UMBC Cybersecurity Institute

UMBC Professor Naghmeh Karimi and her students in SECRETS Lab, along with their collaborators, won the Best Hardware Demo award at the 2026 IEEE International Symposium on Hardware-Oriented Security and Trust. They demonstrated their research using PUFs ("physical unclonable functions") that leverage inherent microscopic manufacturing variations in a semiconductor to generate a unique, unforgeable digital fingerprint for a specific device. https://lnkd.in/enEcazH5

UMBC Prof. Chul Hyun Park talks on his study on 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲: 𝗔 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 from 12-1 pm ET online via WebEx. He will describe the adoption and evolution of cybersecurity-related election policies, practices, and technologies, and how governments have responded to emerging digital threats, offering practical insights for strengthening electoral governance and demonstrating how cybersecurity policy can enhance election integrity. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/159626/

Curious about what really happens during a cyberattack?

Join us for a live Mock Cyberattack Simulation and see how security teams respond in real time. From spotting threats to making fast decisions, you’ll get a firsthand look at the skills behind today’s cybersecurity field.

📅 Thursday, April 23
🕕 6:00–7:30 p.m.
📍 Attend in person at The Universities at Shady Grove or join virtually via WebEx

This is a great way to explore cybersecurity and experience the kind of applied learning UMBC is known for.

Register now: bit.ly/umbcsg-cybersim26

Adobe Senior Security Researcher Sai Kiran Uppu will discuss his research on extracting cybersecurity threat intelligence from unstructured reports, 12–1 pm ET on Friday, March 27, 2026, via WebEx. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/157712/

Dr. Josiah Dykstra talks on American Self-Defense in Cyberspace, 11am-12:30pm ET, Thur. March 12. He will describe cyber threats, roles and responsibilities, technology, and policy considerations for achieving American self-defense in cyber; discuss options for defending against cyberattacks, achieving deterrence, and the interplay between offense and defense; and consider perspectives from computer science and engineering, political science, and economics.
https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/157310/

UMBC Prof. Sanorita Dey discusses her research on how adolescents handle online interactions that can gradually escalate into phishing attacks. While many can recognize obvious scams, they often struggle to explain why a message is manipulative, how tactics unfold over time, or what protective actions should follow. She'll cover the theoretical framing, experimental design, and implications for AI-mediated cybersecurity education. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/157134/

The INCS-CoE (International Cyber Security Center of Excellence) will hold an online seminar via Zoom on the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and safety from 7:00-8:30 am ET on Thursday, March 19, featuring three short presentations from its members. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/157122/

Enis Golaszewski and Neal Krawetz present their work on Verifying Provenance of Digital Media: Security Analysis of C2PA and its Implementation, 12–1 pm ET, Fri., Feb. 20, 2026, online via WebEx. The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity standard combats misinformation by using cryptography to bind tamper-evident provenance data, such as authorship, origin, and edit history, to digital media files. Their investigation uncovered three major weaknesses and suggests ways to strengthen C2PA. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/156583/

Maryland high school and college students are invited to participate in the first annual Maryland Capture the Flag (CTF) competition, a virtual team-based event hosted by UMBC on March 28, 2026. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/156426/

Laura Mateczun, associate director of Digital Trust and assistant director of the UMBC Cybersecurity Institute, talks about her research on cybersecurity management at the local level, 12-1 pm ET, Friday, February 6, 2026, online via webex. https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/home/news/post/156179/