Arash Habibi Lashkari (photo by Rob Blanchard)
Since its launch two years ago, the BCCC has emerged as a leading global hub for cybersecurity with Arash Habibi Lashkari at the helm, an associate professor in York's School of Information Technology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity.
As director and founder of the BCCC, Lashkari's research specializes in developing technology to detect and protect against cyber threats, focusing on multidisciplinary collaborations to address contemporary cybersecurity challenges.
Working to demystify complex concepts and encourage wider participation in safeguarding digital spaces, the BCCC team has created accessible datasets, open-source tools and educational resources that enhance the cybersecurity landscape for researchers, educators and industry professionals.
He adds that the Understanding Cybersecurity Series (UCS) collection of publicly available, labelled and scenario-specific datasets have become foundational for cybersecurity instructors designing university curricula, researchers and students testing, evaluating and analyzing their proposed solutions, as well as for companies testing and benchmarking AI-powered detection and prevention systems.
A map indicating downloads (green) across the world.
"At the heart of York University's Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity Center lies the Understanding Cybersecurity Series (UCS) - a groundbreaking knowledge mobilization initiative including datasets, open-source analyzers, books, blogs, contests and workshops designed to bridge academic, industry and public awareness in cybersecurity," he explains.
UCS delivers these tools, resources and training programs - as well as public engagement campaigns - to empower individuals and groups to explore and understand real-world network traffic, malware patterns and intrusion scenarios with clarity and precision.
"As cyber threats continue to evolve, these resources allow users to explore patterns of malicious behavior and understand how to detect and prevent cyber-attacks," says Lashkari, an award-winning cybersecurity expert. "Through these initiatives, the BCCC is not only advancing the field of cybersecurity but also promoting a culture of awareness and collaboration within the community."
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
