The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Solihin to its 2025 class of fellows 鈥� a distinction awarded to just 71 professionals worldwide for their remarkable achievements, technical innovations and lasting contributions to the field.

Selected from ACM鈥檚 100,000 members, the new fellows will be formally inducted at the ACM Awards Banquet in June.

For Solihin, the recognition represents something deeper than a title.

鈥淏eing one out of 71 selected for this designation worldwide in 2025, I feel deeply honored,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his recognition is the culmination of decades of research in computer architecture, with contributions from my former and current Ph.D. students and collaborators.鈥�

A Pioneer in Computer Architecture

Long before today鈥檚 cloud-powered, security-conscious computing era, Solihin was asking questions others weren鈥檛.

In the early 2000s, as research focused on single-core processors, he turned his attention to multicore systems and uncovered a hidden flaw. His research group identified a critical performance challenge in shared cache architecture: uneven slowdowns caused by cache sharing. When multiple programs run simultaneously and share a common cache, some slow down more than others due to resource limitations.

鈥淚 feel deeply humbled because, at the time I chose to work on these problems, it was not clear how important they would turn out to be.”

Groundbreaking when it emerged in 2003, this phenomenon is now widely known and studied by computer scientists. Solihin and his group coined the term 鈥渇air cache sharing鈥� and introduced a technique to partition the cache so programs slow down equally, ultimately improving overall performance. They also coined the term 鈥渃ache quality of service,鈥� advocating for cache policies that enable differentiated performance levels. Solihin also pioneered research on secure processors, which allow applications to run in an environment protected from vulnerabilities in system software.

Today, those once-theoretical ideas are foundational. Cache partitioning and secure processors are now standard features in graphics processing units and central processing units, particularly those powering cloud computing systems worldwide.

鈥淚 feel deeply humbled because, at the time I chose to work on these problems, it was not clear how important they would turn out to be,鈥� Solihin says. 鈥淚 started working on 鈥� cache partitioning when the hot research topics of the day were single-core processors. I started working in secure execution environment design when it was still unclear if hardware architecture should play a major role in computer security.鈥�

Making an Impact in Industry and Education

After earning his doctorate in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Solihin worked as a professor at North Carolina State University. He then joined the U.S. National Science Foundation, where he served as a program director for secure and trustworthy research on cyberspace and computer systems.

When he joined 麻豆原创 in 2018, that bold ambition and pioneering spirit came with him.

As director of the at 麻豆原创, Solihin helped expand the university鈥檚 research footprint and developed the Cyber Security and Privacy master鈥檚 program within the Department of Computer Science. Under his leadership, the program has grown to 200 students, the research cluster has added 13 faculty members and his findings have been incorporated into the computer processing industry鈥檚 design and development of computer architecture.

Yet Solihin doesn鈥檛 claim any of these achievements as his greatest.

鈥淭he achievement I am the proudest of is the positive impact I have made on students that I have advised,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome of my past students have established good careers of their own, including becoming professors at Oxford University, Northeastern University, UC Santa Cruz and Binghamton University.鈥�

Here are the highlights that shaped an unforgettable year.

Daring to Boldly Invent the Future: Florida鈥檚 Next-Generation Preeminent University

麻豆原创 met the 12 metrics required to earn the Preeminent State Research University designation from the Florida Board of Governors, the highest designation for state research universities. This landmark achievement highlights sustained progress in student success, research and more 鈥� affirming 麻豆原创鈥檚 leadership in advancing opportunity and impact in Florida and beyond.

麻豆原创 Opens Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion in Lake Nona, Fueling a Talent Pipeline and Healthcare Innovation

麻豆原创 opened the鈥疍r.鈥疨hillips Nursing Pavilion鈥痮n the Academic Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona 鈥� a 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility dedicated to preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. The pavilion expands immersive simulation technology and interdisciplinary learning spaces, enabling 麻豆原创 to graduate more nurses ready to serve communities across the region.

Pegasus Partners Expand with BNY and Lockheed Martin

This year saw strategic growth of 麻豆原创鈥檚鈥疨egasus Partners鈥痯rogram, with major collaborations forged with global financial services company BNY and aerospace and defense leader Lockheed Martin. The BNY co-located educational innovation hub on 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus 鈥� the first of its kind in Florida 鈥� brings experiential learning and cybersecurity education directly to students. Additionally, the expanded Lockheed Martin partnership will grow the highly successful College Work Experience Program and expand research in vital areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and hypersonic technologies.

Elevating Impact Across Space

As America鈥檚 Space University, 麻豆原创 deepened its influence across the space sector this year, highlighted by the inaugural 麻豆原创 Space Week that took place Nov. 3-7. The university-wide celebration showcased all the ways Knight Nation is advancing space research, supporting Florida鈥檚 fast-growing space economy, and preparing the next generation of explorers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. The observance also marked the debut of the SpaceU Awards, which celebrated eight honorees 鈥� two students, three faculty, two organizations and a record-setting astronaut 鈥� for pushing the boundaries of what鈥檚 possible in space development, discovery and exploration.

麻豆原创鈥檚 impact also extended into human health in space. Two internationally known鈥�痚xperts 鈥� William Powers and Jennifer Fogarty 鈥� joined the College of Medicine鈥檚 faculty as part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine that will lead鈥痳esearch and technology development for improving health in extreme environments such as space.

As the top talent provider to the nation鈥檚 aerospace and defense industries, 麻豆原创 also launched a new online space MBA program to meet the expanding needs of the booming space industry on Florida鈥檚 Space Coast and around the world. The 24-month part-time graduate business program focuses on space commercialization, business strategy and innovation, preparing graduates to lead in high-impact roles across the commercial space, aerospace, government, startups and emerging tech industries.

麻豆原创 Launches Institute of Artificial Intelligence to Advance Research, Talent Development Across Disciplines

麻豆原创 launched the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, a new university-wide initiative bringing together top faculty, industry partnerships and cross-campus collaboration to position the university as a national leader in AI. The institute will also support 麻豆原创鈥檚 AI for All Initiative, which integrates AI into teaching and learning across disciplines, ensuring students graduate with the ability to use AI effectively in their careers.

Honoring Excellence on Founders鈥� Day

麻豆原创鈥檚 annual Founders鈥� Day honored the outstanding achievements of the university鈥檚 employees, faculty and students. Hundreds of Knights were recognized for their鈥痚xcellence and impact鈥�� among them鈥�Pegasus Professors鈥疪oger Azevedo, Fevzi Okumus and Yan Solihin; Medal of Societal Impact honoree Mohamed Abdel-Aty; Reach for the Stars honorees鈥疉mrita Ghosh, Leland Nordin, Yogesh Rawat and Kelly Stevens; and 37 Order of Pegasus inductees 鈥� the university鈥檚 highest student honor.

Epic Universe Launch Provides Immersive Learning Opportunities at 麻豆原创

Universal Orlando Resort鈥檚 highly anticipated new theme park, Epic Universe, opened its gates this spring, and Knights played a role in bringing it to life. Located less than a mile away, 麻豆原创’s 鈥� ranked No. 1 in the world for hospitality education (CEOWORLD magazine) 鈥� turned Epic Universe into a living case study for hands-on learning in hospitality, themed experience, engineering and beyond. While the park attracts millions of guests with its immersive worlds and attractions, it鈥檚 also transforming hospitality education for Rosen College students, building a direct talent pipeline into the park and developing a workforce ready to lead the industry.

Introducing John Buckwalter, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Next Provost鈥�

Following a competitive national search, John Buckwalter was appointed 麻豆原创鈥檚 next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. He and his wife, Amalia, officially joined Knight Nation on Aug. 1. Buckwalter brings more than 20 years of experience in academia to 麻豆原创. He most recently served as provost at Boise State University, where he led transformative interdisciplinary initiatives and championed student achievement. He succeeds Provost Michael D. Johnson, who retired this summer following 35 years of service to 麻豆原创.

Knights Shine in Athletics

麻豆原创 Athletics delivered unforgettable moments this year 鈥� from the rowing team claiming its first Big 12 Championship in program history, to men’s soccer’s conference title, to men鈥檚 tennis clinching its , to 82-78 victory over Hofstra at Additional Financial Arena that sparked the best start (8-1) in head coach Johnny Dawkins’ tenure.

Together, We Unleashed Impact: Thank You, Knight Nation, for a Transformational Day of Giving 2025

Knights made a collective impact for another record-breaking celebration of all things Black & Gold. raised more than鈥�$14.8鈥�million鈥�� a 63% increase from last year and the most in university history.鈥疻ith鈥�10,472鈥�gifts, inspired donors across the globe rallied together for the community-driven effort 鈥� fueling 麻豆原创鈥檚 academic programs, life-changing scholarships, groundbreaking research and more. These contributions were made across all 50 U.S. states, as well as globally, including Australia, France, Panama and the United Kingdom.

Roger Azevedo is converting psychology theories into life-like models. Fevzi Okumus personifies the meaning of hospitality. Yan Solihin continues to build a force in cybersecurity education and training.

The uncommon drive of these three professors comes from childhoods spent in war-torn Angola, in a small village in Turkey and in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Each will receive $5,000 and have his picture displayed in front of the John C. Hitt Library. The 麻豆原创 community is invited to celebrate these professors and additional honorees during the Founder鈥檚 Day Faculty Honors Celebration on Wednesday, April 2, in the Student Union Pegasus Ballroom.

For now, meet the 麻豆原创 Pegasus Professors for 2025:

Roger Azevedo

Professor, School of Modeling Simulation and Training
Lead scientist and co-cluster lead, Learning Sciences faculty cluster initiative
Director, SMART Lab
Few people know: His dream as a kid was to move to Japan and become a ninja. It didn鈥檛 happen, but he did earn a black belt in Shaolin white crane kung fu. 鈥淭he determination I use in physical training is the same determination I use as a scientist,鈥� he says.

It鈥檚 going to be a good April for Roger Azevedo. Three weeks after accepting his honor as a Pegasus Professor, he鈥檒l fly to Denver to be recognized as a fellow with American Educational Research Association.

鈥淚t鈥檚 humbling,鈥� Azevedo says.

Those two words are not a copy and paste acceptance phrase, even for the man who鈥檚 already received prestigious awards from the American Psychological Association and U.S. National Science Foundation for his progress in developing artificial agents that embody psychological principles of learning, reasoning and problem solving to augment human knowledge and skills in K-12, healthcare and workforce development. Azevedo鈥檚 students sense a deep personal meaning every time he uses variations of the word 鈥渉umbling.鈥�

Lead with humility. Stay humble. They fuel his work every day.

鈥淚 will never forget where I came from,鈥� Azevedo says, 鈥渂ecause I鈥檝e learned everything can be taken from you in the blink of an eye.鈥�

Azevedo spent the first eight years of his life in the middle of a civil war in the African nation of Angola. Any remembrances of hobbies were blotted out by memories of the all-day, all-night sounds of mortal shells and bullets. To avoid sniper fire, his family would eat dinner on the floor of their small home with the lights turned off. Uncles, aunts and cousins vanished. Azevedo went to elementary school with the help of armed escorts.

鈥淲e were more concerned about survival than education,鈥� he says.

He vividly remembers his family being ushered to an airport in the middle of the night and landing the next day in Montreal, with just the clothes on their backs.

鈥淲e left everything behind,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut wow, even at that age I was thankful to have a second chance. Being an immigrant was not easy for us. The memory motivates me to be the role model that I didn鈥檛 have for most of my academic life.鈥�

Azevedo鈥檚 mother only completed fourth grade before she had to start working. His father made it through high school. Once in Canada, they eventually scrabbled enough money together to buy World Book Encyclopedias. That鈥檚 when Azevedo discovered his insatiable appetite for learning.

鈥淚 could have thought, 鈥榃ell, I鈥檓 just glad to be alive,鈥� and taken a job in labor. But I wanted to go against the grain. I鈥檓 still like that. While other kids were watching TV, I was reading. My parents said if I wanted to go to college, I鈥檇 have to figure it out, which was fine. I gladly worked three jobs to pay my own way.鈥�

Along that way, Azevedo 聽took an Introduction to Psychology class and fell in love with the study of human behavior. He had an urge, however, to the theories into realms where they鈥檇 never been taken. Through modeling and simulation, he could help students become better learners, clinicians become more accurate diagnosticians, teachers and faculty understand their students鈥� learning needs in real-time, and professionals working in high-stress environments perform to the best of the capabilities. Azevedo鈥檚 curiosity opened doors to universities and conferences around the world until he entered into a conversation while visiting and presenting at 麻豆原创 before the Learning Sciences faculty cluster initiative officially announced openings.

鈥淭he people here weren鈥檛 just talking about using psychology in interdisciplinary research, they embodied the spirit of interdisciplinary research,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o, I accepted a position and started working with learning sciences and psychology students alongside computer scientists and engineers and various stakeholders to create intelligent systems to augment and support human capabilities and test their effectiveness.鈥�

They are now designing generative artificial intelligence-driven pedagogical agents to support learners鈥� thinking about thinking processes (such as metacognitive), 聽building empathetic digital twins to be empathetic, so practitioners will be better equipped to help children and adults coping with end-of-life situations and other health challenges. Azevedo considers every aspect of his work a privilege, which rubs off on his students and postdoctoral scholars.

鈥淲hen they share my excitement, I feel like a blacksmith with pieces of metal. I inject oxygen, fan the flames, delicately and progressively shape the metal, and turn them into swords,鈥� 聽Azevedo says.

He pauses to briefly remind anyone listening, including himself, why he will move mountains for his students.

鈥淕iven my background, this is all a pipedream 鈥� earning a Ph.D. at an Ivy League school such as McGill [University], pursuing postdoctoral studies in cognitive psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching across North America and other places in the world, and turning psychological theories into impactful, intelligent technological systems to benefit humans and society. I鈥檓 still just an immigrant kid who was lucky to survive. That鈥檚 why I鈥檒l do anything in my power to make sure all of my students have whatever they need to be successful, including the love of learning, spirit of innovation, intellectual curiosity, and the desire to use technology to benefit humans and society.鈥�

Fevzi Okumus

Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association Preeminent Chair Professor
Founding chair of the hospitality services department at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Few People Know: He鈥檚 traveled to more than 60 countries and has a goal of visiting at least 100. His favorite spots? The Maldives for location. The Azores for experiences. The Taj Mahal for human-made wonder. 鈥淏ut Turkey will always be a special place to visit and let my daughters see my humble beginnings,鈥� he says.

Fevzi Okumus is passionate about teaching, research and working with industry partners. He teaches and works on research in the areas of strategic management, leadership and hospitality management. Okumus was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2021; 2022; 2023 and 2024 by Clarivate. But he calls himself an 鈥渁cademic entrepreneur鈥� more than a teacher and researcher as he loves working on new initiatives. He can鈥檛 separate the academic whose influence has helped catapult 麻豆原创鈥檚 Rosen College of Hospitality Management to No. 1 in the world for five straight years from the entrepreneur who dreams of opening his own hotel someday.

He personifies hospitality from classrooms to hospitality settings, with a perpetual smile and an innate desire to serve others.

鈥淗ospitality is about making people happy and offering positive memorable experiences,鈥� Okumus says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good fit for me as a teacher, too. I want my students to know the joy of reaching the highest standards of excellence.鈥�

As the founding chair of hospitality services at the Rosen College, Okumus has mentored and worked with more than half of the faculty members. He is very proud that Rosen College has an unheard-of job placement rate of over 90%. Graduates are raising the hospitality bar around the world, with many of them securing management positions within a few years of being hired. Alumni of the Rosen College are also taking research skills to universities around the country and adding to the home-grown faculty talent at 麻豆原创. As if all of this isn鈥檛 enough to fill Okumus鈥檚 calendar, he鈥檚 also the editor-in-chief of three well-known hospitality and tourism journals. He is the founding editor of two of them. In summers, Okumus co-lead hospitality camps to train high school students with disabilities for employment.

His smile never fades. Neither does his purpose.

鈥淣othing is more important to me than serving and making a positive impact. It鈥檚 why I enjoy my work so much.鈥�

Okumus first learned hospitality from growing up in a small village near Bolu, Turkey, where yesterday鈥檚 strangers became today鈥檚 friends over home-cooked meals. As a teenager one summer, he visited Lake Abant and saw something he鈥檇 never seen: tourists. They looked different and were speaking different languages.

鈥淚 wanted to know more about where these people came from, the hotels where they stayed, and what made them happy,鈥� Okumus says.

He enrolled in a vocational high school to learn hospitality concepts and he worked different hotel jobs possible to apply his skills: cooking, bartending, cleaning, running front desks and managing.

鈥淚 found out in every role that you excelled by solving problems and making the guest experience better,鈥� he says.

Okumus thought he would use his growing knowledge that spanned all the way to a doctoral degree. He lived and worked around Europe and Asia working on research projects and teaching future managers at colleges. When he was invited to the Rosen College for a job interview in early 2005, he saw the state-of-the-art campus.

鈥淚t had just opened,鈥� he says, 鈥淚 called my wife in Hong Kong and said, 鈥楾his is where we need to be.鈥� 鈥�

One year after coming to the Rosen College, Okumus was promoted to associate professor and chosen to be the founding chair of the hospitality services department. Today, the college is known worldwide as the template of hospitality training with more than 2,000 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. Okumus becomes the first Rosen College faculty member to earn the Pegasus Professor distinction, in part because he exemplifies his own objective in hospitality.

鈥淟ove and excel what you do and offer memorable experiences through serving,鈥� he says.

Graduates often reconnect with Okumus to thank him for impacting their lives. One, now the manager of a restaurant, told Okumus how his mentorship at 麻豆原创 helped him overcome homelessness.

鈥淵ou never know what types of challenges each student might be facing,鈥� Okumus says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 another reason to have a servant leadership mentality.鈥�

Yan Solihin

Professor and director of the cyber security and privacy program
Charles N. Millican Chair Professor of Computer Science
Few People Know: His past hobbies have ranged from collecting insects around his home to learning how to play guitar. 鈥淢y favorite is listening to Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits play his guitar in Sultans of Swing,鈥� he says.

To this day, Yan Solihin doesn鈥檛 know how his parents were able to buy a computer when he was growing up in Indonesia. He has no doubt, however, that the first time he turned on a PC it began to radically change his future.

鈥淚 remember being astonished at what could be done on that single device,鈥� Solihin says.

With the unexpected introduction to technology, Solihin wrote his first program at the age of 10 鈥� a game where the computer generated random numbers for players to guess. The game piqued his curiosity about how a computer could possibly generate random numbers and if they really were random at all. Those questions pulled him into cryptography, an area where computer science and math converge, and computer security. After nearly two decades of teaching and researching (including time with the U.S. National Science Foundation), Solihin came to 麻豆原创 in 2018, where he鈥檚 launched two labs while guiding the university鈥檚 growth into a prominent hub of cyber security and privacy research and education.

The latest recipient of the Pegasus Professor honor has never stopped marveling at the power of computing. It鈥檚 just that the stakes are higher today than when he was typing words and creating games as a curious boy.

鈥淲e have a long way to go to meet the need for more cybersecurity professionals,鈥� he says. 鈥淲itness the frequency of cyberattacks. Many organizations are short staffed to handle them. That鈥檚 why I came to 麻豆原创 with its young spirit and open attitude to new ideas. Our goal since I arrived is to be one of the best places in the world for cybersecurity and privacy research and education.鈥�

Solihin has overseen a quadrupling in the number of faculty members specializing in cyber security, with more than 150 students now enrolled in the master鈥檚 in cyber security and privacy and 100 enrolled in the master鈥檚 in digital forensics.

鈥淭he most exciting aspect of my job is mentoring and teaching. I feel like I鈥檓 taking students through a journey of exploration and discovery. It鈥檚 deeply fulfilling to instill a sense of awe,鈥� Solihin says.

Their awe connects him back to Indonesia, to his childhood home reachable only by foot or bicycle, where water had to be drawn from a well with a bucket and the walls were made of thin bamboo weaves. Solihin will never forget where his future began or the wisdom of his father, who sacrificed so much for that first computer: 鈥淓ducation is the only means out of poverty.鈥�

鈥淚t took time for those words to sink in,鈥� Solihin says, 鈥渂ut they have guided everything I鈥檝e done in my professional life.鈥�

With this backdrop, you can understand why Solihin believes students with the same kind of drive can provide the energy to grow 鈥渁 national powerhouse鈥� in cyber security and privacy education at 麻豆原创. You also realize why he says three factors motivate him whenever he wakes up.

鈥淔or one, I believe in stewardship 鈥� leaving whomever or whatever I am entrusted in a better place. I also consider it a blessing that I鈥檓 paid to do what I really like because not everyone can say that. And finally, the adventure of identifying problems and thinking of solutions makes every day exciting. To come from my childhood to where I am now, it still gives me a sense of amazement.鈥�

The AEN includes USCYBERCOM Headquarters, Joint Force HQ-DODIN, the Cyber National Mission Force, and the services鈥� respective cyber commands.

鈥淭his distinction further highlights 麻豆原创鈥檚 contribution to national security and our prestigious cyber program that has long been a top tier program at the university,鈥� says Grace Bochenek, director of SMST. 鈥淲e are pleased to be part of the AEN and do our part to engage the next generation cyber professionals.鈥�

There is a big demand for cyber professionals. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic reports a 33.3% growth in information security analysts鈥� jobs through 2030. The median salary for these jobs is $103,509. 麻豆原创 is well positioned to help meet the demand.

鈥淔or 麻豆原创, this is a major step forward towards our work in Cyber Education and Research,鈥� says Bruce Caulkins, director of the Modeling and Simulation of Behavioral Cybersecurity program at 麻豆原创. 鈥淭his partnership will be an excellent two-way street as we will benefit from the USCYBERCOM-led events, research collaborations and enterprise-wide internship opportunities for our students. USCYBERCOM, in return, will benefit from the wide range of expertise in cyber research and education, to include 麻豆原创鈥檚 cyber cluster, computer science department, and business department.鈥�

麻豆原创 also is home to the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster, which conducts about $6 million worth of cutting-edge research in this area each year. The university also has a four-time national championship cybersecurity team whose members are routinely recruited for full-time jobs by groups such as Amazon, Apple, Bishop Fox, Facebook, GuidePoint Security, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, SnapChat ,TravelClick, Uber and Walt Disney World.

Because of 麻豆原创鈥檚 expertise, the university has been awarded a $2.5 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant to help train the next generation of cyber professionals. 麻豆原创鈥檚 distinguished academic programs 鈥� including the information technology (IT) bachelor鈥檚 degree with the secure computing and networks (SCAN) minor 鈥� also led to designations from the National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (in 2016 and the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research in 2017. The new cyber security and privacy master鈥檚 degree has been popular since its start in Fall 2021 term at 麻豆原创.

鈥淲e plan on leveraging the operational aspects of AEN while augmenting our undergraduate and graduate-level education, particularly our master鈥檚 degree in Cybersecurity and Privacy at 麻豆原创,鈥� says Yan Solihin, director of the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster and interim chair of the computer science department.

麻豆原创 is one of almost 100 universities, community colleges, service academies and federal graduate level colleges across the nation who are members of AEN.

Additionally, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club (Hack@麻豆原创) has nearly 200 members that would be an excellent talent pool for PCTE projects to test out the technical and integrative aspects of the PCTE environment itself.

鈥淲hat I saw [at 麻豆原创] is a future powerhouse university in the cybersecurity field. I wanted to be a part of realizing it.鈥�
鈥� Yan Solihin, professor of computer science

Not everyone was completely enamored.

Earlier in that same year, Yan Solihin had come to 麻豆原创 as the director of cybersecurity and privacy, and to lead the university鈥檚 cybersecurity cluster. Solihin had dedicated his career to the cyber race 鈥� people with good intentions trying to stay two steps ahead of 鈥渢he other people.鈥� Whenever he saw a new smart device introduced to the marketplace, he saw something else: another potential cyber gap.

鈥淵ou can set up a computer with antivirus software and a firewall,鈥� says Solihin, 鈥渂ut now a smart refrigerator could be the vulnerable point for an attacker to target.鈥�

And that begins to explain the reason behind Solihin鈥檚 decision to leave his position as program director of the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF).

鈥淚 saw a need to ramp up the cybersecurity capabilities in the U.S., specifically the supply of talent,鈥� says Solihin. 鈥淭he supply has lagged behind the demand. So I asked myself, 鈥榃here can I achieve this? Where can I contribute to the future workforce in cybersecurity?鈥欌��

Solihin had read about 麻豆原创鈥檚 advancements in cybersecurity research and academia, and its national success in cyberdefense competitions. He also heard of the school鈥檚 commitment to invest in cybersecurity research, education, training, talent development, and to expand its collaboration with tech companies. During a visit to determine if this is the place where he could make a difference, he toured Central Florida Research Park and saw defense companies and government entities just around the corner from 麻豆原创鈥檚 computer science labs and the Institute for Modeling and Simulation. Faculty members told him about graduates, with a variety of degrees, doing cybersecurity work for giants like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Google, Amazon, Instagram, even for 麻豆原创.

鈥淲hat I saw then,鈥� says Solihin, 鈥渋s a future powerhouse university in the cybersecurity field. I wanted to be a part of realizing it.鈥�

A Cyberdefense Powerhouse

The supply-demand gap that originally grabbed Solihin鈥檚 attention is now more vivid than ever. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 112,000 jobs were available for information security analysts in 2019 and the field is forecast to grow 32 percent by 2028.

Cyberdegreesedu.org ranked 麻豆原创 among the top 30 colleges for cybersecurity programs in the U.S. 鈥� above Florida State, Cornell, Clemson, George Washington and Northwestern.

鈥淲e鈥檝e made significant advancements just since I鈥檝e been here,鈥� says Solihin. For example:

• Earlier this year, cyberdegreesedu.org ranked 麻豆原创 among the top 30 colleges for cybersecurity programs in the U.S., above schools such as Florida State, Cornell, Clemson, George Washington and Northwestern.
• In February 2019, 麻豆原创 opened the new state-of-the-art Lockheed Martin Cyber Innovation Lab.
• Over the past two years the university鈥檚 cybersecurity and privacy cluster has secured $10 million in funding for its research. The funding has been awarded from government agencies such as NSF, the Office of Naval Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Army鈥檚 Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), and Cyber Florida, as well as from industry partners such as Intel and Sophos.
• The nine professors in the cybersecurity cluster are now advising 45 Ph.D. students, four master鈥檚 degree students and 17 undergraduates, all of them bridging the disciplines of computer science, engineering, business and psychology to come up with real-world answers to cyber dangers. As Solihin says, 鈥淲e cannot be confined to our individual toolboxes if we鈥檙e going to make meaningful advancements in dealing with important societal problems in cybersecurity.鈥�
• Despite no specific bachelor鈥檚 degree in cybersecurity, 麻豆原创 offers a minor in secure computing and networks, a master鈥檚 in digital forensics and a graduate certificate in modeling and simulation of behavioral cybersecurity 鈥� all three covering the timeliest topics in cybersecurity. And brings in guest lecturers, such as Amit Kapadia, product manager for cyber resiliency and the training chief engineer at PEO STRI, who spoke to students in the Emerging Cyber Issues class on June 30.
• The school recently announced a graduate certificate in cyber risk management while an official master鈥檚 degree in cybersecurity moves through the pipeline for approval.
• The presence of defense, business and government entities in Research Park continually opens doors to internships and job placement.

鈥淲hat we have,鈥� says Solihin, 鈥渋s a 20-year history of well-trained students going into cybersecurity careers. It鈥檚 a success that separates 麻豆原创.鈥�

A Top-Ranked Collegiate Cyberdefense Team

Like the cyber field itself, the cybersecurity talent coming out of 麻豆原创 flew somewhat under the radar through the early 2000s. Then, in the fall of 2012, a student posed a question to Tom Nedorost 鈥�02MS, who was in his first year as a computer science instructor at 麻豆原创.

鈥淲e have a wealth of highly-skilled students at 麻豆原创 with a tremendous passion for the good side of cybersecurity.鈥�
鈥� Tom Nedorost 鈥�02MS, faculty advisor for 麻豆原创鈥檚 collegiate cyberdefense Teams

鈥淭he student asked if I鈥檇 help form a team to enter a cyber competition,鈥� Nedorost says. The criteria said each school needed eight team members and four alternates. 鈥淚 told the student he鈥檇 need 11 friends just like him, and didn鈥檛 think much more of it.鈥�

The student sent out an email about a meeting to gauge interest in the competition. Three days later Nedorost walked into the room with mild hopes of 12 students being there. He was floored to see 86 students waiting to hear more.

鈥淚t proved to me,鈥� says Nedorost, 鈥渢hat we have a wealth of highly-skilled students at 麻豆原创 with a tremendous passion for the good side of cybersecurity.鈥�

The meeting launched what may have been long overdue: a cybersecurity club, called . Just six months after being formed, the 12-student team representing Hack@麻豆原创 finished 10th at the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. A year later, in a field of 180 colleges and universities, the team won the first of its three straight national championships.

Nedorost and Solihin both say 麻豆原创鈥檚 large pool of students (more than 3,000 computer science undergraduates and as many as 300 members in Hack@麻豆原创) is a factor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 track record of turning out so much cybersecurity talent. But there鈥檚 more to it than numbers. The success of the club is an outgrowth of the collaborative academic culture at 麻豆原创 鈥� a mutual desire to stay ahead.

鈥淥ur mix of specialties and perspectives gives us an important edge,鈥� says Nedorost. 鈥淲e have honor-roll students majoring in engineering being pushed by students who might barely be above probation status. They鈥檙e all incredibly smart. They challenge each other every day, which is a direct reflection of the real cyber world. We need all of them.鈥�

Or, as Solihin has been saying all along: We need more of them. More smart people protecting our smart world.

Online Shopping

• Make sure that any online vendors have the shield/padlock symbol near the web address bar as opposed to an exclamation mark or warning. This indicates that the website is secured by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocols, which means your data is safely encrypted.
• Be sure the shield/lock encryption symbol is present when entering passwords or credit card information through websites
• Encryption is meaningless if the website is fake. Common attacks are to take you to a site like 鈥渁maz0n.com鈥� or 鈥渁mazon.com.servicesite.net,鈥� neither of which is to the company at 鈥渁mazon.com.鈥� Many times, links to fake websites can arrive through emails.
• When making new accounts, use a new password. Do not reuse passwords. Use a password manager to avoid having to remember them all. Turn on two-factor authentication, which is an extra layer of security protection, when possible.
• Be sure to shop from reputable merchants or at least pay through reputable payment companies so that you share your credit card number only with reputable parties.
• Never use your debit card for online shopping. Use your credit card instead.

Privacy

• Be mindful of what you post on social media. If you have your profile set to public or have accepted friend requests from strangers of weak ties, you might want to think twice about posting information that makes it obvious that you are out of town. It makes it easy for people to target your home when you are not there.
• Also, check your privacy settings on social media, especially those that can reveal the location of where your post was shared or your holiday pictures were taken, as these could identify that you are out of town.
• For people who are traveling during the holidays, remember to activate home monitoring systems and make sure your Wi-Fi is working. Ensure that security settings are enabled on these systems and on any smart devices in the home so that hackers cannot hack into them and threaten your home鈥檚 safety.
• Keep your smartphone safe by ensuring it has a long PIN, full disk encryption, or the encryption of all the data on the computer鈥檚 disk drive, and that you haven鈥檛 written passwords in unencrypted notes. Use a password manager for managing passwords on your smart device.
• Cover your hand when entering your PIN, such as at ATMs.

Theft and Scams

• Phishing email is probably the No. 1 security threat. Be cautious when opening any promotion or discount email, since many of them are phishing emails. Don’t click on web links on these types of email. If you are interested in one of the discounted products, go to the company鈥檚 online website yourself, and then do an internal search to find the product.
• Never give out secret information, like passwords, credit card information or social security numbers, through email. Asking for this information is a sign of a phishing email. No reputable company will ask for these types of secret information.
• Unattended package theft is rampant. If you can鈥檛 be home, ask a neighbor or trusted friend to watch and pick up a package for you. Or you could instruct the delivery person to leave it in a concealed area or ask the delivery service to hold the package for pickup.
• Be sure to check your credit card or debit card transactions on your online accounts frequently. The holidays are the times when most stolen credit cards are used, so check and verify your online transactions frequently to find any unrecognized transactions.
• Sign up for a credit-monitoring service that is often offered for free by some credit card companies.
• Remember, even major retailers can be hacked, thus revealing your credit card number. Paying in cash can avoid this, but there is also a risk when carrying large amounts of cash. Consider the risks of each approach.

Overall, electronic transactions offer a convenience, but like any transaction, can come with risks as well. The above tips can help reduce those risks.

Additionally, the 麻豆原创 Cybersecurity and Privacy Cluster is researching ways to make the cyber world safer and more secure for all.

This includes ensuring there are trusted and secure cloud environments, tackling insider security threats in organizations, detecting and defending against digital attacks from malware, ensuring the authenticity of information to prevent fake news, and researching the cultural and social aspects of privacy to make better privacy setting and to prevent online bullying.

The tips were contributed by 麻豆原创 Cybersecurity and Privacy Cluster members Yan Solihin, a Charles N. Millican Chair Professor of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Cybersecurity and Privacy Cluster; Cliff Zou, an associate professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and program coordinator of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Master鈥檚 Degree in Digital Forensics; Paul Gazzillo, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and head of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Applied Programming Languages, Software Engineering, and Education (APPLeSEEd) Lab; Pam Wisniewski, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and head of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Socio-Technical Interaction Research (STIR) Lab; and Yao Li, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 School of Modeling, Simulation and Training.

Some of the vulnerabilities were detailed in a research presentation at the USENIX Security Symposium on Aug. 15, in Santa Clara, California.

The study examined processor manufacturer AMD鈥檚 Secure Encrypted Virtualization technology, a new advancement, which aims to provide privacy of computation and data in public clouds without needing to trust the cloud service providers and their software so users can experience confidential cloud computing.

鈥淭he goal is to essentially say, 鈥楬ey you don鈥檛 have to trust the cloud computing companies, you can just trust the processor,鈥欌�� said Yan Solihin, a professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Computer Science who helped co-author the study. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the promise. What we show in the paper is it鈥檚 not easy to get to that promise.鈥�

The lead author of the research paper was Mengyuan Li, a doctoral student in The Ohio State University鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Co-authors also included Zhiqiang Lin and Yinqian Zhang, associate professors in the university鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

The team worked together to discover the vulnerability and demonstrate the proof-of-concept attacks successfully in a lab setting.

鈥淢y student, Mengyuan, put quite a lot of effort in this work,鈥� Zhang said.

Other computer processor companies, such as Intel, also offer similar environments that are walled off from the cloud computing service. AMD鈥檚 processor is unique, however, because it encrypts the entire memory, unlike other processors, where only portions of the memory are encrypted at a time.

This is an added security feature, but also means that the processor is reliant on input and output messages with the cloud computer software, rather than dedicating a portion of encrypted memory for that. It鈥檚 in these incoming and outgoing communications where the vulnerabilities lay, the researchers said.

Other researchers have reported the memory-integrity problems in the processor in the past, but this study was the first to report the vulnerabilities in the input and output operations, along with resulting other problems.

Despite evolving research to improve the security of cloud computing, using those services can be economically beneficial for users and businesses and may even be more secure for businesses that do not have the resources to hire information technology specialists to manage and safeguard their systems, Solihin said.

鈥淭here are risks with putting your information in the cloud, but there are benefits as well,鈥� Solihin said. 鈥淵ou have to consider that. There are a lot of efforts to make your data secure.鈥�

The technology from AMD analyzed in the research is still new and not widely deployed, Zhang said. The results of the research have also been relayed to AMD to help them implement fixes in future versions of their processor.

鈥淚 think we are still in the process for this technology to become mature,鈥� Zhang said. 鈥淭he purpose of this study is to inform the vendors to build trusted execution environments to support this secure cloud operation you at least have to consider these types of attacks.鈥欌��

Jason Thomas, head of product security at AMD, said this type of research is part of the computing ecosystem that helps improve products.

鈥淎t AMD we are committed to developing technology with high security standards and collaborating with the entire computing ecosystem to help ensure the safety of user information,鈥� Thomas said.

鈥淎MD SEV is a differentiated technology designed to provide advanced protection of memory from inadvertent vulnerabilities in a typical multi-tenant operating environment,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith the recent introduction of our 2nd Gen EPYC server processors, more virtual machines than ever before can leverage SEV technology 鈥� in combination with solutions designed to guard against malicious attack vectors 鈥� as a foundational tool in their overall virtualization security suite.鈥�

Solihin is the director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Cybersecurity and Privacy Cluster, and the Charles Millican chair of computer science at 麻豆原创. He joined 麻豆原创 in 2018.

The research was supported by National Science Foundation grants, research gifts from Intel and DFINITY as well as from funding from 麻豆原创.