Securing Connected Devices: An Arms Race

Wednesday 7 November 2018 This Academy Discourse by Professor Máire O'Neill, Queen's University Belfast, is the eighth in the series sponsored by Mason Hayes & Curran. With the rapid proliferation of pervasive electronic devices in our lives, the internet of things (IoT) has become a reality and its influence on our day to day activities is set to further increase with a projected 125 Billion connected devices by 2030. However, this poses serious security and privacy issues as we will no longer have direct control over with whom and what our devices communicate. Counterfeit, hacked, or cloned devices acting on a network are a significant threat. In addition, IoT devices are often low-cost in area, low-power and typically are restricted in both memory and computing power. Professor O'Neill outlines the challenges in addressing security for resource-constrained IoT devices and some of the solutions currently being considered. The impact of quantum computers on security will also be discussed. About the speaker Professor Máire O’Neill (FIAE, MRIA) has a strong international reputation for her research in hardware security and applied cryptography. She is currently PI of the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), QUB, and Research Director of the £5M UK Research Institute in Secure Hardware and Embedded Systems (RISE), funded by EPSRC and the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). She also leads an EU H2020 SAFEcrypto project in the area of practical quantum-safe cryptography. She previously held an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship (2008-2014) and was a former holder of a UK Royal Academy of Engineering research fellowship (2003-2008). She has received numerous awards for her research work which include a 2014 Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal and British Female Inventor of the Year 2007. She has authored two research books and has over 140 peer-reviewed conference and journal publications.