US-Africa EAGER Research: An Inititative to Promote CERT Capacity Building in Africa

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。乔治梅森大学的Arun Sood教授将领导这个项目，以促进非洲计算机应急响应小组（CERT）的能力建设，因为非洲的漏洞有可能影响美国计算机社区的安全。智力优势：世界上的发达国家和新兴国家拥有相互连接的信息通信技术网络和信息系统，构成了全球信息基础设施。由于这种连通性，以及当今世界充斥着恶意行为者的现实，从黑客到经常发动成功网络攻击的民族国家，现代信息通信技术存在漏洞。发达国家受到发展中国家脆弱、高风险系统的威胁，这些系统可能在不知情的情况下成为网络攻击的发射台。因此，发达国家与新兴国家合作，共同提升国家网络安全能力，特别是cert能力，并与发展中国家、区域和全球组织建立合作框架，以管理和降低风险，加强应对网络攻击和从中断中恢复的协调准备，符合发达国家的明显利益。这一倡议的核心是与关键的内部和外部利益相关者合作，推动一种战略和协调的方法来应对这些挑战和机遇，这种方法将在过去的努力基础上，利用已经取得的进展和一些正在进行的进展。一般来说，非洲国家和非洲大陆的主要利益相关者必须参与战略的制定和执行，特别是每个国家CERT的商业案例的开发和实施。这个计划在每个阶段或阶段都需要现代专业知识和固有的跨学科方法。有些人可能认为这是“高风险-高回报”，因为它涉及的方法与传统上采取的方法完全不同。在这种情况下，那些遗留下来的方法没有，也不会起作用。本研究的方法将是与选定的非洲国家、整个非洲大陆以及区域和全球CERT和卓越中心的主要利益相关者合作，通过采取以下步骤来促进非洲的CERT能力：(1)对政府、学术界和私营部门可用的人力、技术和其他资源进行清查，以促进和支持CERT的发展和成功；(2)确定有能力发展或增强建立国家cert能力的非洲国家；(3)对非洲CERT发展的几种方法进行建模。这项研究的结果将是为非洲制定一个优先的、具有成本效益的CERT发展计划，并为新兴CERT之间以及与全球组织和卓越中心之间的合作和信息共享提供一个框架，并将提交给非洲联盟。更广泛的影响：总的来说，这一努力将有助于在信息通信技术风险、应对和恢复准备方面加强国际信息共享与协作。更具体地说，这一努力的最大好处将是双重的：(1)对非洲信息技术基础设施的发展及其对社会经济进步的影响产生积极影响；(2)对美国和其他发达国家的特别好处是，这一努力将使非洲为加强全球和区域信息通信技术风险评估和缓解以及国际态势感知和反应作出重大贡献。学生们会发现跨学科和以非洲为中心的焦点很有吸引力。我们相信，这一努力将吸引少数民族学生考虑计算机科学的高等教育。参与该项目的美国研究生将有机会在国际和跨学科环境中工作。参与这项活动的教师将能够与学生分享这一经验。PI经常使用国际和跨学科的经验来激励和说明课堂主题，他希望将这些经验纳入他的课堂中，提供现实生活中的例子。为建立CERT计划做准备需要在非洲国家进行教育和培训。不可避免的是，一些参与者将决定在美国攻读研究生课程，为学生群体增加一个新的维度。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Professor Arun Sood of George Mason University will lead this project to promote CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) capacity building in Africa, since vulnerabilities in Africa have the potential to affect the security of the US computing community. Intellectual Merit: The developed and emerging nations of the world have ICT networks and information systems that are connected, comprising the global information infrastructure. Because of this connectivity, and the reality of modern ICT vulnerabilities in a world rife with malicious actors in a continuum from hackers to nation states that regularly launch successful cyber attacks. The developed world is threatened by vulnerable, high-risk systems in the developing world, which can serve as unwitting launching pads for cyber attacks. Accordingly, it is in the manifest interest of the developed nations to partner with emerging nations to promote national cyber security capacity, in general, and CERTs, in particular, and a collaboration framework among developing nations and with regional and global organizations to manage and reduce risk and enhance coordinated preparedness to respond to cyber attacks and recover from disruptions. The heart of this proposed initiative is to partner with key internal and external stakeholders to drive a strategic and coordinated approach to these challenges and opportunities that will build on past efforts and leverage progress that has been made and some that are ongoing. Key stakeholders within African countries and the continent must participate in the formulation and execution of the strategy, generally, and the development and implementation of the business case for each national CERT, in particular. This initiative requires modern expertise and an inherently interdisciplinary approach at each stage or phase of the initiative. Some may view this as a "high risk-high payoff" because it involves approaches that are radically different than those that are traditionally undertaken. Those legacy approaches have not, and will not work, in this context. The methodology of this research will be to collaborate with key stakeholders within selected African nations, across the continent of Africa, and with regional and global CERTs and centers of excellence to promote CERT capacity in Africa, by taking the following steps: (1) conduct an inventory of the human, technological, and other resources available in government, academia, and the private sector, to promote and support CERT development and success; (2) identify African nations that are well positioned to develop or enhance capabilities to build a national CERTs; and (3) to model several approaches for CERT development in Africa. The outcome of this research will be a plan for prioritized, cost-effective CERT development for Africa and a framework for collaboration and information sharing among the emerging CERTs and with global organizations and centers of excellence to be presented to the African Union. Broader Impacts: Generally, this effort will contribute to greater international information sharing and collaboration regarding ICT risk and response and recovery preparedness. More specifically, the greatest benefit of this effort will be two-fold: (1) the positive impact on development of information technology infrastructure in Africa and its effect on socio-economic progress, and (2) of particular benefit to the United States and other developed nations, this effort will result in significant African contribution to enhancing global and regional ICT risk assessment and mitigation, and international situational awareness and response. Students will find the interdisciplinary and Africa centric focus attractive. We believe that this effort will attract minority students to consider Computer Science for higher studies. The US based graduate students involved in this project will have the opportunity to work in an international and interdisciplinary setting. The faculty involved in this activity, will be able share this experience with the students. The PI has often used international and interdisciplinary experience to motivate and illustrate class topics and he expects to include this experience to provide real life examples in his classes. Getting prepared for a CERT building initiative requires education and training in the African country. It is inevitable that some of the participants will decide to undertake graduate studies in the US and add a new dimension to the student body.