Plenary Lecture

Novel Statistical Modeling Approaches to Cybersecurity

Professor Demetrios Kazakos, IEEE Life Fellow
Texas Southern University
Houston, TX
USA
E-mail: kazakosd@tsu.edu

Abstract: One main aspect of Cybersecurity is the design and enabling of protection and defense strategies against organized intrusion attacks. One important approach is the development of robust techniques for intrusion detection. The fundamental approach is to design algorithms that will quickly detect anomalies and react by blocking such attacks. The fundamental approach that several researchers have been pursuing is to use statistical modeling. In particular, the author has used statistical change detection to quickly identify and compensate for faults in communication networks. In this talk, we present the use of powerful statistical change detection algorithms, and the development of enhanced, novel statistical modeling methodology that results in the creation of more effective countermeasures to cybersecurity attacks.

Brief Biography of the Speaker: Dr. Demetrios Kazakos received his Diploma in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the National Polytechnic University of Greece. He then started graduate his graduate studies in the United States. He received a Master of Arts degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Southern California, specializing in Statistical Communication Theory. In 1980, he joined the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Virginia,where he stayed until 1993. In 1992, he was elevated to the grade of Fellow of IEEE, for his research in two areas: Enhanced Algorithms for Multiuser Multiaccess Networks and Statistical Pattern Recognition. In 2009, he was elevated to the grade of IEEE Life Fellow. In 1993 he accepted the position of Head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Southwestern Louisiana. At the same time he has always been a very active participant in IEEE conference organizing and editorial activities. He was Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Communications for 5 years, Technical Program Chair for two major IEEE Conferences, and member of the Technical Program Committee for several IEEE and other conferences. In 1983 he started a new company named HITEC, INC, which undertook several Research and Development projects in Information Technology, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and the European Community. In 2001, he undertook the position of Professor and Chair of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Toledo. In 2004, he moved to the University of Idaho, as Professor and Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. From 2006 to 2008, he was Dean of the College of Science and Technology at Texas Southern University. From September 2009 to September 2011, he was at the National Science Foundation in the position of Program Director responsible for the Program: "Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology". Overall, he has published about 165 refereed journal papers, book chapters and conference proceeding papers, as well as two books.