Protecting Individual Data

Researchers at Stony Brook University were awarded $3.5M by the Office of Naval Research to help guard against online security breaches that threaten personal data.

Using only tools already on smartphones, including the compass, a University at Buffalo-led team of engineers is creating an app to stop voice hacking.

“Analyst-driven solutions” rely on rules created by living experts and miss attacks that don’t match the rules. Machine-learning approaches rely on “anomaly detection,” which triggers false positives needing investigation by humans.

Cyber thieves who steal credit and debit card numbers are making millions of dollars in profits, fueling a global criminal enterprise marked by the high-profile data breaches of major companies such as Target and Home Depot.

Can unpredictability protect computers against malware? We want our computers to perform the way we expect. But what if the key to defeating malware is introducing a bit of chaos? We want our computers to perform the way we expect. But what if the key to defeating malware is introducing a bit of chaos?

Rice University published a series of four articles as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month to educate students, faculty and staff how to stay safe and be a conscientious Internet user.

Today’s mobile apps are increasingly aggressive at collecting users’ private data. App users have very limited control over how and when apps should be allowed to access sensitive sensors or personal data, ranging from cameras and GPS to contacts and app usage history. The problem is further complicated as more and more apps integrate “data-hungry” components, such as advertising, analytics and user trackers.

Researchers at UPenn are exploring how the algorithms that conduct network analysis can be designed to guarantee certain privacy protections.

The internet has become so critical to our society that addressing its weaknesses is like “operating on a live patient,” says Mark Crovella, a Boston University College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) computer science professor and department chair. CAS computer scientists are taking on the challenge of securing a platform designed for open access while protecting our liberties.

The results of an American presidential election—from a population of 220 million eligible voters with no federal ID cards—has unparalleled implications for global politics.