REU site: integrative challenges in cybersecurity-deception, remediation, and resilient systems

The National Science Foundation Division of Computing and Communication Foundations awarded The Research Foundation For The State University of New York $464,622 on October 1, 2026, under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070) to host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site focused on integrative cybersecurity challenges.

The project, performed at the University at Albany in Albany, New York, through September 30, 2029, develops an interconnected set of research activities examining cybersecurity from multiple perspectives. Deliverables include adaptive digital environments that interact with attackers and collect behavioral data to enable deeper understanding of evolving threats; realistic simulated attack scenarios for industrial control systems to generate high-quality datasets for experimentation and evaluation; methods to ensure that artificial intelligence systems used in defense are reliable, transparent, and resistant to misuse; and analysis of how organizational and leadership decisions influence the outcomes of cyber incidents. The project combines undergraduate education with hands-on discovery in deception techniques, automated system recovery, and human-centered decision analysis within a unified framework, strengthening the resilience of essential infrastructure while expanding workforce development opportunities in cybersecurity research.

Abstract

Cybersecurity threats increasingly disrupt critical services such as healthcare, energy, and financial systems, affecting everyday life and national stability. These threats are no longer isolated technical problems; they involve complex interactions among digital systems, human decisions, and organizational responses. This project addresses these challenges by advancing a unified approach to understanding and improving how systems detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. The project's novelties are the integration of intelligent deception techniques, automated system recovery, and human-centered decision analysis into a single, coordinated framework. The project's broader significance and importance are in strengthening the resilience of essential infrastructure, supporting national security, and expanding opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in advanced research. As a research experiences for undergraduates (REU) site hosted at the university at albany, state university of new york, the project combines education with hands-on discovery, contributing to workforce development and promoting scientific progress that benefits society at large. The project develops an interconnected set of research activities that examine cybersecurity from multiple perspectives. IT creates adaptive digital environments that interact with attackers and collect detailed behavioral data, enabling deeper understanding of evolving threats. IT constructs realistic simulated attack scenarios for industrial control systems to generate high-quality datasets for experimentation and evaluation. IT incorporates methods to ensure that artificial intelligence systems used in defense are reliable, transparent, and resistant to misuse. In addition, IT analyzes how decisions made by organizations and leaders influence the outcomes of cyber incidents, linking technical events with broader social and strategic factors. These activities are integrated through complementary research components and consistent evaluation frameworks across the project. The project advances knowledge of how intelligent and adaptive defense systems improve resilience, while producing open datasets, reusable tools, and trained participants who contribute to a stronger and more secure digital infrastructure. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.