{"id":93,"date":"2015-11-06T12:52:40","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T17:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/research\/?p=93"},"modified":"2019-11-19T13:04:07","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T18:04:07","slug":"defense-against-technology-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/research\/2015\/11\/06\/defense-against-technology-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense against Technology Threats"},"content":{"rendered":"

We can lock our doors, install home security systems, and fend off intruders with guard dogs, but none of those measures can shield our digital world\u2014a world containing precious information about our lives, our work, and our money.<\/p>\n

New Internet threats emerge all the time, and industries must employ the latest security measures to combat ever-changing threats. To help industries defend themselves, the\u00a0Security and Software Engineering Research Center\u00a0(S2ERC) explores ways to improve such security measures.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in the name?<\/h5>\n

The S2ERC is a\u00a0National Science Foundation<\/a>\u00a0(NSF) cooperative research project that is headquartered at Ball State. The university has received numerous NSF grants to support the center, including its most recent five-year grant of $521,000.<\/p>\n

Working in collaboration with other universities, the center tailors its research to industries\u2019 specific needs, with the goal of improving software products, software development processes, and security systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, what we do is analyze the heck out of software,\u201d says\u00a0Dolores Zage, research coordinator for the center and assistant professor of computer science.<\/p>\n

The S2ERC works to fix and prevent software problems for over\u00a027 large companies and government agencies<\/a>such as AT&T, John Deere, NASA, Ontario Systems, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

Early detection<\/h5>\n

\u201cWe can find errors in your code before you write the code \u2026. using the information in a software design, which comes before the code, much like an architect has a blueprint (design) of a building before the building is constructed,\u201d says center Director\u00a0Wayne Zage, professor of computer science. \u201cThat\u2019s the idea\u2014catch problems early in the life cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe created software metrics that highlighted problem areas in the software,\u201d says Dolores. \u201cWhen you\u2019re developing software, if you had to spend an equal amount of time reviewing every section, you\u2019d never finish or you\u2019d spend too much money, so practitioners kept asking us, \u2018Well, where are my problem spots?\u2019 And guess what\u2014those metrics pointed out very well where they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMotorola used these design metrics to identify where to place testing effort,\u201d says Wayne. \u201cThe design metrics can identify modules that could be trouble\u2014stress points. That\u2019s where software developers at Motorola placed their testing effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically it gives you better software. And don\u2019t we all want better software?\u201d Dolores says with a smile.<\/p>\n

The S2ERC\u2019s metrics technology has been applied in myriad domains. \u201cWe\u2019ve analyzed code from missile defense systems, radar systems, financial systems from the U.S. Army, telecommunications systems, all kinds,\u201d she says. \u201cOur metrics are consistent \u2026 identifying stress points in all of those systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

With all of this exciting research, those working for the center never run out of things to do. \u201cThe research never finishes,\u201d says Dolores. \u201cThere\u2019s always an open question. The more you delve, the more detail there is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MIDAS touch<\/h5>\n

The S2ERC may not specialize in turning code into gold but its design metrics might be just as valuable. One of its current research areas is MIDAS (Metrics IDentification of Attack Surfaces) which is one way to predict weak areas in software.<\/p>\n

To understand MIDAS, recall the movie 300 when Spartan King Leonidas fends off thousands of Persian soldiers with his small band of 300 during the Battle of Thermopylae. \u201cAt the battle \u2026 these soldiers were able to stave off thousands because they had that small attack surface (area to protect). They could actually defend that space,\u201d says Dolores. \u201cSo naturally, this is the same in software. The smaller your attack surface, the less you have to protect and defend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem in software is that I only know about the attack surface when the code is done, and that\u2019s very late. I want to predict that attack surface beforehand in the design of the code.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customized research<\/h5>\n

In addition to the Ball State headquarters, there are three other S2ERC centers at\u00a0Georgetown University<\/a>,\u00a0Iowa State University<\/a>, and\u00a0Virginia Tech<\/a>. Nine additional universities participate in the research, including Indiana schools IPFW, IUPUI, and Purdue University. \u201cEach of these schools brings in a whole set of researchers that complement what we already have\u2014they add to our skill profile so that we can solve unique and different kinds of problems,\u201d says Wayne.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese centers are set up to solve technical problems in the country,\u201d he says, \u201cand what better way than to work with industry and government agencies and the top researchers in the country to get that done?\u201d<\/p>\n

The S2ERC centers actually customize their research efforts based on the needs of the affiliates. The affiliates become members of the S2ERC for a fee and can vote on research projects. About 25 funded projects are worked on at a time.<\/p>\n

The affiliates do more than vote, though. \u201cThe affiliates are a tremendous bunch. They really add a lot to the center,\u201d Wayne says. \u201cThey\u2019re not just managers that come by. They are true technical people. Some have their own patents and some are distinguished researchers in their own right.\u201d<\/p>\n

How it all began<\/p>\n

In 1976, the National Science Foundation established the\u00a0Industry\/University Cooperative Research Center<\/a>(I\/UCRC) Program to encourage more collaborative endeavors between academia and industry. The S2ERC is one of these established I\/UCRC centers. It began as the SERC, or the Software Engineering Research Center at Purdue University and the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1986, making it the second oldest center still in operation. Wayne says each I\/UCRC center typically has one lead university and other collaborative university sites.<\/p>\n

In 2001, the SERC headquarters moved to Ball State. In 2009, Ball State\u2019s center joined with another one, adding \u201cSecurity and\u201d to its name\u2014hence the S2. Since the 1970s, NSF has established more than 100 I\/UCRC centers and continues to establish centers. These centers\u2019 diverse foci include advanced electronics and photonics; advanced manufacturing; advanced materials; biotechnology; civil infrastructure systems; energy and environment; health and safety; information, communication, and computing; and system design and simulation.<\/p>\n

The Zages\u2019 design metrics work earned the Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize for Technological Innovation. Each year, all of the I\/UCRC centers can nominate one project for this national award, and Ball State\u2019s received the prestigious honor in 2007.<\/p>\n

Students who are interested in the S2ERC\u2019s work are welcome to join in. \u201cWe\u2019re supporting, through the center, anywhere from four to six students at any given time, and that\u2019s a lot of fun,\u201d says Wayne. \u201cOur work has led to over 50 master\u2019s theses and creative projects at Ball State.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university has helped the center achieve its goals. \u201cBall State\u2019s been really supportive,\u201d he says. \u201cWe could never do this without Ball State, at all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We can lock our doors, install home security systems, and fend off intruders with guard dogs, but none of those measures can shield our digital world\u2014a world containing precious information about our lives, our work, and our money. 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