Dr. Josiah Dykstra of NSA

This talk offers an introduction for students and practitioners to the application of the scientific method to cybersecurity tools and systems. Creating, using, and evaluating cybersecurity tools and systems are complex tasks. Many cybersecurity professionals are attracted to the challenges of building these tools and systems, and are motivated to use their expertise to bring sanity and solutions to real-world problems. The addition of scientific thinking aids in dealing with uncertainty, unknowns, choices, and crises. It can improve existing products and lead to groundbreaking innovation and applications. In this talk, we’ll focus on practical, real-world applications of science to the practice of cybersecurity. You’ll learn about scientific principles and flexible methodologies for effective security as you design, execute, and evaluate your own experiments. You’ll discover why the application of science is worth the added effort and you’ll glean insights from specific examples of experimentation in cybersecurity.

Biography:

Josiah Dykstra is a Technical Fellow and member of the Senior Executive Service in the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center at the National Security Agency (NSA). He holds a Ph.D. in computer science and previously served at NSA as a cyber operator and researcher. Dykstra is interested in cybersecurity science, especially where humans intersect with technology. In 2017, Dykstra received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from former President Barack Obama. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He is the author of numerous research papers and one book, Essential Cybersecurity Science.

Address:United States