IU among nation’s top online security research colleges

IU’s research in “cybersecurity” and its efforts in phishing-scam prevention have finally paid off.\nThe National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security named IU as one of 22 universities in the country to be the first National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research, according to an IU press release.\nIU, along with the other universities, will be honored at the annual Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education conference June 2-4 at the University of Texas in Dallas. The universities’ assignments have the duration of five years, according to the release.\nIn a response to President Bush’s National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security teamed up to form the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research programs in 2004. They came together to promote higher education in online information security and produce more professionals with expertise in protecting confidential information from unauthorized users, according to the release.\nIU was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence for Information Assurance Education in 2007, said Fred Cate, director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research. He is also an IU law professor.\nCate credited the faculty for its research and work with information security. He also credited the School of Law for its efforts and testimonies before Congress, stating which cybersecurity laws are needed.\n“We worked to protect the government, industries, universities and individuals,” he said. “We have a lot of faculty doing research on security problems. We’re always trying to work to identify and fight new threats.”\nBeing one of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research makes IU and the other colleges eligible for grants and scholarships through Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship programs, according to the release.\nCate said much of the research IU conducted dealt with phishing scams on the Internet, in which scammers trick users into exchanging personal information, while the scammer disguises himself as a representative of a popular company or Web site. \nIn 2005, IU researchers used the tactic of contacting Facebook users under names found on the users’ friend lists, Cate said. He said researchers found that users were six times more likely to freely give out their information if they were under the impression it was from a person they knew. He also said these findings encouraged Facebook to adopt some anti-phishing initiatives.\n“Unfortunately, students and faculty fall for these scams all the time,” he said.\nCate said he hopes IU will continue the initiative to keep cyberspace safe for users and will be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence again in 2013. However, he encouraged individuals to practice self-protection on the Internet.\n“Use common sense,” he said. “Don’t give out information you wouldn’t give out in real life.”