Step into the forefront of cybersecurity research at the Cybersecurity Applied Innovation Laboratory (CyAIL) at Louisiana Tech University!
CyAIL isn’t just a lab; it’s a vibrant community of passionate faculty, dedicated undergraduate and graduate scholars, and esteemed industry partners. Together, we’re committed to tackling today’s and tomorrow’s most critical cybersecurity challenges.
Our diverse team operates at the cutting edge of multidisciplinary research, delving into vital areas such as digital forensics, vulnerability assessments, reverse engineering, malware analysis, blockchains, networking, artificial intelligence, and machine learning applications.
With access to state-of-the-art research facilities and cutting-edge equipment, our faculty members are empowered to secure significant research funding and disseminate groundbreaking discoveries across governmental, commercial, and legal sectors.
At CyAIL, collaboration is our lifeblood, and innovation fuels our passion. We cultivate a culture of teamwork and relentless creativity, providing an operational and investigative ecosystem where cybersecurity and cyber forensics challenges meet swift resolution.
Our mission is crystal clear: to pioneer groundbreaking cybersecurity and cyber forensics research solutions that evolve with the ever-changing threat landscape. Located on the 1st floor of Nethkin Hall, room 157, CyAIL offers an environment where pioneering ideas flourish and practical solutions are refined.
Are you ready to be part of something extraordinary? For further details and exciting collaboration opportunities, please email Dr. William Bradley Glisson. Join us at CyAIL, where together, we’ll advance the field of cybersecurity and shape the future of digital security.
Competition Teams
CCDC Team
The National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) is a prestigious annual event that challenges collegiate teams to defend against simulated cyberattacks on their network infrastructure. Louisiana Tech’s CCDC team has consistently advanced to regionals for the past three years, receiving vital support from the Cybersecurity Applied Innovation Laboratory (CyAIL). For more information about the competition, please visit their website at https://www.nationalccdc.org/.
NCAE Cyber Games
The NCAE Cyber Games targets first-time competitors. The competition is designed with a beginner-centric approach, emphasizing foundational concepts. It spans six hours, during which participants interact with machines and services. As they execute these tasks, participants are subjected to real-world cyber threats posed by actual hackers. These adversarial encounters enhance participants’ practical understanding and fortify their skills within a simulated environment. For more information, please visit their website: https://www.ncaecybergames.org/.
Funding
Scholarship Funding
CyAIL encourages and works with students to apply for the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program and National Science Foundation Scholarships for Service scholarships as well as the Global Strike National Security Fellowship Program. If you are interested in these scholarships, please visit the links below.
Funded Research
Empowering Cybersecurity Education: The Cyber Assault Competition (CAC)
The Cyber Assault Competition (CAC) stands as a groundbreaking initiative aimed at elevating cybersecurity education and research. With backing from the Department of Defense (DoD), this initiative provides students with an immersive platform to hone their skills in system attacks.
At its core, the CAC is designed to foster cyber awareness among students by offering them a secure and dynamic environment to explore and master cybersecurity concepts. It serves as a vital component in shaping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, equipping them with the practical knowledge and experience needed to safeguard digital infrastructures against evolving threats.
Hybrid Compute Plane (HCP)
The Hybrid Compute Plane (HCP) research project, supported by funding from the Louisiana Board of Regents for Departmental Enhancement, aims to pioneer new ground in exploring the behavioral parallels between quantum and analog computers. Our primary objective is to forge methodologies for addressing complex business challenges that have historically thwarted conventional digital computing methods.
This involves articulating these challenges within the appropriate mathematical framework, such as differential equations, and identifying the optimal computing approach – whether it be analog circuits, digital computation, or quantum computing – to swiftly deliver solutions with enhanced efficiency.
Through this endeavor, we seek to push the boundaries of our understanding of computing paradigms and their practical applications in real-world problem-solving scenarios.
Publications
[1] J. Fitzgerald, T. Mason, B. Mulhair, and W. Glisson, “Exploiting a Contact Tracing App to Attack Neighboring Devices,” in Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Hawaii 2023: HICSS.
[2] B. Al Smadi, W. B. Glisson, M. Tahat, H. Alamleh, and A. A. S. AlQahtani, “Credit Card Transactions Fraud Detection for Multiple Consumer Behaviors,” presented at the Workshop on Computing, Networking and Communications (CNC), Hawaii, 2024.
[3] Tahat, Majd Z., William B. Glisson, and Baker Al Smadi. “VR Headset Ransomware Attack Vulnerability.” In 2024 IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE), pp. 740-745. IEEE, 2024.