‘Father’ of computer virus defenses among MSU fall speakers
October 12, 2005
The inventor of computer virus defense techniques is among scheduled speakers at an annual fall lecture series sponsored by Mississippi State’s Center for Computer Security Research.
Fred Cohen–best known for developing computer defenses in the 1980s–will be the second of three guest lecturers Nov. 3. Cohen is widely considered one of the world’s leading authorities in information protection.
Also scheduled next month are:
–IBM Software and federal security architect John F. McLaughlin, who kicks off the series Nov. 1; and
–Gary Smith, principal security engineer for Science Applications International Corp., the concluding speaker on Nov. 17.
All public presentations begin at 9:30 a.m. in 103 Butler Hall. The series is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Defense and National Science Foundation.
Located just west of Suttle Residence Hall at the George Perry Boulevard-Barr Avenue intersection, Butler Hall is home to MSU’s computer science and engineering department.
“The purpose of the series is to expose our students and other interested parties to current thinking in the field,” said CCSR director Ray Vaughn, a Billie J. Ball Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. “We normally get a mix of industry, government and academic speakers each year.”
Kirk Schulz and Sara Freedman, respective deans of MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering and College of Business and Industry, said the opportunity to meet and hear nationally prominent speakers in the computer security field greatly benefits students and faculty across the institution’s diverse academic disciplines.
Julia Hodges, computer science and engineering department chair, also praised Vaughn’s research center for “building a national reputation for its work in computer security and computer forensics.”
Cohen is the owner and driving force of Fred Cohen and Associates, a Livermore-Calif.-based consulting firm that has specialized in information protection for a wide variety of corporate and governmental clients since 1977. He also was the principal investigator for a team that defined the computer information assurance problem as it relates to critical infrastructure protection today.
“Fred Cohen did the original work on computer viruses and published the first papers in this field,” Vaughn said. “He is an expert on malicious code (automated attacks on computer security) with international credentials.”
McLaughlin has contributed to security architectures for Fortune 500 companies in chemical processing, the financial markets and federal law enforcement agencies. His research focuses on security architectures for distributed enterprises. His areas of technical expertise include access control, database security, cryptography, and network security.
For the past 10 years, Smith has led a team of security engineers providing system security engineering support to the U.S. Air Force’s F/A-22 fighter program. His prior experience includes teaching computer security courses for the National Cryptologic School and 20 years as a U.S. Army automation officer.
For more information on the public programs, contact Vaughn.