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York to be key player in global security research

Posted on 19 September 2006

Computer scientists at the University of York are to play a leading role in a transatlantic research programme exploring advanced technology for secure wireless and sensor networks to support future coalition operations.

Funded by the US Army and the Ministry of Defence, the International Technology Alliance (ITA) in Networked Systems will conduct a 10-year programme, involving 25 companies and academic institutions in the UK and USA, with a total budget of up to $135 million.

A team of researchers from the University's Department of Computer Science, led by Professor of Software Engineering John McDermid has been awarded up to $2.6 million to co-ordinate work in the UK and the USA on security across a system of systems, examining security issues that are unique to dynamic military environments. This will include automated negotiation of security policies across coalitions, developing energy-efficient security protocols, and managing trust and risk dynamically.

Professor McDermid said: 'Fundamentally, security is concerned with risk - but traditional approaches to (computer) security reflect approaches appropriate to a much less dynamic, paper-based world. In the new era of defence systems, security policies and mechanisms will need to be based on explicit models of risk, based on location, urgency and criticality of communication, and so on.

In the new era of defence systems, security policies and mechanisms will need to be based on explicit models of risk

Professor McDermid

'The key research challenge is how to produce new policies, protocols and mechanisms for risk-based security management - and doing so in such a way that the systems can be deployed with confidence. The programme will draw on skills from both sides of the Atlantic to make a difference in the way that defence systems are designed, implemented and operated, making them more effective.'

The alliance will perform research in the four areas of (i) network theory (ii) security across system of systems (iii) sensor information processing and delivery and (iv) distributed coalition planning and decision making.

The United States Army Research Laboratory and the UK Ministry of Defence selected the consortium following a competitive procurement process. The York bid was initiated and co-ordinated by the University's Enterprise and Innovation Office.

The consortium includes:

• US industry: IBM; BBN Technologies; The Boeing Company; Honeywell; Applied Research Associates.
• UK industry: IBM; LogicaCMG; Roke Manor Research; Systems Engineering and Assessment.
• US academia: Carnegie Mellon University; City University of New York; Columbia University; University of Maryland; University of Massachusetts Amherst; Pennsylvania State University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; University of California, Los Angeles.
• UK academia: University of Aberdeen; University of Cambridge; University of Cranfield; Imperial College, London; Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (University of London); University of Southampton; University of York