Electrical and Computer Engineering Summer Camp
Cybersecurity Engineering and Blockchain Technology Summer Camp
The Cybersecurity Engineering and Blockchain Technology Summer Camp at the University of Cincinnati (UC) is a day camp for high school students who are interested in state-of-the-art cybersecurity and blockchain technologies.
The goal of the camp is to (1) introduce fundamental knowledge and hands-on skills to students; (2) offer a fun and valuable learning experience to students in cybersecurity and related areas. The main topics include malware analysis, reverse engineering, drone attacks, encryption, side-channel attacks, network attacks and defenses, etc. The lectures are designed and delivered by nationally recognized UC faculty and seasoned graduate students in cybersecurity.
The camp is organized by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at UC. ECE offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Cybersecurity Engineering and extensive research and education opportunities to students who are interested in pursuing future careers in cybersecurity.
- Camp Dates: July 10 – 14, 2023, 9:00 -3:30
- Location: UC Main Campus, Clifton, Cincinnati, Ohio. Building and room TBA
- Limit: 30 students
- Camp Fee: $250
- Application Deadline: March 31, 2023
- Notification of Acceptance to camp will be sent by April 15, 2023
- Technical Contact: Marc Cahay, ECE Dept. Head, marc.cahay@uc.edu
- Logistics Contact: Dorothy Young, dorothy.young@uc.edu
| Date: | July 10 | July 11 | July 12 | July 13 | July 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-11:30 a.m | Module A.1 | Module A.3 & A.4 | Module A.9 | Module A.8 | Module A.6 & A.7 |
| 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Lunch (included) | Lunch (included) | Lunch (included) | Lunch (included) | Lunch (included) |
| 1-3:30 p.m. | Module A.2 | Module B.1 | Module B.2 | Modules B.3 & B.4 | Module A.5 |
Program Module Details:
Set A: Introduction to Cybersecurity Engineering
Module A.1: Intro to C: This module introduces basic background in a C programming language.
Module A.2: Linux Operating System and Virtualization: Students will be introduced to Linux, including hands-on experience where they will work through a level-based set of challenges through OverTheWire's Bandit. Students will also learn how to set up virtual Linux environments.
Module A.3: Malware Analysis: Students will be introduced to malware analysis and learn how to use sandboxing to safely handle malware during research. Students will gain hands-on experience by dissecting real-world malware utilizing a suite of advanced tools that allow for isolated analysis.
Module A.4: Software Reverse Engineering: Students will learn a basic software reverse engineering technique.
Module A.5: Drone Attack: Students will study how a drone can be hijacked. A real drone will be used to demonstrate this. Students will study another security issue with low-cost drones: their use of insecure software for control and data retrieval.
Module A.6: Introduction to Formal Methods: Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of logic, formal methods, and formal verification. Students will be tasked with implementing a software specification; they will use state of the art software to prove the behavior of their designs.
Module A.7: Hardware Design With a Focus on Crypto-accelerators: Students will be introduced to basic hardware design on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). All basic hardware components and cells will be covered. Students will develop and test a very simple RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adelman) crypto-accelerator using industry tools and equipment.
Module A.8: iWars Competition (web-based): Play a nation-building game called iWars, where students can gather and trade raw materials, use them to manufacture ships, airplanes, and computers, train civilians and soldiers, build refineries, factories, and IT cells, fight wars, and much more!
Module A.9: Encryption and Side-Channel Attacks: Students will be introduced to the basic concepts of encryption, including symmetric key encryption and public-key encryption. Side-channel attacks which recover keys from power consumption will also be introduced.
Set B: Introduction to Blockchain Technology
Module B.1: Introduction to Crypto-economics: Students will learn the fundamentals of blockchain technology and learn how to send and receive cryptocurrency transactions.
Module B.2: Tokenomics and User Tools: In this module, students will learn the basics of crypto-economic monetary policy. How many tokens should be released? Over what time period? And how should the tokens be allocated?
Module B.3: Mathematics and Sciences Behind Blockchain Technology: Students will learn the math and sciences behind the design of blockchain technology.
Module B.4: Shhhh Smart Contract is Hiding!!: Students will learn how a smart contract works. They will also learn how smart contracts help America’s biggest medical insurance businesses.