The University of California, Irvine’s cybersecurity institute is moving further into augmented and virtual reality.
Among other new projects, the school’s multidisciplinary Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute (CPRI) is seeking to develop a university-wide infrastructure to do immersive leaning based on virtual reality and augmented reality.
Both use computerized techniques to simulate real-world experiences.
“I’m trying to develop a capability to do immersive cyber-response exercises,” said Bryan Cunningham, CPRI, executive director.
“That technology has a much broader implication than just for cybersecurity.
“We’re developing a multi-school, multi-disciplinary effort to figure out what the hardware and software architecture of that capability should be,” Cunningham told the Business Journal on April 8.
He said CPRI has already done a number of “cybersecurity response exercises where we bring in business leaders and have them run through a simulation of what it would be like to be under a cyberattack.”
Now the aim is “enhancing those experiences by having the content delivered on virtual reality goggles or potentially AR glasses, so that the participants would be more fully immersed in the experience.”
“Those kinds of technologies can have much broader uses and applications in learning.” He said AR and VR are “tools” in the process, while LED walls may also be used.
World Events
Business’ computer security needs include multi-factor authentication to log in and go online, training and an insistence on changing passwords and updating security patches.
World events are a warning of the dangers that companies behind on their security policies can fall trap to.
If you’re not doing that “it’s a good reminder to do it,” Cunningham says of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The start of the attacks in February gave rise to worries that Russia would intensify its global cyberattacks on governments and businesses.
Cunningham pointed to the U.S. government’s April 6 announcement that it had disrupted a global internet malware operation run by Russia’s military intelligence.
That may mean the Russian computer attackers “actually have fired their big guns and we were able to stop them.”
“Maybe we’re just beating them,” Cunningham said. “I take the government at their word that they removed a large number of botnets.
“Next time we’ll have to switch and do something different.”
Cunningham said two other possibilities are that the Russian cyber capabilities are “as overblown and inept and unorganized” as their military or that they just haven’t done it yet. But he said both are now less likely now that the U.S. has announced its successful operation.
Vigilance Needed
As for critical infrastructure and high-end military R&D;, of which there’s a growing base of business in Orange County, Cunningham said to be vigilant.
“So much attack technology is automated. “They’re not looking for specific targets. They’re just looking for vulnerabilities and then they’ll attack you and then they’ll figure out if you’re a valuable target.”
Cunningham’s previous work includes serving as deputy legal adviser to then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. He also served six years in the Clinton Administration as a senior CIA officer and federal prosecutor, according to his UCI biography.
Campus Events
Cunningham said the CPRI is looking forward to doing more live events on campus, probably starting this fall, while research and publishing have continued robustly during the pandemic.
He emphasizes the institute made progress during the pandemic despite the obstacles to in-person gatherings.
Cunningham also said other initiatives include sponsoring a student cybersecurity team that made it to the finals of a national competition.
