Collaborative Research: SaTC: EDU: Hardware Security Education for All Through Seamless Extension of Existing Curricula

网络安全领域主要关注软件和通信网络的安全性，因为假设底层硬件是可信和可靠的。然而，新兴的硬件攻击方法源于不可信的全球供应链来源和硬件固有的漏洞。为了应对这些挑战，政府和行业迫切需要训练有素的网络安全专业人员来应对面向硬件的攻击。然而，大多数学生准备不足，因为现有的电气和计算机工程、计算机科学和相关课程的本科课程主要侧重于网络安全的软件和网络方面。很少有机构引入专门的硬件安全课程，即使有这些课程，它们通常也是选修课。本项目旨在通过将相关概念融入现有核心课程，促进工程类本科生硬件安全教育。该项目将扩大本科生的参与；增进他们的知识；打造一支训练有素、多元化、具备硬件安全基本知识的网络安全队伍。各种核心课程的安全集成内容将在全国所有大学和社区学院在线提供。这一努力也应促进代表性不足群体的学生参与网络安全教育和研究。本项目旨在将六个基础硬件安全概念整合到数字设计和嵌入式系统相关的核心课程中进行理论和实践训练。课程模块将在业界和学术界专家评估后分发给更广泛的社区。目标核心课程中的现有理论和实验模块将通过“情境学习”过程增加以安全为导向的概念，以便在进行安全教育的同时加强核心课程的材料。课程材料、模块和研究结果将通过pi的网页和成熟的硬件安全在线平台（如Trust-Hub和CADforAssurance）公开分享。该项目由安全与可信网络空间（SaTC）计划支持，该计划资助解决网络安全和隐私问题的提案，在这种情况下，特别是网络安全教育。SaTC项目与《联邦网络安全研究与发展战略计划》和《国家隐私研究战略》保持一致，旨在保护和维护网络系统日益增长的社会和经济效益，同时确保安全和隐私。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The field of cybersecurity has focused predominantly on the security of software and the communication network due to the assumption that the underlying hardware is trustworthy and reliable. However, emerging hardware attack methods have originated from untrustworthy global supply chain sources and vulnerabilities inherent to the hardware. To address these challenges, the government and industry are in urgent need of cybersecurity professionals trained to counter hardware-oriented attacks. However, most students are insufficiently prepared because existing undergraduate curricula for electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and related programs focus primarily on the software and network aspects of cybersecurity. Few institutions have introduced dedicated hardware security courses and even when these courses exist, they are typically electives. This project aims to facilitate hardware security education for engineering undergraduate students by incorporating the relevant concepts into existing core courses. The project will broaden undergraduate students’ participation; advance their knowledge; and create a well-trained and diversified cybersecurity workforce with essential knowledge of hardware security. The security-integrated contents of various core courses will be made available online for all universities and community colleges nationwide. The participation of students who are members of underrepresented groups in cybersecurity education and research should also be catalyzed by this effort. This project aims to integrate theoretical and practical training on six foundational hardware security concepts in core courses related to digital design and embedded systems. Course modules will be distributed to the broader community after evaluation by industry and academic experts. Existing theory and lab modules within the target core courses will be augmented with security-oriented concepts through a ‘contextual learning’ process, so that they will strengthen the materials of the core course while educating on security. The course materials, modules, and findings will be shared publicly using the PIs’ webpages and well-established online platforms for hardware security, such as Trust-Hub and CADforAssurance. This project is supported by the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program, which funds proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and in this case specifically cybersecurity education. The SaTC program aligns with the Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan and the National Privacy Research Strategy to protect and preserve the growing social and economic benefits of cyber systems while ensuring security and privacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.