UMD Cyber Symposium to Focus on Latest Trends in Cybersecurity

Topics ranging from recent findings about predicting future exploits using Twitter data to new protocols for privacy-preserving data analytics will be discussed at a symposium set for Dec. 7 at the University of Maryland.

The 4th Annual Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2) Symposium, to be held at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, will explore the latest in cutting-edge cybersecurity research and feature talks given by faculty in MC2, which is coordinating the event.

“Our annual symposium allows us to showcase some of the great work being done within the center,” says Jonathan Katz, a professor of computer science and director of MC2. “It also serves as an opportunity for cybersecurity professionals in the region to connect with colleagues in academia, industry and the federal government.”

Members of MC2 will speak on a variety of topics, including:

• Dave Levin, an assistant research scientist in MC2 and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), who will speak about a study he co-authored that offers the first end-to-end evaluation of the Web’s certificate revocation ecosystem. The study results reveal, somewhat surprisingly, that website administrators provide a large number of revoked certificates, that certificate authorities are not using recommended processes for handling revocation, and that many Web browsers are not checking whether certificates have been revoked.

• Charalampos “Babis” Papamanthou, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering with appointments in MC2 and UMIACS, who will discuss his research on new techniques that allow users to search their email even when their email is encrypted end-to-end and, thus, kept hidden from their email provider. He will also discuss a recent plug-in he has developed called PMAIL which implements this functionality in a way that is largely transparent to the user.

The event will also feature a student poster session and a tutorial on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

Go here for more information on the cybersecurity symposium or to register.

The Maryland Cybersecurity Center is supported by the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and the A. James Clark School of Engineering. It is one of 16 centers and laboratories in UMIACS.

—Story by Melissa Brachfeld