Center for Assurance Research and Engineering

J.P. Auffret speaks at Health Talk Summit, Pakistan

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Dr. J.P. Auffret, Director, CARE, joins the Health Tech Summit organized by Aga Khan University and Hospitals on December 7th, 2023 for a discussion on Round Table 2: Unlocking the Power of Emerging Technologies for Next-Level Capabilities.

For more information on the Health Tech Summit and the agenda, please visit this link

As a result of this summit, the conference organizers recommended the following three suggestions to the Prime Minister, which were accepted and will be enacted.

  1. The creation of a Prime Minister’s Technology Council, composed of leading professionals in Pakistan as well as international experts;
  2. The creation of a think tank whose mandate would be to develop policies that ensure the development and retention of highly skilled professionals within Pakistan;
  3. The implementation of an Electronic Health Record system shared across all Government hospitals.

Meet the Tech Exec Event: Featuring Paul Hong and Kevin Donohue, AWS Cloud Assurance

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Meet the Tech Exec: Amazon Cloud Security Assurance & Careers Event

Featuring Paul Hong and Kevin Donohue, AWS Cloud Assurance
Wednesday, April 12
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Johnson Center Cinema at George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus

Meet with business leaders from Amazon Web Services and learn about the field of Cloud Security Assurance and careers at Amazon Web Services from Paul Hong and Kevin Donahue, AWS.

Please RSVP: https://MasonAmazonCareerNetworkingApril12.eventbrite.com

Paul Hong, CISSP, CPA, Security Assurance Training and Education Lead

Paul develops and delivers cloud security and compliance trainings for regulated industries, including the US government. Paul’s work also includes enabling public sector and regulated industry adoption of the AWS Cloud. Prior to joining AWS, Paul spent his career as an IT security professional working directly with Fortune 500 companies auditing or consulting on IT process, security, and risk projects. Paul is a CISSP, CEH, and CPA, and holds a Masters of Accounting Information Systems and a Bachelors of Business Administration from James Madison University, Virginia.

Kevin Donohue, CISSP, Senior Customer Enablement Manager, Global Regulatory Operations, AWS Security

Kevin has been with AWS since 2019 and is currently a senior manager in the Security Assurance org. He leads security and compliance initiatives for various government and commercial certifications and helps customers understand the shared responsibility model. He holds CISSP, AWS Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect Associate certifications. Before joining AWS, Kevin worked in the commercial cybersecurity practice at PwC and prior to that, the U.S. State Department. Originally from New Jersey, Kevin now lives with his wife and daughter in Alexandria, VA.

More information about the Johnson Center Cinema.

For more information, please contact: jauffret@gmu.edu or cbatchel@gmu.edu.

This event is hosted by Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing‘s Center for Assurance Research & Engineering (CARE), the Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) and School of Business.

 

JP Auffret to Co-Lead First-of-its-Kind Mason Center for Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience

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January 17, 2023 / By John Hollis

George Mason University will expand its research and real-world impact in Northern Virginia with a pair of projects that were made possible by the efforts of U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to address cybersecurity and mental health care needs.

Mason will receive $1 million in federal funding to support the creation a first-of-its-kind Mason Center for Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience, and nearly $1 million for the Saving Lives and Decreasing Health Disparities project. Funding for both efforts came as part of the federal omnibus appropriations bill that President Biden recently signed into law to fund the government through Fiscal Year 2023.

Connolly, whose 11th District includes Fairfax, is a senior member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and his party’s lead on the Subcommittee on Government Operations.

“George Mason University is a pillar of our community, but the effects of its world-class education and world-changing research can be felt throughout the country,” said Connolly.

The future Center for Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience will act as a strategic partner in federal government cybersecurity and IT modernization efforts, translate state-of-the-art research on technology modernization and cybersecurity in federal practice, collate and disseminate best practices on federal government agency cybersecurity, and foster U.S. government cybersecurity organizational capacity.

The center will bring together experts in IT modernization, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure systems to develop and provide in-person, hybrid, live virtual, and online executive education, tabletop exercises and workshops for federal government IT and cybersecurity executives and middle managers. In addition, the center will leverage Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation, which integrates transdisciplinary centers and labs with deep interdisciplinary expertise across all facets of cybersecurity research, governance, policy, and education.

Amarda Shehu, associate vice president of research at the Institute for Digital Innovation, and professor of computer science with Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, will operate the center along with J.P. Auffret, the director of research partnerships and grants initiatives in the School of Business and the director of the Center for Assurance Research and Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing.

“This is further evidence of the value and depth of Mason’s research, programs, and outreach in cybersecurity,” said Ken Ball, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. “This funding will help us strengthen our programs and generate new discoveries that will make our nation more secure.”

“We are exceptionally grateful to Congressman Connolly for championing the central importance of cybersecurity for the federal government,” added Shehu and Auffret. “We are excited to engage with federal IT and cyber executives to modernize and secure systems, and advance excellence.”

Mason has a 25-year history in government IT leadership and governance education, including as a founding partner in the U.S. Federal CIO University and as a founding partner in the International Academy of CIO. Mason’s partners include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, the Commonwealth of Virginia state government, the West Virginia state government, Connected DMV, and others.

Andre Marshall, Mason’s vice president for research, innovation and economic impact, praised Connolly for his continued leadership in the areas of federal cybersecurity and IT modernization.

“I am so proud to have secured funding for the Mason Center for Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience, the first of its kind, and I can’t wait to see the results in action,” he said.

The Business of Energy

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Please join us 11/7. More info here: https://business.gmu.edu/current-students/career-services

International Academy of CIO (IAC) 2022 Virtual MiniConference

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IAC 2022 MiniConference “Redefining the Role of the CIO in the Age of AI”

December 15, 2022 (Virtual)

7:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Eastern Time (US and Canada) & 9:00 P.M. – 12:00 MIDNIGHT JAPAN TIME

TOPICS

CIO and IT Leadership
Institutions and Institutional Capacity Building
Digital Transformation and Society
CIO Education

SPEAKERS

  • Professor Toshio Obi, Ph.D., President Emeritus, International Academy of CIO
    Naoko Iwasaki, Ph.D., Professor, Institute of e Government, Waseda University, Japan, President of IAC Japan
  • Shaukat Ali Khan, Global CIO, Aga Khan University and Hospitals in Asia, Africa and United Kingdom, Pakistan
  • Sundar Balakrishna, Ph.D., Special Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Electronics, and Communications, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India
  • YoungSik Kim- E-Government Consultant, UNU-EGOV, Digital Government Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Andrew Beklemishev, Vice President – CIS Region, IDC, Kazakhstan
  • Fengchun Yang, Ph.D., Director, Academy of eGovernment, Peking University, China
  • Suhono Supangkat, Ph.D., Director of Smart Cities and Communities Innovation Centre, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
  • Jirapon Sunkpho, Ph.D., Vice Rector and CIO, Thammasat University, Thailand
  • Ken Wang, Director, Department of Digital Service, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Taiwan
  • Francisco Magno, Ph.D., Director, Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance, De La Salle University, Philippines
  • Alexander Ryzhov, Ph.D., Professor, Head of Chair, Russia Presidential Academy of Public Administration (RANEPA), Russia
  • Naoko Mizukoshi, Founder and President, Leftright Law and IP, Japan
  • Hiroko Kudo, Ph.D., Professor Public Policy and Management, Chuo University, Japan
  • Luca Buccoliero, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Marketing, Bocconi University, Italy
  • Elena Bellio, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Marketing, Bocconi University, Italy
  • Liao Hsin Chung, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Taiwan E-Governance Research Center, Taiwan
  • J.P. Auffret, Ph.D., George Mason University; President, International Academy of CIO

AGENDA

7:00 a.m. Welcome

7:05 a.m. Professor Toshio Obi, Ph.D., President Emeritus, International Academy of CIO

7:15 a.m. Naoko Iwasaki, Ph.D., Professor, Institute of e Government, Waseda University, Japan, President of IAC Japan

Session 1 – CIO and IT Leadership

7:25 a.m. Shaukat Ali Khan, Global CIO, Aga Khan University and Hospitals in Asia, Africa and United Kingdom, Pakistan

7:35 a.m. Fengchun Yang, Ph.D., Director, Academy of eGovernment, Peking University, China Centre, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia

7:55 a.m. Andrew Beklemishev, Vice President – CIS Region, IDC, Kazakhstan

8:05 a.m. Liao Hsin Chung, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Taiwan E-Governance Research Center, Taiwan

Session 2 – Digital Transformation and Society

8:15 a.m. Ken Wang, Director, Department of Digital Service, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Taiwan

8:25 a.m. Francisco Magno, Ph.D., Director, Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance, De La Salle University, Philippines

8:35 a.m. Naoko Mizukoshi, Founder and President, Leftright Law and IP, Japan

8:45 a.m. Hiroko Kudo, Ph.D., Professor Public Policy and Management, Chuo University, Japan

8:55 a.m. Elena Bellio, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Marketing, Bocconi University, Italy

Session 3 – CIO, CIO Institutions and Capacity Building

9:05 a.m. Jirapon Sunkpho, Ph.D., Vice Rector and CIO, Thammasat University, Thailand

9:15 a.m. Sundar Balakrishna, Ph.D., Special Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Electronics, and Communications, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India

9:25 a.m. YoungSik Kim, E-Government Consultant, UNU-EGOV, Digital Government Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

9:35 a.m. Luca Buccoliero, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Marketing, Bocconi University, Italy

9:45 a.m. Alexander Ryzhov, Ph.D., Professor, Head of Chair, Russia Presidential Academy of Public Administration (RANEPA), Russia

9:55 a.m. J.P. Auffret, Ph.D., George Mason University; President, International Academy of CIO, USA

10:00 a.m. Closing

For more information, please contact J.P. Auffret at jauffret@gmu.edu.

More information: https://iacio.org/

Mason – NSF Local Government Cybersecurity Partnering Workshop – Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula

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Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula – Mason & NSF Local Government Cybersecurity Partnering Workshop at the Historic Beale Sanctuary in Tappahannock, Virginia

Hosted by George Mason University and National Science Foundation

The workshop is follow-on to the Virginia workshop we held in Richmond in the fall of 2017 and subsequent regional workshops in Roanoke, Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, and Leesburg, Purcellville, Richmond and more.

Topics and discussion will include: ransomware update, cyber insurance, Commonwealth of Virginia update, CISA update, election security, K – 12, regional SOCs and new DHS and CISA funding opportunities amongst others.

Please RSVP: https://NorthernNeckMiddlePeninsulaMasonNSF.eventbrite.com. No cost to register / attend – Lunch provided.

Who should attend: State and Local Government Administrators, IT and Cybersecurity Administrators, K-12 IT and Cybersecurity Administrators and Police and Emergency IT Managers

For more information: jauffret@gmu.edu

Hosts and Organizers: George Mason University and the National Science Foundation.

About the Workshop:

The workshop builds upon many state and local government cybersecurity workshops held in 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 with the objective of discussing current cybersecurity challenges and associated potential partnering and funding opportunities.

The workshop is part of the George Mason-National Science Foundation Cybersecurity City and County Cross Jurisdictional Collaboration project, having the goal of furthering U.S. city and county cybersecurity efforts by developing foundations and policies that enable and foster city and county cybersecurity partnerships.

The Mason-NSF project has co-hosted 13 successful local government cybersecurity partnership workshops in Virginia and West Virginia between 2017 and 2022.

Follow us on Twitter @MasonCyber for more up-to-date discussions on cybersecurity and innovation.

New Date Announced for Mason Cybersecurity Innovation Forum

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The George Mason University Cybersecurity Innovation Forum

Please join us for the George Mason University Cybersecurity Forum. The Forum will consist of a series of 15-20 minute case study presentations by cybersecurity experts and technology innovators followed by a Q&A. There will be complimentary refreshments.

The focus of the events is on cybersecurity innovation including innovation rationale and motivation, technology, metrics, and lessons learned.

Please RSVP: https://CyberforumDec7.eventbrite.com

Mason's Cybersecurity Innovation Forum Adds "Fuse at Mason Square" as New Location

Recently announced, George Mason University’s Arlington Campus is now Mason Square, an urban destination of learning, collaboration, and economic development.

Fuse at Mason Square is a first-of-its-kind facility bringing together the public and private sectors in a collaborative alliance to solve grand challenges. Fuse houses faculty and students working with the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) and their partners, and graduate programs from Mason’s new School of Computing. Designed to support digital innovation, active learning, cutting-edge research, business entrepreneurs, and tech incubators alongside education and policymakers, the new space offers nearly 350,000 square feet designed for the needs of the next generation of Northern Virginia’s technology workforce.

For a map of Vernon Smith Hall and information about public transportation and location, please go to: https://arlington.gmu.edu.

The Cybersecurity Innovation Forum Series is generously supported by Accenture.

George Mason University’s (GMU) College Engineering and Computing's Center for Assurance Research & Engineering and School of Business sponsor the events.

Follow us on Twitter @MasonCyber for more up-to-date discussions on cybersecurity and innovation.

Steve Meckl Managing Director at Accenture Security Speaking at Next Mason Cybersecurity Innovation Forum April 20

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Please join us for the George Mason University Cybersecurity Innovation Forum on April 20, 2022 from 7-9pm at the Country Club of Fairfax. The Forum will consist of a series of 15-20 minute case study presentations by cybersecurity experts and technology innovators followed by a Q&A. The focus of the events is on cybersecurity innovation including innovation rationale and motivation, technology, metrics, and lessons learned.

Speakers:

Dr. Steve Meckl, Managing Director at Accenture Security will present Deep Dive on Security Posture. In this talk, Steve Meckl will provide an overview of how Accenture Managed Extended Detection and Response (MxDR), leverages emerging cybersecurity threat intelligence, data analytics, the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and their unique global view of live attacks to drive a strategic approach to defending global computer networks.

Steve Meckl is the global delivery lead for Accenture Managed Extended Detection and Response (MxDR), responsible for monitoring some of the world’s largest and most complex networks for sophisticated cybersecurity threats.

Before joining Accenture, Dr. Meckl was Unit Chief of the FBI Cyber Division’s Technical Operations Unit. In that role, he led the Cyber Action Team (CAT), FBI’s elite cyber incident response team. He also created and led the Cyber Denial & Deception program, a team of engineers and Agents responsible for developing cutting-edge tools and technologies aimed at disrupting Advanced Persistent Threat groups targeting critical US networks. As a Unit Chief in FBI Cyber Division, Dr. Meckl received the 2014 Director’s Award for Outstanding Technical Advancement, the most prestigious award given to FBI Agents. He also received the 2015 High Impact Leader Award, recognizing excellence in leadership within the FBI.

Prior to his US Government experience, Dr. Meckl was a security software engineer, designing secure systems and protocols for high-availability web services and Windows desktop environments. Dr. Meckl received his PhD in Computer Science at George Mason University and his MS in Information Security and Assurance from George Mason University and BSE Computer Engineering from University of Michigan.

Follow us on Twitter @MasonCyber for more up-to-date discussions on cybersecurity and innovation.

George Mason University’s (GMU) Volgenau School of Engineering’s CARE Center and School of Business sponsor the events.

The Cybersecurity Innovation Forum Series is generously supported by Accenture.

Please RSVP here https://aprilmasoncyberforum.eventbrite.com

CAR Technology Entrepreneurship & ICT Leadership Accelerator Bringing the ‘Economic Miracle’ to Central African Republic

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https://cartechleadership.eventbrite.com

Research Spotlight on J.P. Auffret

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Research Spotlight on J.P. Auffret

Faculty Spotlight: J.P. Auffret

J.P. Auffret, Ph.D. is the director of the Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE) in the College of Engineering and Computing and the director of the Research Partnerships and Grants Initiatives in the School of Business at George Mason University.  

The Institute for Digital InnovAtion talked with Auffret about CARE. Responses have been edited.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Tell us about the Center.  

The Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE) in the College of Computing and Engineering is a multidisciplinary, research-to-practice center. The Center is about 10 years old and was started by Dr. Angelos Stavrou. We have a range of technical, policy, leadership and management projects/initiatives and have partnerships with governments, private sector companies and NGOs in the U.S. 

The strength of the Center is its faculty, affiliates and partners and its multidisciplinary and international scope. For example, Dr. Eric Osterweil is doing fascinating work on the DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities (DANE) and its potential applications to medical devices (and other) security; Dr. Daniel Barbara has great expertise in data mining and machine learning and has, for example, played integral roles in a DARPA project and also on a Commonwealth Cyber Initiative project both having a focus on ascertaining device compromise from changes in electromagnetic fields; Dr. Duminda Wijeskera is a world leader in train security and is currently researching the potential of 5G for autonomous vehicles and our traffic signaling system, and Dr. Ita Lochard is utilizing her cyber policy expertise and partnering with Dr. Lin Wells II in leading a NATO project on information environment assessment. The Center also has senior fellows and research affiliates. 

Other interesting current projects include a National Science Foundation project to strengthen the cybersecurity of local governments through local and state government partnering. The idea behind the project is that many local governments have small budgets and limited IT expertise, but they face the same cyber risks as larger, local governments. Partnering has great potential but there are often institutional barriers that preclude local government cybersecurity partnering; the project is examining the potential for local government cyber security partnering in the governance, staffing and policy areas, amongst others. For the project, we’re quite engaged with state and local governments, primarily in West Virginia and Virginia, but also in Kentucky and Ohio, and we are expanding beyond those locations.  

Another interesting current project is through the State Department for a Technology Entrepreneurship and ICT Leadership Accelerator pilot in the Central African Republic. We are working with Serge Adouaka, a 2019 Humphrey Fellow who spent his Humphrey Fellowship Professional Affiliation with us and developed the concept. We have a wonderful initial cohort of about 20 companies including from Agriculture Tech and FinTech.  

The research done in CARE has led to a spin out company, Angelos Stavrou’s Kryptowire, which is doing really well. 

What kinds of projects are funded?  

Technical, cybersecurity and technology leadership and management, and policy. The main funding agencies are/have been the National Science Foundation, DARPA, Department of State, NATO and the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. We have had projects with the NSA and NIST too, and we have some from the private sector as well. 

How do your projects impact other disciplines?      

Many of our projects have elements of technology, but also business, leadership, and public policy. Many current cyber challenges are multidisciplinary including, for example, in the medical field and for critical infrastructure, such as electric and water companies. 

What projects would you like to be reached out to for potential collaborations?  

We are very oriented to partnerships and collaborations, whether it be cyber security or IT leadership and governance or applications of emerging technologies, and we continue to try to expand our partnerships internationally. We are planning to do more with the cybersecurity of medical devices and on digital currencies. 

We’re very appreciative to the Institute for Digital InnovAtion and executive director Dr. Kamaljeet Sanghera’s vision for innovation in the region and beyond, the role of George Mason, and initiatives to foster research and academia – private sector – government partnerships. 

What keywords describe your research?     

Multidisciplinary, research-to-practice, applications of emerging technologies, cyber security policy 

How does your Center help bring the Mason community together?  

As I am in both the School of Business and in CARE in the College of Engineering and Computing, many initiatives are joint. 

For example, in conjunction with the School of Business, we have a Cybersecurity Innovation Forum speaker series that is in its 10th year with five evening events per year. Usually, the events are in person at the Fairfax Country Club, and we have about 125 industry and government attendees. We have had some wonderful speakers over the years and just went back to in-person events in September. 

Also, in conjunction with the School of Business, we usually have a quite large annual conference (not in the last year-and-a-half to two years though) related to the topic of cybersecurity leadership and management that draws between 200 to 300 people, mostly from the region, but also from across the U.S. and abroad. 

We collaborate with quite a few other universities and have international connections that foster partnering with the Mason community. We have collaborations with universities across the Asia Pacific in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Korea; in India; in Africa in the Central African Republic, Nigeria and a new partnership in Madagascar; as well as partnerships in Europe, South America and the Mid-East. 

How can you be reached?  

You can reach me via email at jauffret@gmu.edu and by office phone: x5641.  

Article was published here: https://idia.gmu.edu/research-spotlight-on-j-p-auffret/