{"id":14308,"date":"2021-08-25T14:03:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T13:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=14308"},"modified":"2021-08-25T14:03:16","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T13:03:16","slug":"400000-awarded-to-establish-computer-hardware-cybersecurity-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/400000-awarded-to-establish-computer-hardware-cybersecurity-course\/14308\/","title":{"rendered":"$400,000 awarded to establish computer hardware cybersecurity course"},"content":{"rendered":"
The funding is part of the National Science Foundation\u2019s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC)<\/a> programme, with $163,000 of the grant being awarded to the University of Kansas (KU)<\/a>. The university\u2019s School of Engineering will utilise the funding to devise course modules that provide students with comprehensive insights into building robust computer hardware, significantly improving future cybersecurity.<\/p>\n An array of the most common cyberattacks<\/a> are conducted by exploiting computer software vulnerabilities, such as phishing attacks, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, malware, and zero-day attacks. However, with the stress of global supply chains being exponentially increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of corporate or state espionage via hardware is ever-increasing, with cyber attackers potentially planting malicious \u2018trojan\u2019 circuits within computer motherboards through a third-party vendor. This highlights how imperative it is to develop more robust cybersecurity methods in computer hardware.<\/p>\n Tamzidul Hoque, the principal investigator of the new grant and assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at KU, said: \u201cWhen we think about cybersecurity, we think about software and network security, but hardware has become an important aspect of security \u2014 especially because the supply chain of electronic devices has become globalised.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, hardware is designed and manufactured by a number of different vendors, not just one specific vendor. For example, the Apple iPhone that you are using has components from untrusted vendors all over the world \u2014 that means the security of the hardware is very critical.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite this apparent vital need for enhanced computer hardware security, the vast majority of educational institutions for computer science and engineering focus their courses on computer software security instead.<\/p>\n \u201cSome universities are trying to offer courses so that students get training on computer hardware security and then can join the industry,\u201d Hoque said. \u201cBut the problem is these courses are often hard to propose or develop by institutions that don\u2019t have a lot of resources. You need to hire a faculty member who\u2019s an expert on hardware security to develop such a new course \u2014 and because these courses are usually elective courses, only a few students take them.\u201d<\/p>\n By collaborating with Swarup Bhunia of the University of Florida<\/a> and Tauhidur Rahman of Florida International University<\/a>, Hoque is aiming to integrate computer hardware security modules into existing courses. The modules will be scrupulously tested and evaluated at their respective institutions before being made freely accessible to colleges and universities throughout the US. The researchers believe that this will enhance cybersecurity education without the requirement of implementing a stand-alone course for computer hardware security.<\/p>\nWhy are computer hardware weaknesses overlooked?<\/h3>\n
Designing a new education system<\/h3>\n