The Cyber Security Research Alliance (CSRA) announced on Monday the selection of its first academic research partners who will work together to advance cyber physical system security in transportation vehicles, medical devices and the power grid.
Drexel University and George Mason University were the selected partners and will begin their research with a survey and taxonomy, the CSRA said.
Formed in October 2012, The Cyber Security Research Alliance (CSRA) is a private, non-profit research consortium formed in response to the growing need for increased public-private collaboration to address complex problems in cyber security, the organization explained.
Priority research areas for the organization include data and information sharing, control system security, and threat mitigation.
“Drexel and George Mason Universities were selected from a number of outstanding academic research proposals for their approach and understanding of the challenges in securing cyber physical systems,” said Lee Holcomb, president of the Cyber Security Research Alliance and director, engineering and technology, for Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions.
“Research partnerships like this are essential for staying one step ahead of cyber threats,” said Spiros Mancoridis, Ph.D., a professor in Drexel University’s College of Computing & Informatics, and Cybersecurity Institute. “University-based research centers like Drexel’s Cybersecurity Institute and George Mason’s International Cyber Center offer a broad base of academic insight that will be a valuable resource to the Cyber Security Research Alliance.”
“We’re looking forward to teaming with the CSRA on this important initiative in the exciting and ever-changing field of cyber physical systems,” said Arun Sood, Ph.D., professor, computer science and director, International Cyber Center at George Mason University.
Stakeholders involved in cyber security R&D, system integrators, owners and operators of critical infrastructures, and academic researchers and institutions qualify to become CSRA members, but are subject to approval by the CSRA board.
The founding members of the CSRA are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Honeywell, Intel Corporation, Lockheed Martin, and RSA.
Membership starts at $15,000 per year for “Affiliated Members”, to $60,000 per year for founding members.