Researchers at the University of Waterloo's Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI) will receive more than $1.5 million in funding from the National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC), a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization of which Waterloo is a founding institution committed to the advancement of Canada's cybersecurity ecosystem.
This achievement recognizes members of CPI as leaders in cybersecurity research and further propels the University in making global impact through collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches.
The NCC's second annual Call for Proposals program is made possible by the Government of Canada's Cyber Security Innovation Network program. This year, 37 eligible projects were awarded a combined total of $22.8 million across three categories: commercialization, training, and research and development.
"A resilient digital landscape is vital to the wellbeing and security of all Canadians," says Dr. Charmaine Dean, chair of the board of directors for the NCC and vice-president, Research and International at the University of Waterloo. "This funding announcement is an important step forward in maintaining our country as a leader in cybersecurity, as these 37 projects will develop cybersecurity-related training to support varied industries, bring innovative new products to market, and facilitate opportunities for research and development."
Waterloo's four funded projects, with proposals set forth and facilitated by CPI, is a significant step forward in the realization of this vision:
Enabling secure outsourcing of sensitive data
- CPI recipients: Dr. Sujaya Maiyya and Dr. Florian Kerschbaum
- NCC committed funds: $295,000
- Collaborators: Amazon AWS, Royal Bank of Canada, Airbus
This project addresses the critical need for secure data storage in the cloud, which is especially pertinent given the widespread reliance on cloud services by businesses and overcomes the challenges of traditional encryption methods that may compromise data privacy. The goal is to design advanced data systems that address these concerns by enabling secure storage, efficient yet secure search capabilities, and protection against new forms of threats like access pattern attacks. This project unlocks the economic benefits of cloud storage while safeguarding privacy.
Adaptive defense strategies for advanced driver-assistance systems: A game-theoretic approach
- Recipients: Dr. Seyed Majid Zahedi (CPI) and Dr. Rodolfo Pellizzoni (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
- NCC Committed Funds: $164,622.50
- Collaborator: Dr. Mahesh Tripunitara
This project explores the applications of security games for ADA/AD systems focusing in three main directions: the applicability of different solution techniques, the incorporation of real-time information to achieve sequentially adaptive policies and the robustness of defense policies to counter-adaptive, AI-assisted attackers.
CRAFT: Cybersecure robotics and future talent
- CPI recipients: Dr. Sebastian Fischmeister and Dr. Yue Hu
- NCC Committed Funds: $1,000,000
- Collaborators: Cobionics, Labforge, Canadian Nuclear Labs, BTQ, Palitronica, Quanser, Alectra, Milton Hydro, Real Life Robotics
This project addresses the growing need for professionals skilled in robotics cybersecurity combining knowledge in hardware, cybersecurity, and social aspects to protect against cyber threats. The project provides distinct training programs in Canada, including offensive and defensive cybersecurity courses, a cyber tabletop exercise, and a robotics cyber range. These courses offer practical, hands-on experience with robotics systems, aiming to equip participants with the skills to assess vulnerabilities, develop defenses, and respond to cyber threats effectively.
Secure genomic data processing: Unleashing the potential of personalized medicine
- CPI recipient: Dr. Sujaya Maiyya
- NCC Committed Funds: $129,900
- Collaborators: Independent genomics researcher identified
This project ensures the privacy and confidentiality of genomic data while retaining its utility by leveraging trusted execution environments (TEEs). By storing the data encrypted at rest and by processing it within secure hardware enclaves, the project removes any trusted entity with capabilities to view individuals' genomic data in plaintext. Ultimately, the project contributes to advancing innovations in disease detection methods and drug discoveries, while safeguarding the confidentiality of individuals.
The University of Waterloo is also a collaborator in two additional projects whereby the NCC has committed $500,000 in funds each: Securing the Metaverse with Multimodal Access Control and Authentication Methods (Key Recipient: Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Quebec City) and Adaptive AI Firewall Specializing in the Protection of AI Models, Critical Infrastructure, Systems, and Agents (Key Recipient: University of Western Ontario).
The NCC 2024 funding announcement follows two impactful conferences recently hosted by CPI that focused on tackling cybersecurity and privacy challenges in Canada, highlighting some of the University's professors as expert speakers and panelists. "Waterloo researchers are dedicated to securing Canada's digital future, and I am thrilled to see CPI members being recognized for their work in this capacity," says Dr. Anindya Sen, CPI's acting executive director.
For a full list of 2024 recipients and collaborators as well as complete research project details, please visit the NCC website.
