Improving Cybersecurity on a Global Scale
UI computer scientists in the running for $2 million Cyber Grand Challenge prize
As electronic devices and people are becoming more and more connected, cybercrime — and in turn, cybersecurity — are growth industries.
Cybercrime impacts all levels of society, from individuals to businesses to governments. Recent high-profile data breaches at Sony Entertainment, Target and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the recall of 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler Automobile vehicles susceptible to cyberattacks underscore the breadth and seriousness of the problem. Intel Security subsidiary McAfee estimates that the annual cost to the global economy from cybercrime is more than $400 billion.
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), together with input from an international group of leading technological thinkers, has identified “securing cyberspace” as one of the 14 Grand Challenges facing engineers in the 21st century. The NAE notes that the “critical challenge is engineering more secure software. One way to do this may be through better programming languages that have security protection built into the ways programs are written. And technology is needed that would be able to detect vulnerable features before software is installed, rather than waiting for an attack after it is put into use."
The UI College of Engineering announced earlier this spring in conjunction with the White House that it will join 122 U.S. engineering schools leading a transformative movement in engineering education preparing students to address the 14 Grand Challenges facing society.