The Center for Information Assurance (CfIA) has received millions of dollars in research, and education funds, stands as a nationally-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and Research (CAE-CDE, CAE-R) by the NSA/DHS (National Security Agency/ Department of Homeland Security).

Among different research areas Negative Authentication, Adaption Multi-Factor Authentication, Smart-Grid Security are the current focus. Also Game Theory and Cyber Security (GTCS) group conducts cutting-edge research to explore how they can apply game theoretic approaches to address network security issues. Current projects that students are working on include Game Theory Inspired Defense Architecture (GIDA), and AVOIDIT: A Cyber Attack Taxonomy.

The center provides student-centered research environment where both undergraduates and postgraduates get to work on federal-funded projects. Previous students have participated in cyber defense competitions (CANsec), as well as codebreaking (NSA Codebreaking Challenge) and security challenges (CyberSEED 2016), giving them with the chance to put their theory knowledge into practice.

Apart from working on world-class research, the CfIA provides training and career development services for students and professionals through online and hands-on training and community events, special purpose conferences, and vendor specific training programs. Students will also have the opportunity to listen first-hand from industry leaders through the annual Cyber Security Summit.
The center administers two graduate certificates in cyber security, one from Computer Science Department and the other from Business Information Technology Departments as the University fully appreciates the importance of the subject in the midst of the digital age.

The Computer Science Department in collaboration with the Management of Information Systems department of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the Herff College of Engineering and The UofM Information Technology Division have worked to receive certification under the Committee on National Security Systems for standards 4011, National Training Standard for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals, 4012, National Information Assurance Training Standard for Senior Systems Managers, and 4013, National Information Assurance Training Standard For System Administrators. The Center for Information Assurance also spearheads the efforts of The UofM as a Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education.

For those hoping to pursue the traditional B.S. Computer Science degree, now will have the option to pursue concentration in Computer Security.

For more information, contact us through email: cfia@memphis.edu