UF to recognize National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and new cybersecurity center with live interactive event
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and three University of Florida experts on cybersecurity will answer questions from the public in a livestreamed lunch hour event on Oct. 28. Engineering professors Patrick Traynor, Kevin Butler and Daniela Oliveira – all recently hired under UF’s Preeminence Plan – have formed a new center for cybersecurity, the SouthEasterN Security for Enterprise and Infrastructure (SENSEI). They are currently accepting questions posted to Twitter or their Facebook event page, with the hashtag #askSENSEI.
The livestream event will be accessible from UF’s College of Engineering website. Several active online participants will be selected to attend the event and win prizes for participation.
What: A two-week campaign inviting the public to “#askSENSEI” questions about cybersecurity, leading up to a livestream event Oct. 28 when three experts on the subject will answer the most engaging questions.
Who: Recruited in the first wave of hiring under UF’s Preeminence Plan, each expert has received a prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation:
- Patrick Traynor: responsible for uncovering critical vulnerabilities in cellular networks, made the first characterization of mobile malware in provider networks, and has a robust approach to detecting and combatting Caller-ID scams.
- Kevin Butler: focuses on security issues as they relate to storage systems, large-scale systems architectures and networks. Works with portable storage, USB interface, mobile phone security, protection of Internet traffic and the SSL infrastructure, and attacks and defenses against the cloud infrastructure.
- Daniela Oliveira: uses her training in martial arts to design virtualization-based security solutions for OS kernels. Hired as a Big Data specialist, her interdisciplinary research takes her all across campus. She’s currently collaborating with the Institute for Aging to protect older populations online.
Why: Cybersecurity is a critical concern for citizens, industry and government. Intrusions and attacks compromise everything from our personal identities to our national security, from our ATMs to our financial markets. UF is committed to anticipating cyber threats, and to reducing vulnerabilities.
When: Tuesday, Oct 28, 12:30 to 2 p.m. EDT
Where: To view the #askSENSEI livestream event and find information on how to ask questions, visit www.eng.ufl.edu/Cybersecurity/.
Credits
Contact: Jen Ambrose, 352-392-0984, jenambrose@eng.ufl.edu