Korea University Opens Center for Software Security and Assurance on Campus.
The center will be a base for KU and its partner universities to conduct joint research on developing core technology for security in the Internet of Things. 

On November 19, Korea University held an opening ceremony for the Center for Software Security and Assurance (CSSA) at the university’s Woo Jung Hall of Informatics. The center, headed by Hee-jo Lee, opened as part of the Global Creative Software (GCS) project commissioned by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (MISP) in Korea.
* Project goal: Development of automatic analysis technology for security vulnerabilities/ breaches in IoT software (Duration: three years, from June 2015 to May 2018)
* IoT stands for the Internet of Things. 

The ceremony was attended by the advisory committee, which consists of government officials and IT experts, including Jeong-su Song, Director General for Information Protection from the MISP and KU Professor Jong-in Lim, who works as the President’s Special Adviser for the security issues. Professor Adrian Perrig from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich also attended the ceremony in order to discuss future plans for mutual cooperation, such as talent exchanges.

As the use of IoT devices has expanded to various areas, including automobiles and aircrafts, there have been growing concerns in security breaches that could cause serious problems and fatal damage. There is an urgent need to detect security breaches in advance and strengthen the security of IoT software accordingly.
* In the United States, the engine-control systems of some Boeing 747s were hacked through the in-flight entertainment system. The hackers succeeded in increasing the engine power of the aircraft. (May, 2015)
* Fiat Chrysler Automobiles issued a formal recall for its vehicles after it found out that their cars were vulnerable to possible hacking attempts. The hackers broke into the IoT system onboard and gained control of the vehicle’s wheel and brakes. (July, 2015)

The CSSA will focus on developing an advanced platform for the automatic analysis of IoT software vulnerabilities so that people, even without expertise in information security, can easily harness the platform to protect their IoT devices. The platform will also allow its users to detect weak points in their devices and eliminate them beforehand. It is expected that these core technologies will be helpful to many, including government offices, security service providers, communication device developers, and automobile makers.

Having Korea University as a leading entity, the project is jointly run by the Korea Internet & Security Agency and researchers from some of the world’s top 10 universities, including Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. The project will also see technology exchanges with security-related communities such as Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP), a world-renown hacker team, and Incognito, a student club from the alliance of universities in Korea.

Professor Lee expressed his commitment to the center in his speech, saying, “CCSA has world-class IT and security experts. Together with them, I firmly believe that we can achieve our goal to develop the platform. Successful development of core technology and an analysis platform will contribute to enhance the safety level of infrastructure in the IoT-based society.”

Director General Song indicated that the government would fully support the center in its research and development efforts. “The Korean government is more than ready to provide support to the center. The CCSA will become an exemplary organization that can promote our potential in IT security research to the world. We hope the center will play a role as a bridgehead for international efforts in IoT security research,” said Song.