Jul 11, 2017   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

UCI Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute launches initiatives to combat cyber threats

IRVINE, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New initiatives from the Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine will help combat one of our greatest security challenges: vulnerabilities and attacks in cyberspace.

They include research on cyberattack attribution and supply-chain security, the development of law enforcement training, the launch of a cyber victims defense clinic, and curriculum development for high school students. They reflect CPRI's mission to develop multidisciplinary solutions to cybersecurity challenges at the intersection of technology, law and policy.

"CPRI brings together the best and brightest cybersecurity experts from the private sector and UCI's world-class faculty to find technological, legal and policy solutions to cyber threats, while protecting and enhancing individual privacy and civil liberties," said Bryan Cunningham, CPRI's founding executive director.

CPRI participants include experts from academia, critical infrastructure businesses, law enforcement and other government agencies and the privacy and civil liberties community. The institute is supported and advised by its Executive Committee, which includes former Rockwell Chairman Don Beall and leaders from Qualcomm, Rockwell Collins, Verizon, Cylance, The Irvine Company, the Los Angeles Police Department, Gigamon, First American Financial Corp., IBM, the law firms of Alston & Bird and Newmeyer & Dillion, Avast, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the University of San Francisco, and the Anaheim Union High School District. In addition to its Executive Committee, CPRI is supported by Monster Energy and the law firm of Rutan & Tucker.

Leading the institute is Cunningham, a cybersecurity and privacy lawyer and former Deputy Legal Adviser to the White House National Security Council. CPRI is guided by the deans of the six UCI founding schools -- engineering, information & computer sciences, law, physical sciences, social sciences and social ecology -- as well as a Faculty Advisory Council.

CPRI's initiatives include:

    --  Cyber Attack Attribution Research Project: Here, CPRI will research the
        feasibility of a holistic approach to cyber-attack attribution with the
        goal of enhancing the government's and private sector's ability to learn
        and prove the origin of such attacks, enabling better deterrence and
        justice for victims. CPRI's Legal Subcommittee has undertaken a related
        project with a review of potential standards-of-proof for attributing
        cyberattacks. It will cover attribution proof issues under international
        law, in criminal prosecutions, in civil litigation and in other
        contexts. The project will determine the extent, if at all, to which
        current law is clear and will propose model laws and standards of proof
        for the various levels of attribution.
    --  Supply-Chain Security Research Project: A significant percentage of
        cyber breaches involve supply-chain compromise. Supply chain-based risks
        include counterfeit, malware-embedded or otherwise compromised hardware
        and software, whether used directly by a purchaser or embedded in other
        devices. CPRI has identified software and other supply-chain security as
        a high priority research issue. In particular, the project will explore
        the use of blockchain - a distributed virtual-ledger technology offering
        security, transparency, immutability and authenticity - to better secure
        software and other vital supply chains.
    --  Enhanced Cyber Threat Information Sharing: CPRI will work to improve
        sharing of private sector and government cyber threat information.
    --  Law Enforcement Training: CPRI is working with UCI's Division of
        Continuing Education and Southern California law enforcement agencies to
        support cybersecurity and digital evidence handling training for police
        officers and, potentially, others in the criminal justice system.
    --  Cyber Victims Defense Clinic: Generously supported by the law firm of
        Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and the Orange County cybersecurity firm Cylance,
        the new Cyber Victims Defense Clinic will launch in the fall of 2017.
        Led by Gibson Dunn cybersecurity partner Joshua Jessen, the clinic will
        provide pro bono legal and technical assistance to cyberattack victims.
        Such attacks often target the elderly and other underserved populations
        as well as small businesses with limited resources. The clinic also will
        help prepare the next generation of cybersecurity-savvy lawyers.
    --  Curriculum Development to Boost Future Cyber Experts: CPRI is working
        with the Anaheim Union High School District, Santa Ana Unified School
        District, Cypress College and others to help develop cybersecurity
        curricula for high school students. This will create expertise and
        inspire students to pursue this job-rich field at community and
        four-year colleges.

For more: http://cpri.uci.edu.

Contact:
Brian Bell, UCI
949-824-8249
bpbell@uci.edu

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SOURCE University of California, Irvine