On the Attack: Auburn University is a National Leader in Cybersecurity

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Sep 10, 2019, 15:58 ET

AUBURN, Ala., Sept. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Auburn University and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering are taking the lead as an institution on the forefront of cybersecurity research and professional preparedness in the industry.

Interdisciplinary research and collaboration through the Charles D. McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security (CCHS) and the Auburn Cyber Research Center have positioned the university as a leader in improving the nation's vulnerabilities in these areas.

Auburn University and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering are taking the lead as an institution on the forefront of cybersecurity research and professional preparedness in the industry.

The CCHS, based out of Washington, D.C., now operates under the umbrella of Auburn University and the McCrary Institute, and it drives the policy component of the institute's work, including hosting the annual State of Homeland Security Address earlier this year.

Frank J. Cilluffo elevated Auburn's cyber efforts when he joined the university in 2018 as director of the McCrary Institute. Cilluffo is a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council, and he's routinely called upon to advise senior officials in the executive branch, U.S. Armed Services and state and local governments on an array of matters related to national and homeland security strategy and policy.

In addition to Cilluffo's leadership, the McCrary Institute announced the 12 members of its advisory board, including former commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency Adm. Michael S. Rogers and former director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr.

Complementary to the McCrary Institute, the Auburn Cyber Research Center is integrating cutting-edge engineering technology with research to develop innovative methods of protecting the nation's cybersecurity.

David Umphress, the COLSA Corporation Cyber Security and Information Assurance Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering and the director of the center, was awarded a $4.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation in 2017 to help address a shortage of public sector cybersecurity professionals.

Gerry Dozier, the Charles D. McCrary Eminent Chair Professor of computer science and software engineering, is also one of the top researchers in the fight to safeguard the nation's cyber systems and critical infrastructure. With more than $27 million in sponsored research, his work in critical infrastructure protection is on the front lines of cyber defense, addressing public and private sector cyber threats that jeopardize national security.

These faculty members are not only producing innovative solutions to some of the country's most pressing issues, but they're also preparing students to be the future of the cyber front.

One of those graduates, Matthew Rogers, '18 software engineering, was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2017, becoming only the fifth Auburn student in university history to be awarded the prestigious scholarship.

As a result of Auburn's cyber efforts and as one of only 20 National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations designated by the National Security Agency, the university hosted the 2018 SEC Academic Conference "Cyber Security: A Shared Responsibility."

In addition, Auburn's College of Engineering offers a Master of Science degree in cybersecurity engineering that focuses on the engineering and technical aspects of cybersecurity, while the Harbert College of Business now offers a new graduate certificate in cybersecurity management designed to provide business professionals with the skills they need to manage operational exposure in today's high-risk threat environment.

SOURCE Auburn University