2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Incorporation of Digital Image Processing into Cybersecurity Curriculum

Presented at Computing and Information Technology Division (CIT) Technical Session 3

Cybersecurity is evolving as an important field of study and hence some academic institutions have recently created dedicated curriculum in cybersecurity. Topics covered in a typical cybersecurity degree include information security, data security, operating systems security, network security, cryptography, vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, ethical hacking, and cloud security. Biometrics, including face, fingerprint, iris, are playing significant roles in the field of cybersecurity, some of which are listed below.
1. Access control: Biometric authentication is a crucial tool for secure access to any confidential information and facility.
2. Forensics: Biometric information can be analyzed to identify the person responsible for a malicious activity.
3. Biometric security: Protect biometric information from any unauthorized access.

Now, any application of biometrics involves digital image processing tools. Examples of image processing schemes are:
1. Recording and processing of biometric images.
2. Analyzing biometric signatures for identification.
3. Comparing biometric signatures for authentication.
4. Encrypting and/or hiding biometric signatures.

Unfortunately, image processing topics are usually not included in a typical cybersecurity curriculum. As a result, the graduates are completely dependent on the image processing tools developed by other engineers or technologists.

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the relevance of digital image processing techniques to the cybersecurity field. Farmingdale State College has incorporated an image processing course into its computer security curriculum. The paper will assess the importance of this course based on student learning outcomes. Relevant survey will also be conducted among the recent graduates.

Authors

Dr. M Nazrul Islam State University of New York, Farmingdale [biography]

Dr. M. Nazrul Islam is a Professor at SUNY – Farmingdale, where he is also serving as the Chairman of the Computer Security Department. He has been in the academia since 1991 and worked at several renowned institutions, including Old Dominion University (Virginia), University of South Alabama (Alabama), University of West Florida (Florida), and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

Dr. Islam earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1991 and 1994, respectively. He then earned the Doctor of Engineering degree (equivalent to Ph.D.) from Muroran Institute of Technology, Japan in 1999.

His research interests include optical communication, wireless communication, digital image processing, computer security and solid state devices. He has received a US patent on Optical Pattern Recognition. He has published more than 160 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He has successfully completed several research projects sponsored by different federal and private institutions, including US Army, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy. He served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Optics and Laser Technology, and also an Editor of the Journal of Mathematical Problems in Engineering. He has also been actively serving as the Reviewer of numerous journals and Member of the Program Committee of several international conferences. He has been serving as the Publication Chair for several international conferences, including Long Island Systems, Applications and Technology (LISAT), International Energy and Sustainability Conference (IESC), and Signal Processing in Medicine and Biology (SPMB).

He is a Senior Member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers Inc) and a Senior Member of SPIE (Society of Optical Engineers). He served the IEEE Long Island Section as the Chair in 2015 and several other roles as well as the Chair of the Photonics Society and Membership Development Society. Dr. Islam also served as the Chair of the IEEE Bangladesh Section in 2003-2004 and Vice Chair in 2002.

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