative Community Engagement Manager. This full-time position reports to the Director of Public Engagement & Interpretation in the Education Division.

The Community Engagement Manager will be the liaison between the BMA and its public. The position oversees outreach efforts, including but not limited to the Outpost program, the Host program, and the Open Hours program.

Responsibilities:

The Central Intelligence Agency’s latest leak is the most recent major hack exposing information that could possibly compromise national security. In The Conversation, Anupam Joshi and Rick Forno, explain that this hack is a reminder of how cyberdefense strategies must be continually improved to ensure sensitive information is protected.

Joshi is a professor and chair of the department of computer science and electrical engineering and director of UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, and Forno is the assistant director of the UMBC Center for Cybersecurity and director of UMBC’s graduate program in cybersecurity. Their latest article has been republished by media across the globe and has been read more than 20,000 times.

“This round of leaks, of documents dating from 2013 to 2016,…reinforces perhaps the most troubling piece of information we already know: Individuals and the government itself must step up cyberdefense efforts to protect sensitive information,” write Joshi and Forno.

They ask readers to consider the risk to security and privacy compared with the benefits and convenience of modern technologies. “As citizens, we must decide what level of risk we — as a nation, a society and as individuals — are willing to face when using internet-connected products.”

Any electronic device connected to the internet is susceptible to a cyber attack, Joshi and Forno go on to explain, noting, “It’s not necessarily a good idea to have always-on and network-enabled microphones or cameras in every room of the house.”

Joshi also spoke with CBS Baltimore about how hacks can impact technologies consumers use every day, such as cars that now feature high tech navigation and entertainment systems. “The more electronic gizmos you have in your car, the newer the car you have, the more you’re connected to the network with your car, the greater the probability something can be done to your car,” he explained. Still, he noted, a hacker would need to have advanced technical knowledge and, likely, close proximity to the car to carry out such an attack.

To ensure that sensitive information is protected, Joshi and Forno say that focusing on “the mundane tasks of cyberdefense” is essential to maintaining security for everyone, from government to individuals, although they emphasize that no internet-connected technologies are immune to cyber hacks. Ultimately, they write, “Keeping others out of key systems is crucial to American national security, and to the proper function of our government, military and civilian systems.”

Read the full article in The Conversation, and watch the complete interview on CBS Baltimore.  Adapted from an article in UMBC News.

The post Wikileaks hack highlights importance of cyberdefense basics, UMBC experts write appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Overview:

The Baltimore Museum of Art seeks a highly-motivated Database Coordinator to manage the Museum’s donor database and play a pivotal role in the Development Division.

The Database Coordinator collaborates with Development program officers and the Finance Division to ensure that gifts are recorded and allocated accurately, and reconciles monthly and yearly totals.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Overview:

The BMA is seeking a dynamic and innovative Assistant/Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, with a specialization in Media Arts and Live Events. This position reports to the Senior Curator/Department Head of Contemporary Art. The Department is supported by a Curatorial Assistant, work study students, and interns.

This is a reminder that we are collecting responses for your service to INDS. When you have earned 75 points, you will receive recognition with a special cord to wear at graduation signifying the time and talent you provided to Interdisciplinary Studies.

The breakdown will be (but is not limited to) the following ways to earn your service cord. Additional items can be added to the list, and special circumstances for individualized service will be considered.

After you have completed a service, submit the form on our website. We are also accepting responses for service conducted in previous semesters.

[The following information is also posted on our website.]

5 pts - take photos at an INDS event and share with INDS staff

5 pts - assist INDS staff, Council of Majors or LLC RA with set-up for an event

5 pts - assist INDS staff, Council of Majors or LLC RA with clean up for an event

10 pts - write an article (~250 words) for the INDS newsletter

10 pts - take photos and write a photo story (~250 words) about an INDS event

10 pts - spend an hour writing thank you notes to those who contribute to INDS

10 pts - represent INDS for one hour at an Admissions event

15 pts - spend 1.5 hrs help to plan and execute a CoM event under the leadership of a CoM officer or the individual responsible for planning the event

15 pts per meeting - accept invitation and participate in the Mock ISC (includes 30 minutes preparatory reading and 1 hour of participation)

20 pts - serve as an officer for one semester in the INDS Council of Majors

20 pts - plan and execute an event with the management of other CoM members for the INDS Council of Majors

20 pts - mentor an INDS student formally through the INDS Peer Mentoring Program

Not sure how many points you have collected over time through a submitted form? Email csauter@umbc.edu to find out!