New Research Center Focuses on Information Security

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Brajendra Panda, director of the Center for Information Security and Reliability

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The security and reliability of our nation’s information and information networks is critical to our overall security. For that reason, researchers at the University of Arkansas Center for Information Security and Reliability are addressing critical issues related to the security of digital communications and information storage and management. The center was recently designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The field of information assurance includes strategies to protect information against hackers and viruses, policies to ensure that employees are handling information correctly and tactics to mitigate harm when malicious or accidental events do occur.

“Information assurance is a broad category,” explained Brajendra Panda, director of the center and a professor of computer science and computer engineering. “For example, computer security includes detecting intrusion into a system or recovering data that has been damaged. It’s hands-on, more technical. Information assurance is more broad, and computer security is a part of that.”

At the University of Arkansas, computer science and computer engineering faculty are conducting research in several important areas of this field.

Panda, himself, has been studying ways to protect databases from insider threats. He is developing tools to help organizations ensure that their employees are not able to accidentally or maliciously access or alter sensitive information. Other researchers are focusing on security research in a broad range of topics, including digital networks, radio frequency identification technology, multicore devices and the hardware descriptive language. As part of this new National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research, these engineers will be able to contribute their expertise to the effort of keeping our country’s information safe and reliable.