University of Auckland granted $150,000 for cybersecurity project

An academic team comprising a number of different faculties at the University of Auckland now have $150,000 worth of funding to explore a new cybersecurity project.

The Cyber Security Foundry project will build on existing work around the SECRET security lab. It will provide a collaboration space for experts in a variety of disciplines to generate new ideas in order to fight cyber attacks.

According to Associate Professor Giovanni Russello from the Department of Computer Science and Professor Steven Galbraith from the Department of Mathematics, the opportunities for research and development are both unique and necessary for holistic solutions to complex threats.

They cite a mobile phone's location tracking and information sharing with Google, as well as emails with malicious attachments as major risk factors.

 The Cyber Security Foundry will help to anticipate future technologies and challenges, the pair say.

"By taking a fresh approach to security education, research and collaboration, we will contribute to the development of a more secure and resilient New Zealand cyber-infrastructure in the future," they explain.

The Cyber Security Foundry will first establish partnerships with stakeholders in government, industry and research institutions through fortnightly seminars, workshops, short courses and networking events.

In future, the Cyber Security Foundry will coordinate activities within the cybersecurity research community both in New Zealand and worldwide.

They also hope to encourage cybersecurity PhD and masters students and those working in the field through the university's Master of Professional Studies in Digital Security.

"At the end of the initial two-year programme we expect the CSF to be self-funded; to have effectively collaborated with the government to develop security policy and rules of law; to have contributed a better understanding of cyber physical threats to core infrastructures; and to have grown national awareness and international collaborations.

Members of the University of Auckland's Cyber Security Foundry:

Dr Rizwan Asghar and Professor Gill Dobbie (Department of Computer Science)

Associate Professor Alexandra Sims (Department of Commercial Law)

Associate Professor Paul Corballis (School of Psychology)

Associate Professor Lech Janczewski (Department of Information Systems and Operations Management)

Judge David Harvey (Department of Law)

Dr Xuyun Zhang (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Arron Judson (UniServices)