KU SoS Lablet Quarterly Executive Summary - July 2019
A. Fundamental Research
The University of Kansas Lablet continued work on five projects on resiliency, IoT and cloud privacy, preventing side channel communication, and developing semantics and infrastructure for trust and initiated a fifth project on secure native binary execution. Specifically, we are: (i) developing a method to enable cloud-assisted, privacy-preserving machine learning classification over encrypted data for IoT devices; (ii) reducing micro-architectural side-channels by introducing new OS abstractions while minimally modifying micro-architecture and OS; (iii) developing an epistemology and ontology for framing resilience; (iv) formalizing the remote attestation and defining sufficiency and soundness; and (v) developing a framework for client-side security assessment and enforcement for COTS software. Most recently The University of Tennessee has joined our Lablet as a subcontractor on the Secure Native Binary Execution project. As described in full reports for each project we are making progress on research goals including publications.
B. Community Engagement(s)
KU supported the *Computational Methods and the Future of Science* (https://cps-vo.org/group/CMFS) conference in support of our resilience effort. CMFS was held at the Hall Center for the Humanities on the KU campus. Approximately 50 researchers attended the two-day conference from Universities and industry worldwide.
KU completed preparations for hosting the Summer 2019 Lablet PI meeting July 9-10. The venue and program are set with several guest presentations from NSA personnel. In addition to traditional PI and NSA presentations, the KU Lablet Industrial Advisory Board will be presenting a panel session on IoT security issues this PI meeting.
KU continues planning for HoTSoS April 6-8 2020. We have identified a venue to be reviewed at the PI meeting. Should the venue be acceptable we will move forward with local arrangements planning. HoTSoS will be discussed by Lablet PIs at the summer meeting with the major topic being a change in format from a traditional conference to a workshop where authors present emerging results and works already published in other venues. The PIs agree a workshop venue is needed in the security research community. We discussing adding a cypher warfare competition to be held immediately before or after the conference.
We hosted a meeting of our industrial advisory board May 15 on the KU campus. Presentations focused on Secure Native Binary Execution and Cloud-based IoT Privacy, overviews of newly initiated research, and opportunities for funding research. We received positive news on our NSF I/UCRC pre-proposal and will be discussing a full proposal with industry. Finally, the Board planned its presentation for the Lablet Quarterly in July deciding to focus on industrial cyber security issues related to IoT.
C. Educational Advances
We await approval of our cyber security certificate by KU and the Kansas Board of Regents. The new certificate will include new courses on forensics, network security, and system security in addition to our traditional offerings. Additionally, the certificate will allow students to receive credit for participating in the Jayhackers competition team. Team members will receive one credit for actively participating in preparation for and participating in competitions. Three such credits will form one course in our certificate program.