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This section of the website will include up to date first hand accounts of the activity our researchers are undertaking including conference attendance, outreach activity and more!
Staying abreast of the latest developments is paramount, especially in the realm of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI). Recently, four PHD students from Queen's University Belfast's Cyber AI Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the forefront of technological innovation at the prestigious Beltech Conference.
Beltech, renowned for its fusion of technology, innovation, and industry insights, provided an ideal platform for these budding cybersecurity and AI experts to expand their knowledge horizons. Let's take a closer look at their experiences:
"Attending Beltech was interesting as it allowed me to see how different companies in industry are utilising AI and how I could utilise AI technologies, such as Github Copilot, to improve the development of my research code.
Additionally it was great to see industry advances in cybersecurity. Talks on areas such as Post-Quantum Cryptography, with Marcin Pawlowski, and Zero Trust Architecture with Jing Xu helped explain the cutting edge in cybersecurity with great levels of clarity. "
Joshua Andrews
"I found the GitHub Co-pilot deep dive very useful. It was given by the vice president Martin Woodward. I was always hesitant about using something like this but I find it might be useful for me and my code development."
Ryan Bevin
"I enjoyed attending Beltech, the combination of industry and academic talks provided a valuable insight into the direction that AI and cybersecurity is taking in Belfast and further afield. It is clear that the way we develop applications is going to change with the introduction of tools like GitHub Copilot and Amazon CodeWhisper, which leverage AI to provide predictive suggestions and analysis on code."
David Kirch
"Beltech helped to demonstrate how the commercial world is adopting the latest academic tools and research. With a great range of speakers from local industry on a wide range of topics, I'm excited to see what they plan to present next year."
Matthew Reaney
Together these students epitomise the spirit of innovation and inquiry fostered by the QUB Cyber AI DTP. Their participation in the Beltech Conference not only enriched their own understanding but also contributed to the collective discourse surrounding cybersecurity and AI. As they return to their academic pursuits, they carry with them a wealth of insights and experiences that will undoubtedly shape their future endeavours in the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
The Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) welcomed Minister Baker and Viscount Camrose as part of their visit to Belfast for CyberNI Week celebrations. CSIT proudly showcased the progress made by the Cyber-AI Hub one year after the initial funding announcement.
During their visit to CSIT, the Ministers had the opportunity to engage with key industry partners of the Cyber-AI Hub, gaining insights into the cutting-edge technologies and collaborative efforts driving advancements in cybersecurity. Additionally, the Ministers were invited to interact with PhD students Mark Megarry, Niall Canavan and Ryan McGaughey.
Mark Megarry, funded under CSIT’s Doctoral Training Programme in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science (EEECS), received the award for the paper titled Understanding the Security Implications in O-RAN with Abusive Adversaries. Co-authored with Antonino Masaracchia, Muhammad Fahim, Vishal Sharma, and Trung Q. Duong of Queen's University Belfast, the paper highlights groundbreaking research on enhancing security measures within O-RAN architecture to counteract abusive adversaries effectively.
The Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen's University Belfast proudly announces that Mark Megarry, a PhD student, won the ‘Best Student Paper Award’ at the International Conference on Industrial Networks and Intelligent Systems (INISCOM) held in February 2024. This prestigious recognition highlights CSIT's commitment to advancing research and innovation in cybersecurity.
Mark Megarry, funded under CSIT’s Doctoral Training Programme in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science (EEECS), received the award for the paper titled Understanding the Security Implications in O-RAN with Abusive Adversaries. Co-authored with Antonino Masaracchia, Muhammad Fahim, Vishal Sharma, and Trung Q. Duong of Queen's University Belfast, the paper highlights groundbreaking research on enhancing security measures within O-RAN architecture to counteract abusive adversaries effectively.
The awarded paper discusses the challenges posed by abusive adversaries in O-RAN systems, using a novel approach that combines Markov Decision Processes (MDP) and Fuzzy Inference Systems (FIS) to predict and mitigate potential Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. This innovative research provides valuable insights for network operators on securing offloading operations against sophisticated cyber threats.
Upon receiving the award, Mark commented, “It is an honour to receive this award so early in my PhD studies. I’m extremely thankful for the support from my co-authors and supervisors, and for the efforts of the conference organisers. With the continued support of Queen’s University Belfast and CSIT, we aim to continue investigating emerging threats against O-RAN networks to secure tomorrow’s communications.
Dr. Vishal Sharma, one of Mark's supervisors and co-authors, also shared his thoughts: "Mark's dedication and our team's hard work have led to this significant achievement. We are grateful for this recognition by INISCOM's programme committee, and it encourages us to continue our pursuit of innovative solutions to protect against cyber threats in open networks."
For more information on the award and INISCOM please visit https://iniscom.eai-conferences.org/2024/