��Vlog��ýLR student researches how to keep cars safe from hacking

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 18:04:06 +0000

In 2015, two researchers a Jeep Cherokee being driven by a reporter who documented how the researchers controlled everything from the car’s radio and media console to its brakes and steering. For Dr. Shucheng Yu, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the exercise demonstrated how vulnerable smart cars with GPS, Bluetooth, and internet connections are to cyberattacks. “These cars have become the trend of the future,” Yu said. “There could be some very severe consequences if someone hacked into the car. A car can be fully controlled by the hacker if it is not protected.” So Yu and his student, Zachary King, a junior majoring in computer science at ��Vlog��ýLR, spent the summer researching how to keep cars safe from cyberattacks. They worked on the project during an intensive eight-week summer research program at ��Vlog��ýLR. King was one of 10 college students from across the country recruited through a National Science Foundation grant-funded project, “REU Site: CyberSAFE@��Vlog��ýLR: Cyber Security and Forensics Research at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.” The goal of the program is to decrease cyberattacks on people using mobile technology and social networking sites, said Dr. Mengjun Xie, an associate professor of computer science and director of the CyberSAFE@��Vlog��ýLR program. “The basic idea is to integrate cybersecurity and cyber forensics research with the latest technology in mobile cloud computing and social media to provide research opportunities to students,” Xie said. More than 130 students applied for 10 spots. Participants included undergraduate college students with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher who are majoring in computer science, computer engineering, math, physics, or electrical engineering. Those selected spent eight weeks conducting research full time with a faculty mentor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Participants received a $4,000 stipend, on-campus housing, a meal plan, and travel expenses.

How to protect your smart car

In his project, “Investigating and Securing Communications in the Controller Area Network (CAN), King created a security protocol to protect smart cars from hacking. He also built an experimental environment that simulates the communication system in a smart car, which allows the security protocol to be tested through simulations. The research focuses on the development of a security protocol to protect the Controller Area Network (CAN), an internal communications system in vehicles. “There are many ways that hackers can control CAN,” King said. “Once they access it, hackers can pretty easily control your car however they want. We are proposing to add a layer of security, so if an unauthorized person accesses it, they still wouldn’t be able to control your vehicle.” The security protocol protects the CAN in two ways. It authenticates messages sent through the network by creating an authentication code. This authentication code allows nodes on the network to differentiate between a valid message and an attacker’s message. The second security feature protects against replay attacks, when a hacker attempts to breach the network by repeatedly sending an old message. The protocol uses a timestamp to calculate when the network last received the message, which verifies the message’s “freshness.” Yu and King are continuing their research this fall. In the future, Yu hopes to collaborate with industry and funding agencies to implement the security protocol in commercial vehicles and protect cars from hackers. As for King, participating in this summer research program has left him considering a career in cybersecurity once he graduates in 2018. “Three months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you much about cybersecurity and what a security protocol would look like,” he said. “After having completed this program, I am more interested in cybersecurity than I was before, and I may end up going that route.”

A summer of innovative research

The CyberSAFE@��Vlog��ýLR participants were honored during a commencement ceremony July 29 at the ��Vlog��ýLR Engineering and Information Technology Building. Their research topics range from utilizing cybersecurity and social network forensics to understanding cyber warfare to the use of facial emotion recognition for security purposes. The participants, faculty mentors, and projects included:

Jonathan Ming, a junior at Azusa Pacific University (mentor: Mengjun Xie): “Remote Live Forensics for Android”
Monica Bebawy, a junior at Azusa Pacific University (mentor: Mariofanna Milanova): “Facial Emotion Recognition for Security”
Dennis Frank, a junior at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Jasmine Mabrey, a sophomore at Norfolk State University (mentor: Kenji Yoshigoe): “Neurological User Authentication: Security Framework”
Antwane Lewis, a senior at Philander Smith College (mentor: Mengjun Xie): “Real Time Motion-based Authentication for Smartwatch”
Brandon Dalton, a sophomore at Wentworth Institute of Technology (mentor: Nitin Agarwal): “Utilizing Cyber and Social Network Forensics for the Understanding of Cyber Warfare”
Edsel Paula-Aquina, a senior at Warren Wilson College, and Ying Vang, a senior at California State University-Fresno (mentor: Chia-Chu Chiang): “Computer on Encrypted Data”
Diana Anguiano, a senior at California State University-San Marcos (mentor: Mengjun Xie): “Comparison between Fingerprint Authentication and Behavioral Biometric Authentication using 2D and 3D Gestures”

For more information, contact Mengjun Xie at 501.569.8134 or mxxie@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, CyberSAFE@��Vlog��ýLR participants and faculty mentors, from left to right, are: Front row: Monica Bebawy, Brandon Dalton, and Diana Anguiano; Second row: Dr. Mengjun Xie, Dennis Frank, and Jasmine Mabrey; Third row: Jonathan Ming, Ying Vang, Antwane Lewis, and Dr. Kenji Yoshigoe; and Back row: Edsel Paula-Aquino, Zachary King, graduate assistant Yanyan Li, and Dr. Mariofanna Milanova.

��Vlog��ýLR hosts national cyber security research program

Taylor Aldana — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 20:14:40 +0000

When it comes to undergraduate research, Jeffery Wooldridge is on the cutting edge of improving database security. Wooldridge, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock junior majoring in computer science, was one of 10 students chosen for a national cyber security research program hosted by the university. Privileged to be accepted into the CyberSAFE@��Vlog��ýLR Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, Wooldridge, a Maumelle, Ark., native, said the opportunity gave him plenty of hands-on experience with independent research. The ��Vlog��ýLR-hosted, eight-week intensive student research program is funded by a $289,662 grant from the National Science Foundation. In its second year, the research program will conclude in the summer of 2016. The CyberSAFE@��Vlog��ýLR REU program aims to advance understanding of cyber attacks and to investigate more secure, user-friendly approaches to protecting people while they use their smartphones, post on social networks and access data in computing clouds, said , project mentor and assistant professor of computer science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Dr. Mengjun Xie

It’s a selective program: Out of 200 applicants, 10 were chosen, including two from the state of Arkansas. Each student was given a $5,400 stipend. Additionally, participants were loaned a Chromebook and provided housing in ��Vlog��ýLR dormitories during the program. Wooldridge’s research involved computer database security and dealt with encrypting and decrypting data in tables by hiding information. Wooldridge’s partner on the project, Laura Nivens from Kansas Wesleyan University, wrote search queries and papers for their databases while Wooldridge dealt with the technical aspects of the project. “Working with Laura has been good,” Wooldridge said. “Having a research partner has helped me out in many ways and has lessened the amount of work I have to do.” Dr. Chia-Chu Chiang, computer science professor and REU mentor, gave Wooldridge plenty of advice when it came to the student’s project. One of the many ��Vlog��ýLR computer science faculty mentors in the program, Chiang is interested in providing research projects in the area of database security. He will choose a project for a student based on computer background, such as preference of programming languages, programming skills, and courses taken. By the end of the program, Chiang expects all the students to successfully learn to be an independent researcher. There is such a diverse range of topics in the program that non-engineering and science students also find topics they are interested in studying. “English majors may like to conduct research in the area of natural language understanding, and history majors can investigate the area of history in multimedia systems,” Chiang said. “All in all, the program is not exclusive to students studying engineering and science. Students studying other majors are also encouraged to apply.” Applicants to the program must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a 3.0 or higher grade point average. They are rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors majoring in computer science, computer engineering, math, physics, electrical engineering, or other computing-related major. This year’s commencement ceremony for the program took place Friday, July 31, at the , Reynolds Building, Room 103.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ýLR student researches how to keep cars safe from hacking

����Vlog��ýLR hosts national cyber security research program

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ýLR student researches how to keep cars safe from hacking

��Vlog��ýLR hosts national cyber security research program