Note: The CoPS Lab does not exist any more - this is an archive of the old web site, hosted by the UNCG SPAN Lab.
CoPS Lab UNT
 
 
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Lab Goals and Plans

This page describes in some detail the goals and plans for the CoPS lab. The CoPS lab was started to address the need for more emphasis on security issues as they relate to current technology. While traditional computers and the Internet are the model most people think of when thinking of computer security, the move toward computing and communication technology in more common devices makes security a very pressing concern. The large number of security breaches, viruses, and worms that have been found over the last few years is strong evidence that we need to do something to improve matters.

The root cause for most current computer security problems is the fact that in the excitement of the Internet boom, new technologies have been pushed before all the issues have been thought through, and one of the first issues to fall by the wayside has unfortunately been security. While the focus on new capabilities, both in industry and in general education of Computer Science students, has produced some of the most amazing technological advancement we have ever seen, little time has been left for considering security concerns. The result is technology that is not properly designed for security, run by people who are technically skilled but simply not aware of many security implications.

The CoPS lab works to address the following needs:

  • Increasing the level of "security awareness" of general Computer Science students,
  • Producing highly skilled computer security specialists,
  • Producing basic and applied research that can advance the state of the art in computer security, and
  • Providing computer security expertise to the North Texas area.

Despite the obvious need, currently no other university in the area has a facility or group devoted to computer security.

Research Goals

An important aspect of computer security is that opportunities for research exist on many different levels. While there are certainly advanced research areas which require a high degree of knowledge and experience, there are also legitimate research projects which can be understood by any good undergraduate student. The projects section of this web site describe some of the active projects, and we are very open to new projects based on student interests.

While the CoPS lab is currently just being organized, we hope to have results from research projects in the lab regularly published in quality security conferences and journals. We look particularly to consider conferences such as the Usenix Security Symposium for practical security tools work, and conferences such as the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security and the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy for higher-level research.

Educational Goals

The primary educational goal of the CoPS lab and group is to make as many people as possible aware of security issues that arise in a networked world. The two key problems in the high tech industry regarding security are that many high tech employees have no notion of security issues, and the supply of security specialists is very limited. Education would be oriented toward both traditional university degree programs, and more creative "outreach" programs for industry and high school students, depending on demand and availability of facilities.

Traditional University Education

Within the Computer Science degree programs, security can be introduced at various levels, with the following three thrusts being the most important:
  • Work within the C.S. department to incorporate security concerns at various places in the curriculum, so all C.S. students have a basic awareness of security issues;

  • Create specific security courses that allow students to obtain a specialization (formal or informal) in computer security at both undergraduate and graduate levels;

  • Work with the lab's industry advisory board to craft courses of graduate study, where UNT is considered "the place" for area companies to send students for an MS in Computer Science that includes security education.

Other Opportunities

In addition, I feel that we can provide a great service to the area, specifically for people who are not interested in or able to pursue a full degree-granting program. Some specific offerings we are considering are listed below.
  • Training programs for industry professionals to keep them updated on current results and trends in security (designed in conjunction with our industry advisory board to meet industry needs).

  • Seminars and training short-courses for UNT system administrators in state-of-the-art topics, and broadly accessible seminars for general faculty and staff illustrating current security threats and basic steps any computer user can take

Due to interest by the UNT Computing Center we are currently exploring ways to utilize the CoPS lab to improve overall security awareness of campus system administrators, with the possibility of qualified students working as paid system/security administrators around campus.

Industry Interaction

The CoPS lab interacts with an industry advisory board, made up of highly qualified professionals who work in the security field. Through meetings and advice from the board, the CoPS lab keeps up with the needs of industry, helping focus both the educational and research direction of the lab.

We are also exploring further interaction with our industry advisers, such as placing qualified students in industry internships, providing valuable real-world experience for our students and access to some of our best students to the companies. In addition, guest lecturers from industry have made presentations to security classes at UNT, which we hope to continue to bring the real-world flavor into the classroom.