Yong Wang of Dakota State University

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) share common principles but also exhibit distinct characteristics. Many vulnerabilities have been reported in the hardware, firmware, protocols, and applications of IoT and CPS devices. These vulnerabilities can be exploited, raising significant concerns about security and privacy, especially in CPS within critical sectors. However, mitigating security risks associated with vulnerabilities in IoT and CPS is not a trivial task. This presentation will introduce various vulnerabilities in IoT and CPS, how those vulnerabilities are exploited, and how to remediate security risks arising from them. The presentation will highlight the challenges in securing IoT and CPS and further delve into the unique challenges in securing CPS. Moreover, machine learning (ML) has gathered increasing attention in recent years, with applications found in nearly every industry and sector, including IoT and CPS. This surge in popularity has also resulted in a rise in attacks against ML technologies. This presentation will further introduce threats and attacks targeting machine learning algorithms and models. We will present a new approach to classifying threats and attacks targeting ML, and discuss security challenges, research gaps, and future trends that may remain relevant for years to come.

Biography:

Dr. Yong Wang is a Professor in the Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Dakota State University, where he currently serves as the Associate Dean of Beacom Graduate Programs. Dr. Wang received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007, and his B.S. and M.S.E degrees in Computer Science from the Wuhan University (China) in 1995 and 1998, respectively. Prior to joining DSU in 2012, he spent 10 years in telecommunications industry as a senior software engineer and team leader. Dr. Wang’s research focuses on security and privacy issues in the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile devices, cloud computing, and cyberinfrastructure. His primary goal is to provide end-to-end trust and security for communication networks through vulnerability exploitation, risk mitigation, and security remediation. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Wang has been involved in 11 successful proposals, securing over $2.3 million in research funding. He also serves as a technical program committee member and reviewer for many international conferences and journals. Additionally, he is a commissioner for the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission.