Information Assurance Cluster (under construction)

Information systems through various types of networks have been indispensable for modern societies in the information age. In order to use and process information with great confidence, both the information systems and networks as well as the information must be trustworthy. To achieve this objective, users need not only dependable and secure information systems and networks, but also effective mechanisms to ensure the integrity and quality of the information.

 

The Information Assurance Program at ASU addresses the broad issues of developing trustworthy networked information systems (TNIS), on which people can rely to store, process and transmit over networks. Created only a year ago, the IA program has already attracted more than 20 faculty members from several departments. We have also recruited a new faculty member in network security area.

 

Many proposals have been submitted in IA program. At least four of projects have already been funded, and several proposals are still pending. A prototype of a service-oriented infrastructure for rapidly building trustworthy networked information systems has been developed with some demonstration applications to show the important features of trustworthy networked information systems, including security, situation-awareness and adaptability.

 

In addition, IA faculty members are also engaged in both academic and outreach training programs. A new IA cluster has been established in April, 2005 to promote IA research and education activities at ASU and to establish a NSA/DHS certified national Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE). A number of courses have or will be offered, including Information Assurance; Applied Cryptography; Network Security; Practical Network Security; Reliable Computer Systems and Networks; Software Security and Safety. Several IA related courses have included or will be re-organized to include IA as a significant component.

Current research activities involve in foundational, network, system and application aspects of developing trustworthy networked information systems, including:

·     logic, languages and tools for development of secure systems, composition methods;

·     ways to measure, model, analyze, verify, and test dependability and security of networked information systems;  

·     trustworthy system architectures;

·     steganography;

·     survivable network design;

·     anonymous and secure network routing;

·     dynamic and deterministic Quality of Service management;

·     data mining for security;

·     privacy in data management;

·     situation-awareness;

·     Legal and ethical issues.