Digital Trust & Security Seminar Series: Carolyn Swinney
| Dates: | 4 May 2022 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:15 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Digital Futures |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Alumni, Current University students |
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Talk title: Software Defined Radios: RF Enabled Cyber Vulnerability Exposure and Early Warning
Venue: Manchester, Oxford Road area. Location details provided following registration
The Centre for Digital Trust & Society, part of the Digital Futures research community is delighted to welcome Carolyn Swinney for an in-person, special guest seminar.
Often when Cyber threats are considered, fixed (or wired) Internet connections are the assumed way that a target device is accessed. However, Radio Frequency (RF) links are becoming more prevalent in connected systems, from 5G to driverless cars and even control systems for Critical National Infrastructure. There is a growing need to consider RF links when securing networks and identifying potential vulnerabilities. Software Defined Radios (SDRs) expose vulnerabilities by providing a viable means to access or even deny access to these links. In this seminar the term SDR will be defined and the capabilities of open-source software in conjunction with low cost, easily available devices on the market today, will be demonstrated through a practical implementation_. Recent academic literature will highlight vulnerabilities to capabilities from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) position and timing information to drone delivery services and remote keyless systems. However, SDRs can also provide early warning of unwanted RF signals and, in conjunction with machine learning techniques, can classify those signals with high accuracy. Hence, the seminar will also explore the use of SDRs for the detection and classification of threats.
Speaker bio: Carolyn J. Swinney received a B.Eng.(hons.) degree (first class) in 2007 and a M.Sc.(dist.) in Electronics Engineering from the University of Essex, Colchester, UK in 2013. She graduated as a Communications and Electronics Engineering Officer in the Royal Air Force in 2014. She currently works within the Air and Space Warfare Centre and is working towards a Ph.D. degree in Electronic Systems Engineering at the University of Essex. Her main research interests are signal processing, unmanned aerial vehicles, neural networks, machine learning and cyber security.
- please note it is illegal to broadcast signals from an SDR without a license or exemption. The experiments detailed in this seminar were conducted within a Faraday Cage and no signals were radiated outside of that protected facility.
Travel and Contact Information
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The University of Manchester
Oxford Rd,
Manchester
