ITI Research Theme: Critical Infrastructures & Homeland Defense
David Nicol, Theme Leader
Overview
Modern society depends on the continuous functioning of many interdependent critical infrastructures, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and finance. These, in turn, depend on the health of underlying computing networks and systems. For any one of these sectors, the ramifications of infrastructure failure due to accident or malign intent could be catastrophic. ITI's theme in critical infrastructure and homeland defense exists to develop research that helps mitigate the risks of the diverse threats to critical infrastructures, and improves our ability to respond to attacks and failures so as to avert catastrophe.
Research Focus
ITI's Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for Power (TCIP) project is an excellent example of our work in critical infrastructures and homeland defense. Funded as a $7.5 million NSF Cyber Trust Center , TCIP is addressing trust issues in the next-generation power grid cyber infrastructure. TCIP unites ITI researchers with expertise in power systems, network security, and system evaluation with key members of the power industry to create a more reliable and secure power grid for the future.
Another example is ITI's work in developing quantitative methods for assessing the assessment of the security provided by networks of security policy rules (for traffic and user privileges) in SCADA systems used in the oil and gas industry. Driven by real systems, and working with our partners in national and corporate labs, ITI is pushing the frontier of security assessment technology.
Simulation is a methodology with significant applications in critical infrastructure and homeland security. ITI researchers are developing high-performance faster-than-real-time simulation technology for use in cyber-attack response training, incident response, and exercise scenarios in all the critical infrastructures that depend heavily on computing and networking. Here again, ITI researchers work closely with domain experts to produce academically rigorous research that is motivated by and has impact in national problems of real consequence.
ITI researchers also have been called on to work in University-wide multidisciplinary research teams on projects related to critical infrastructure and homeland security. For example, ITI researchers have brought their knowledge and skill sets to craft computer-based solutions to problems in securing the food supply (together with UI's Agriculture College), responding to emergencies of high consequence (together with the UI's Fire Safety Institute), and tracking outbreaks of zoonotic diseases (together with the Veterinary College).
ITI's critical infrastructure and homeland security theme is finely attuned to problems of real significance, and its team looks forward to working with partners in industry and government to further identify and solve such problems.
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