Cyber Florida

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So far Cyber Florida has created 54 blog entries.

Defense & Innovation: A Cybercrime Symposium

We are delighted to announce InfraGard Florida – Tampa Bay Area Members Alliance as our symposium co-sponsor!

Join us for a two-day symposium hosted by Cyber Florida in partnership with the University of South Florida and InfraGard to bring together academic researchers, industry practitioners, and law enforcement professionals to examine the latest intelligence on emerging cybercrime threats. The symposium will serve as a platform for connecting, information-sharing, and problem-solving as these three groups—practitioners, researchers, and law enforcement—work together to mitigate the constantly evolving cyber threat landscape. Agenda coming soon!

Symposium Agenda

Subject to change without notice.

8:00 AM Check-In and Breakfast
9:00 AM Welcome Remarks

George Burruss, PhD, Professor and Associate Chair, University of South Florida Department of Criminology
Ernie Ferraresso, Director, Cyber Florida

9:15 AM Keynote Address: The Global Cyber Threat

General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie, Executive Director, Cyber Florida

10:00 AM Call to Arms: A Plan for Protecting Critical Infrastructure in the United States i.e. How to Eat an Elephant

Michael W. Ritchie, President InfraGard – Tampa Bay Members Alliance and Principal, Germinal: Consulting Services & Custom Product Development

10:45 AM Break
11:00 AM The Fraud Triangle and Cryptocurrency: Unpacking the Relationship between Cryptocurrency and Financially Motivated Cybercrimes

Thomas Dearden, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Virginia Tech

11:45 AM State of Cybersecurity from Those Tasked with Defending It

Nick Biasini, Head of Outreach, Cisco Talos

12:30 PM Networking Lunch & Student Poster Session
1:30 PM The Cyberwar between Russia & Ukraine

LTC ret. Zbigniew Nowak, PhD, and Katarzyna Chałubińska-Jentkiewicz, PhD; Academic Center for Cybersecurity Policy, War Studies University, Poland; Dr. Ryszard Szpyra, Professor of social sciences, head of doctoral studies at the National Defense University; and Dr. Oleg Gushchyn, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv,  Military Institute.

2:15 AM Employing Zero Trust Architecture for Electric Utilities

Steve Lindsay, Director, Critical Infrastructure Initiatives, XTec

3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM Thick as Thieves: How Criminal Relationships Form on the Darknet

Samantha Tucker, PhD, Cyber Operations Analyst, MITRE

4:00 PM Hello, You’ve Been Hacked: A Study of Victim Notification Preferences

Caitlyn Muniz, PhD, Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at El Paso

9:00 AM Welcome to Day 2

George Burruss, PhD, Professor and Associate Chair, University of South Florida Department of Criminology

9:15 AM Darknet Ecosystem: Selling Stolen Identities Online

C. Jordan Howell, PhD, and George Burruss, PhD, University of South Florida

10:00 AM How basic is Hackers’ Playbook? Studying Attacks on our RDP Honeypots

Andréanne Bergeron, Ph.D, Cybersecurity Researcher / Chercheure en cybersécurité, GoSecure

10:45 AM Break
11:00 AM The Web: A Doubled-Edged Sword

Amin Kharraz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Systems Security Lab at Florida International University

11:45 AM ISP Spamming: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs)

Mark Clancy, Founder Cyber Risk Research and former CISO of Sprint and DTCC, and Khalid Akanbi, Cyber Security Analyst

12:30 PM Networking Lunch & Student Poster Sessions
1:30 PM Current Trends in Fraud

Supervisory Special Agent Keith Givens, Federal Bureau of Investigation

2:15 PM Leveraging “Insurability”

Joey Hernandez CISM, CISSP, InfraGard Financial Services Sector Chief and Team Lead for Dell/SecureWorks North American Proactive Services

3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM New Reputation-Based Mining Paradigm: Incentivizing Blockchain Miners to Avoid Dishonest Mining Strategies

Mehrdad Nojoumian, Associate Professor, Director of the Privacy, Security & Trust in Autonomy Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University

4:00 PM Machine Learning and Forensic Analysis of Photo Thumbnails

Shahrzad Sayyafzadeh, Florida A&M University

Location & Parking

Venue:

University of South Florida – Tampa
Marshall Student Center Grand Ballroom (2nd floor)
4103 USF Cedar Cir, Tampa, FL 33620

Parking:

After obtaining a parking pass from the Campus Information Center off of Leroy Collins Blvd (instructions provided via email to registrants), attendees should proceed to the Crescent Hill Parking Facility off of USF Cedar Dr., then walk to the Marshall Student Center. Guests with Disabled Person Parking Permits will find the closest disabled person parking spaces in Lot 3A:E.

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2023-02-10T12:05:56-05:00January 3, 2023|

Critical Infrastructure Recommendation Survey

2022-12-06T11:55:11-05:00December 5, 2022|

Webinar: The Path to a Federal Cybersecurity Job

Hear what recruiters look for on a resume, learn about the variety of cybersecurity jobs available, find out how security clearances work, and get answers to all of your questions in this free, interactive webinar for students and job seekers. Special Agent Melissa Fair, Applicant Coordinator/Recruiter for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Tampa; Tim May, Engagement and Policy Budget Manager at the National Security Agency (NSA); and Amanda Martens, Recruiting Manager for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be joined by moderator Steve “Scuba” Gary, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Information at the University of South Florida, to review best practices for applying for positions with the FBI, CISA, and federal government agencies in general. This event is a live webinar and cannot be recorded for security reasons, so don’t miss out!

2022-12-09T07:58:22-05:00November 14, 2022|

UWF Experts Works to Protects Cars from Cyberattacks

“Almost all modern automotive vehicles are equipped with some form of electronic connectivity through GPS devices, smartphones, telematics devices, roadside sensor units, on-board devices, WiFi, among others,” Francia said. “On one hand, these connectivity features provide newly found conveniences. On the other hand, they provide an expanded attack surface that adversaries can take advantage of.”

Francia explained one example is an adversary successfully taking control of a vehicle’s speed on a busy interstate highway. He has been part of a research group known as the Transatlantic (US-Ireland-Northern Ireland) working group on IoT/CPS Cybersecurity Research. Their research has uncovered several cyber threats related to connected vehicles including that the radio frequency signal from keyless remote fob transmitter can be intercepted and cloned for replay attack; the vulnerabilities in automotive controls due to insecure communication channels; the susceptibility of the inter-vehicle network due to an insecure protocol; and the viability of Machine Learning techniques in recognizing various attacks on the vehicle network.

Francia’s research project on securing connected cars from cybersecurity threats began in 2019. It has received funding support from the National Security Agency, the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, the Office on Naval Research and the Florida Department of Transportation. The workshop was supported by the National Science Foundation (USA), Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland), and Science Foundation of Ireland (Republic of Ireland).

For more information on UWF’s Center for Cybersecurity, visit uwf.edu/cyber.

Article available at https://news.uwf.edu/uwf-cybersecurity-expert-shares-research-on-connected-vehicle-security-warns-of-vulnerabilities-in-modern-vehicles/.

2022-10-27T10:42:35-04:00October 27, 2022|

Sriram Chellappan

Dr. Sriram Chellappan is Cyber Florida’s academic director of research and a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. Previous to his appointment at USF, he was an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at Missouri University of Science and Technology where he directed the SCoRe (Social Computing Research) Group. His primary interests lie in many aspects of how Society and Technology interact with each other, particularly within the realms of Smart Health and Cyber Security. He is interested in mobile and wireless networking, cyber-physical systems, and distributed and cloud computing. Dr. Chellappan’s research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Department of Education, Army Research Office, National Security Agency, DARPA, and Missouri Research Board. He received his PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the Ohio State University in 2007. Dr. Chellappan received the NSF CAREER Award in 2013, the Missouri S&T Faculty Excellence Award in 2014, the Missouri S&T Outstanding Teaching Commendation Award in 2014, and the Missouri S&T Faculty Research Award in 2015.

Research Interests

Socio-technical systems; cybersecurity; smart health; cyber-physical systems; mobile and wireless computing

Teaching Interests

4930/6930: Information Security and Privacy in Distributed Systems;
6611: Operating Systems

Education

PhD in Computer Science and Engineering, Ohio State University (2007)

Honors and Awards

Missouri S&T Outstanding Teaching Commendation Award (2015)
Missouri S&T Faculty Research Award (2015)
Missouri S&T Faculty Excellence Award (2014)
NSF CAREER Award (2013)

Key Activities

Invited Speaker at International Conference on Orange Technologies (ICOT) (December 2015)
Invited Speaker at International Conference on Collaboration Technologies and Systems (CTS) (June 2015)
Technical Program Committee Member, Percom 2016, Infocom 2016, AINA 2016, MSN 2015
IEEE Member

2022-10-25T14:38:24-04:00October 25, 2022|

Cyber Florida Launches Statewide Cybersecurity Risk Assessment for Critical Infrastructure

Oct. 21, 2022—Tampa, Fla– The Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida) at the University of South Florida and Florida Digital Service are working together to launch the state’s first statewide assessment of both public and private critical infrastructure cybersecurity pursuant to House Bill 5001, Appropriation 2944B. The appropriation provides $7 million in funding to Cyber Florida to “conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the state’s critical infrastructure and provide recommendations to support actionable solutions for improvement of the state’s preparedness and resilience to significant cybersecurity incidents.”

The assessment is part of a significant investment by the Florida Legislature to enhance the state’s cyber resiliency, dubbed “CyberSecureFlorida.” The initiative also includes a $30-million statewide cybersecurity awareness and upskilling training program for public sector employees and establishing a cyber range to help public cybersecurity and information technology professionals learn to detect, prevent, and mitigate cyberattacks. Law enforcement personnel will also be able to use the cyber range to learn digital forensics and evidence-gathering techniques.

“Florida lawmakers have made an unprecedented investment in the state’s cyber resiliency,” said General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie, Executive Director of Cyber Florida. He continued, “This risk assessment will enable Cyber Florida to start building a statewide community of cybersecurity leaders and practitioners centered on Florida’s collective cyber resiliency.”

The assessment consists of an online survey of roughly 150 questions using the Cyber Security Evaluation Tool (CSET) created by the Idaho National Laboratory and the Department of Homeland Security. Cyber Florida is leveraging Idaho National Laboratory’s critical infrastructure cybersecurity expertise through a Strategic Partnership Project (SPP). Florida is the first state in the nation to conduct a statewide survey using CSET.

The CSET link will open on Oct. 20, 2022, at cybersecureflorida.org. Participation is voluntary, and Cyber Florida is encouraging all critical infrastructure organizations in the state, both public and private, to participate. Participants will receive a custom risk assessment report for their organization, which they can use to apply for potential grant funding. All data will be kept confidential and housed on secure servers at Cyber Florida’s host institution, the University of South Florida.

The data will be compiled and reviewed by researchers at MITRE working with Cyber Florida to create a report for the Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis. The report will outline the aggregate, anonymized findings and recommend potential legislation and funding initiatives to enhance and fortify the state’s critical infrastructure cybersecurity posture.

To learn more about the assessment, please visit cyberflorida.org/cybersecureflorida/.

ABOUT CYBER FLORIDA

The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida, was established by the Florida Legislature in 2014 to help position Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity through education, research, and outreach. Hosted by the University of South Florida, Cyber Florida leads an array of initiatives to inspire and educate future and current professionals, support industry-advancing research, and help people and organizations better understand cyber threats and what they can do to stay safer in cyberspace.

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2023-01-26T11:09:48-05:00October 21, 2022|

Cyber Florida Names Ernest Ferraresso as New Director

October 4, 2022 – Tampa, Fla. – The Florida Center for Cybersecurity at the University of South Florida (USF), also known as Cyber Florida, is delighted to announce that Ernest “Ernie” Ferraresso has been selected to serve as Cyber Florida’s new Director, overseeing the center’s day-to-day operations under Executive Director General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie.

Ferraresso previously served as Cyber Florida’s Associate Director of Programs and Partnerships, leading numerous essential projects and initiatives and helping the center grow from a regional entity to a statewide organization. Among his achievements, Ferraresso built strategic public and private partnerships across Florida to forge a strong cyber workforce and worked to implement programs focusing on education, research, and engagement to advance Florida’s cyber resilience

Before joining Cyber Florida in 2017, Ferraresso was Director of Operations for a small technology design and integration firm, overseeing the design and implementation of cybersecurity and emergency operations center technology solutions in the U.S. and Latin America. He is a retired U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer whose work included assignments with U.S. Special Operations Forces, the Intelligence Community, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, and U.S. Cyber Command.

“Ernie is a highly respected member of the Cyber Florida team,” said General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie. “His expertise, prior exemplary service at Cyber Florida, collaborative leadership style, and ongoing commitment to the mission made him the standout candidate for this role. I am entirely confident that, under his leadership, Cyber Florida will continue to flourish and secure its rightful place as the nation’s preeminent center for cybersecurity.”

Ferraresso describes his vision for Cyber Florida’s future as being the mechanism at the heart of Florida’s efforts to stand as the national model for a statewide culture of cyber resiliency and collaboration. “Florida has made significant investments in advancing public sector cybersecurity as well as building a robust cyber industry and workforce across the state,” noted Ferraresso. He continued, “There are many entities, both public and private, working toward the same goals across the state, and I see Cyber Florida as the nexus of these efforts, connecting, enabling, and facilitating the initiatives and resources needed for Florida to realize its goal of being the national leader in cybersecurity.”

 

ABOUT CYBER FLORI

The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida, was established by the Florida Legislature in 2014 to help position Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity through education, research, and outreach. Hosted by the University of South Florida, Cyber Florida leads a spectrum of initiatives to inspire and educate future and current professionals, support industry-advancing research, and help people and organizations better understand cyber threats and what they can do to stay safer in cyberspace.

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2022-10-19T10:59:11-04:00October 19, 2022|

Town Hall Event Registration 10-18-2022

Registration Required

Learn about the CyberSecureFlorida initiative, a statewide critical infrastructure cybersecurity risk assessment that is voluntary and free to both the public and private sectors. This event will be live streamed via Zoom with interactive Q&A.

2022-10-18T17:06:05-04:00October 4, 2022|

Statewide Virtual Town Hall Event Registration

Critical Risk Assessment Virtual Town Hall

Learn about the CyberSecureFlorida initiative, a statewide critical infrastructure cybersecurity risk assessment that is voluntary and free to both the public and private sectors. This event will be live streamed via Zoom with interactive Q&A.

REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE
2022-10-18T17:08:30-04:00October 4, 2022|

2022 TECH MATCH – Networking Event

2022-10-28T16:14:18-04:00September 26, 2022|