This project, acquiring a Riscure Inspector system to provide advance instrumentation for side-channel measurement and analysis, aims to provide the country with a unique capability within the Gulf Region to engage in cybersecurity research of side channel vulnerabilities, countermeasure development and analysis, and fault injection testing for security and reliability of critical infrastructure devices.
Side channels are unintended information paths that occur as a side effect due to physical implementation properties, electrical devices that could contribute to information assurance (IA) and cyber security research and education to an institution with a track record in these areas. Unintended side channels introduce significant cyber security risks to computing systems and critical infrastructure. This instrumentation enables a significant expansion in its capabilities in side-channel security research critical to securing embedded devices used in cryptographic applications, medical devices, and smart cards.
The instrumentation enables faculty and students to be at the cutting edge of critical cyber security research issues. USA's School of Computing (SoC) is a fast growing academic unit on campus with a core focus in cyber security research collaborating on security-focused cross disciplinary initiatives. Hence, this system is expected to position the institution towards becoming a national leader in cyber security research and education support. The university traditionally meets the needs of a diverse student body with a high percentage coming from rural or financially depressed areas. It has higher than 60% of female students, and more than 1/3 non-while student population. The students will be afforded hands-on opportunities in research and classroom activities directly utilizing the side-channel system. The skills gained are expected to lead directly to internships and permanent employment. The instrumentation also provides opportunities for doctoral students in both SoC and CoE and offers opportunities for cohort activities for CoC?s current Scholarships for Service program. It additionally supports existing K-12 outreach through Center to Center for Forensics Information Technology and Security (CFITS).
