Norwich University Center for Advanced Computing and Digital Forensics

Research & Collaboration in Advanced Computing and Digital Forensic Technologies

NUACC Projects

The Norwich University Advanced Computing Center is engaged in several exciting research projects in the areas of virtualization, information assurance, cloud computing, fraud detection and formal method development. For abstracts on any of the projects below please email pstephen@norwich.edu.

Cyber Attack Mechanics

The concise description of the mechanisms of cyber attacks is a key element in planning and executing defenses against such attacks. To date, analysts have focused upon attacks against information systems based upon data gathered from the attack itself as well as the vulnerability being exploited. Typically, defenses against cyber attacks are constructed based upon a combination of the known vulnerabilities within the enterprise and known exploits against those vulnerabilities. This research seeks to identify and provide early warning of attacks based upon their impact on the surrounding environmnet, usually a large scale-free network.

PI: Dr. Peter Stephenson

Seeking Industry or Government Sponsors

A Famework for Cyber Profiling

There is a notion among cyber crime investigators that, somehow, cyber criminals are fundamentally different from criminals in the physical world. However, criminal profiling in the physical world is starting to mature well bahead of similar investigative techniques in the virtual world. This research seeks to discover the similarities and differences between the behavioral characteristics of physical world criminals and those who operate exclusively in the virtual world. The expected outcome is a framework that law enforcement can use in digital investigations in the same way that criminal profilers do in physical investigations.

PI: Dr. Peter Stephenson

Seeking Sponsors

Crimeware Test Bed

Recent developments in the application of crimeware to banking fraud show a very sopphisticated mix of technology and criminal fraud. This project will build a test bed where solutions to the impactsa of various credential hijacking and large-scale on-line bank fraud can be studied. This is a cooperative project between the NUACC, law enforcement, the financial services industry and the Norwich University Criminal Justice Department.

PI: Dr. Peter Stephenson

Seeking Additional Industry or Government Sponsors

Information Assurance (IA) in Virtual Environments

NUACC's twin virtual clusters (Cyber Weapons Range and Lab Cluster) make a perfect platform for study, teaching and collaboration in IA in the virtual environment. This includes using the virtual computing space for IA projects as well as studying security OF virtual environments.

PI: Dr. Peter Stephenson
SysAdmin: Michael Stephenson

Seeking University Partners

InfoSec Year In Review

This project started in 1995 when Dr. Kabay was asked to prepare an update for graduates of the information security courses he taught at the Institute for Government Informatics Professionals under the aegis of the University of Ottawa. Since 1997, he has been keeping a database of interesting or significant events in INFOSEC. Dr. Kabay creates or uses (with permission) an abstract of the issue, add keywords, classify the case according to a typology that has been evolving over the years and then publish a report every year to help anyone interested in locating key developments across the field of information security. These documents are especially helpful to teachers and writers who need examples for courses, textbooks or articles. It is not necessary to ask for permission to use these documents, although a pointer to this page may be useful to others and everyone should be careful to provide appropriate references when quoting text.

The database of abstracts starting from 1997 is available as an MS-Access 2000 .MDB file in compressed form as a WinZIP file. The Aggregate Report starts with 1997 and goes up to the middle or end of the most recent year covered.

The reports are available in Acrobat PDF. The codes file shows how the incidents are organized.

Starting in 2004, a team of students began helping me with the data collection with research funds drawn from the MSIA program. Some volunteers from the MSIA alumni joined the team in 2005. These helpful people are acknowledged in the appropriate reports.

PI: M. E. Kabay