Senior Advanced Design Projects
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(2) The Senior Advanced Design Project, or “capstone” presentations, are the culminating experience for our Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security Engineering (BS CYSE) graduating class. The CYSE 492/493 Senior Advanced Design Project is a two-semester class in which students work with a sponsoring organization on real problems using the skills they have developed over the course of the program. Our industry partners have provided a wealth of inspiring and useful projects that have challenged our students to solve open-ended technical problems with the guidance of our faculty and subject matter experts. We are pleased to acknowledge how fortunate we are to have sponsorships from Booz Allen Hamilton, DAX LLC, DHS, FCC, GMU, Hexagon US Federal, INOVA, Lockheed-Martin, MITRE, Northrop Grumman, Perspecta, Raytheon, TWSS and Verizon. In addition to the senior design projects, these organizations are active in the CYSE Industry Advisory Board (CYSE IAB). The CYSE IAB provides guidance for our programs and our curriculum. We would also like to acknowledge Professors Gino Manzo and Rock Sabetto for their efforts as the instructors of the Senior Advanced Design Project. With their combined 60 years of corporate experience, they have brought expertise and rigor to the projects. Their leadership has facilitated a rich and lasting experience for our students. Also, thank you to our faculty mentors, Dr. Andy Powell and Dr. Tom Winston. They have provided guidance and insight on very technical projects. Finally, all of the effort of the CYSE administrator, Jalen Johnson, should be acknowledged. He helps both students and faculty make the program successful. This class will be the first to graduate from the new Cyber Security Engineering Department which was approved in March 2020. Thanks to the outstanding students in the BS CYSE, we have been able to continue to expand the CYSE program. Dr. Duminda Wijesekera is the department chair of our new department. This is the third time we have offered this class. We have achieved 300% growth in class size and increased the number of sponsorships from six in our inaugural year to fourteen this year. The Senior Design course contributes to a graduating class that will make an impact on our society. Many already have employment in commercial and government jobs. Others are continuing their education through the pursuit of a Master’s of Science degree. These students are pioneers in a difficult but rewarding field. We are proud of our students and want to congratulate them for their dedicated efforts and all the hard work that it has taken to reach this milestone. Thank you again to our industry sponsors, instructors, and subject matter experts for their tremendous support in this endeavor.. 1. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y. Duminda Wijesekera, Ph.D.. Peggy Brouse, Ph.D.. Chair, Cyber Security Engineering Department Director, Laboratory of Radio and RADAR Engineering Professor, Department of Computer Science. Associate Chair, Cyber Security Engineering Department Director, BS Cyber Security Engineering Professor, Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department.
(3) Thank you for being part of our industry-sponsored Senior Design course. After two challenging semesters, we are celebrating the achievements of 82 students who executed a diverse collection of twenty cybersecurity academic, government, and industry projects. The goal of Senior Design is to provide students with real-life work experience during their senior year. Student teams work with sponsor organizations, which provide customers and subject matter experts to define and oversee our projects. Each project is managed exactly as if the student team was just hired by a company as an engineering team. Students are responsible for generating and implementing proposals, technical designs, and solutions. Throughout the two semesters, they are guided in technical areas by the subject matter experts and mentored by instructors in a host of professional and business skills such as project management, communication, teamwork, ethics, professionalism, and business metrics. By working in teams, they develop leadership and management skills, and learn to function as effective teams as they manage requirements and schedules. Student teams are responsible for managing customer relationships and addressing the unforeseen challenges that happen on all projects. This program is only possible with dedicated support from sponsor organizations whom we whole-heartedly thank for their support. Thank you for engaging with our program and helping to grow our students. I also want to acknowledge and thank Dr. Peggy Brouse for initiating this class at George Mason University; and Dr. Duminda Wijesekera for continuing to support our Senior Design instructor team and providing me with the continuing opportunity to be part of this experience. This course was created by Professor of Practice Gino Manzo, who continues to provide excellent mentorship to our students and leadership guidance to shape the course. The instructor team of Gino, Dr. Andy Powell, and Dr. Tom Winston brings a wealth of experience, providing our students with a wonderful source of guidance and engineering expertise. Finally, we want to thank our students, who were brave enough to try something new. Stepping out of your comfort zone is always a valuable learning experience. We wish you all the best as you pursue your engineering aspirations. Sincerely,. Rock Sabetto Senior Design Lead Instructor. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 2.
(4) Program Sign-In 2:00 – 2:30 PM. Poster Review. Welcome – Prof. Rock Sabetto 2:30 – 3:30 PM Remarks – Dr. Peggy Brouse Team Presentations. Poster Review 3:30 – 4:30 PM Best Poster Awards 4:30 PM. Adjournment 5:00 PM. All guests are requested to vote for Best Poster. Every vote counts.. 3. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(5) Sponsors We greatly appreciate their dedicated support.. DAX. Cyber Security Engineering. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 4.
(6) Project Leadership This class is only possible because of the commitment, dedication, and spirit of the following customers and subject matter experts. Thank you!. 5. SPONSOR. CUSTOMER. PROJECT. SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. Booz Allen Hamilton. Rod Wetsel, Adam Langford. Securing AWS Instances. Daniel Coleman, Ryan Morrell. DAX LLC. Kyler Harrington. Distributed Academic Community. Misty Blowers. Department of Homeland Security. Olga Livingston. Anomaly Detection Analysis. Olga Livingston. Federal Communication Commission. Jeffery Goldthorp. Roll Call Software. Jeffery Goldthorp. George Mason University. Lance Sherry. No Equipment Failed/No Malicious Intent (NEF/NMI) Cyber-System Failures. Lance Sherry. George Mason University. Kathy Laskey. Phishing Experiment and Analysis On User Susceptibility. James Lee, Brendan Nary. Hexagon US Federal. Tammer Oibah. RPM BodyCam. Steve du Plessis. Hexagon US Federal. Tammer Oibah. Cyber Attack Map. Braden Pierson. INOVA. Scott Larsen, Matt Wilkes, Paul Curylo. Baxter Sigma Spectrum Infusion Pump Honeypot. Matt Wilkes, Zach Furness, Marty Barron, Bryon Squier. INOVA. Scott Larsen, Matt Wilkes, Paul Curylo. Pen-Testing Biomedical Devices. Matt Wilkes, Zach Furness, Marty Barron, Bryon Squier. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(7) SPONSOR. CUSTOMER. PROJECT. SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. Lockheed Martin. Tim Parker. Lockheed Martin Space Cyber Research Project. Jonathan Brant. Lockheed Martin. Tim Parker. Huawei Patrol. Sasha Morgan. Lockheed Martin. Allison Elfring. Windows Packer/Loader System. Allison Elfring, Matt Murray, Steve Kyle, Austin Keeley. MITRE. Katy Warren. Composable DevOps Architecture: The Need for Secure and Flexible Deployment. Vibha Dhawan, Christine Kim. Northrop Grumman. Mike Raeder. Weapon System Cyber Protection. Archer Batchelle. Northrop Grumman. Mike Raeder. Weapon System Cyber Protection. Chris Hummel. Perspecta. Joe Landino. Countering Malicious Threat Actors. Patrick Biltgen, Saad Usmani. Raytheon. Phil Harvey, Kent Pride. NiFi Processor. Jerry Dowdy, Phil Harvey, David Vogel. TWSS. Rick Shaffer. Enhanced Amber Alerting System. Misty Blowers. Verizon. Anastasia Hansen. Automated Web Proxy-Data Leakage Analysis. David Grady. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 6.
(8) Project Teams Securing AWS Instances CHALLENGE Our objective was to secure high-risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk data in an AWS environment.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Roberto Basurto, Edwin Hyatt III, Nathan Mammen, Angelica Espinoza-Calvio, Zach Kaylor SME: Daniel Coleman, Ryan Morrell. Roberto Basurto Fairfax, Va.. Zach Kaylor Matthews, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: My plan is to become an Incident Response Analyst and. Aspirations: I want to develop security software.. manage the response to a cyberattack.. Class Comment: It gave me experience with project management.. Class Comment: It provided a good opportunity to work with real sponsors.. Nathan Mammen Chantilly, Va.. Angelica Espinoza-Calvio Fairfax, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. threats.. Aspirations: I like coding, so I’m thinking of specializing in secure coding and analyzing code.. Aspirations: I would like to be part of a SOC team and react to cyber Class Comment: I like how interesting it is and how it helps students prepare for work in a professional environment.. Class Comment: It provided a good opportunity to work with real sponsors.. Edwin Hyatt III Laurel, Md. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to engage in malware analysis and reverse engineering on a regular basis.. Class Comment: I learned how to be a professional in the workplace and follow company policy.. Project Sponsors: Adam Langford, Rod Wetsel. 7. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(9) Distributed Academic Community CHALLENGE We built an online academic community using blockchain technology to secure and streamline the backend of the website. LEFT TO RIGHT: Benjamin Troxel, J. Christopher Coleman II, Ryan Berry SME: Misty Blowers. Ryan Berry Hampton, Va.. Benjamin Troxel Arlington, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I plan to find a government job to receive training and. Aspirations: I want to work for one of the three-letter government. Class Comment: This class taught me valuable lessons about working. Class Comment: Through this course, I learned that different people,. gain experience, then transition into the private sector. as a team on a project in a professional environment.. agencies—or thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.. going through the same process, will get very different results.. J. Christopher Coleman II Richmond, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I aim to work and gain experience in cyber security as a project manager in the private sector.. Class Comment: The class provides a reflection of what is happening in the real world and what the cyber security industry has to offer.. Project Sponsor: Kyler Harrington. DAX LLC SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 8.
(10) Anomaly Detection Analysis CHALLENGE We created an integrated dashboard through which data can be visualized and anomalies can be detected using machine learning.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Parham Neyzari, Michael Wilson, Jennah Fayyaz SME: Olga Livingston. Jennah Fayyaz Annandale, Va.. Michael Wilson Stafford, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to become a consultant and provide cyber-. Aspirations: I want to help companies find vulnerabilities within. security support to companies.. their systems. Ultimately, I want to produce music for a living.. Class Comment: This class provides a real-world experience working with clients and solving a problem for a company.. Class Comment: This class gives students a general idea of how to work as a group for a company.. Parham Neyzari Great Falls, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to graduate and work in the cyber security field on the red team side, doing penetration testing and web apps security.. Class Comment: This is a good final class for the program, as it. allows students to experience working for a real company and being an actual employee.. Project Sponsor: Olga Livingston. 9. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(11) Roll Call Software CHALLENGE We improved the FCC Roll Call software by adding a GUI, database, and dashboard.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Josh Beach, Douglas Benson, Shantel Butterfield, Connor Taber SME: Jeffery Goldthorp. Josh Beach Fredericksburg, Va.. Shantel Butterfield Auburn, Mich.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to have a career in cyber security or software. Aspirations: After graduation, I will be working at Hilton Hotels. development in northern Virginia. I am more interested in the software development side of cyber security.. Class Comment: I already had experience with many of the concepts we were taught in this class during my internship this past summer at Progeny, but it helped to cement them.. Corporation as an Associate Cyber Security Analyst. I will be working in Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing.. Class Comment: This class has allowed me to work on my ability to document the tasks I have completed and write in a professional manner. This has helped me in my internship.. Connor Taber Stafford, Va.. Douglas Benson La Mesa, Ca.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: After graduation, I will be working as a Cyber Security Engineer for the Raytheon Company focusing on their aerospace and missile defense programs.. Class Comment: This class has primarily served as an extension of. my government internship. It allowed me to apply and develop my technical writing, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.. Aspirations: After graduation, I’m hoping to work for a large com-. pany and eventually reach a management position. I hope to be debt free within five years of graduation.. Class Comment: Through this class, I was able to sharpen my Python. programming skills, which has prepared me for much more complex problems involving Python.. Project Sponsor: Jeffery Goldthorp. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 10.
(12) No Equipment Failed/No Malicious Intent (NEF/NMI) Cyber-System Failures CHALLENGE No Equipment Failed/No Malicious Intent (NEF/NMI) cyber-system failures are the result of unforeseen complications that arise from system changes and occur without any equipment failure or malicious intent. We utilized a decision support system to help correlate risks when given an update or change that could lead to these types of failures. LEFT TO RIGHT: Hissah Almarzook, Alyssa Lopez, Sam Faulconer, Edwin Padilla-Gonzalez SME: Lance Sherry. Hissah Almarzook Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Edwin Padilla-Gonzalez Winchester, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to improve my technical skills and gain more. Aspirations: I would like to attend graduate school to study cyber se-. experience in the cyber security engineering industry.. Class Comment: It was a great opportunity to develop my professional skills.. Class Comment: I learned more about systems engineering, industrial control systems, project management, and professionalism.. Sam Faulconer Gordonsville, Va.. Alyssa Lopez Millville, N.J.. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to be able to perform digital forensics analysis. professionally and develop tools to assist in this endeavor. Then, I intend to attend law school and specialize in either privacy or Intellectual Property rights.. Class Comment: I have learned a lot about practical systems engineering principles and professional workflows.. curity engineering. I would also like, one day, to become a penetration tester and develop my technical skills through work in industry.. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I am currently a Student Trainee Engineer for the. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Upon graduation, I plan to continue my work in the FAA in the Program Management Organization (PMO) on their Security Team to contribute to the overall improvement of cyber security within the National Airspace System (NAS). I would also like to attend graduate school and eventually obtain a Master’s Degree in either Cyber Security or Systems Engineering. Class Comment: This class was a great opportunity to improve both my technical skills and my professional communication skills.. Project Sponsor: Lance Sherry. 11. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y. Cyber Security Engineering.
(13) Phishing Experiment and Analysis on User Susceptibility CHALLENGE We carried out a phishing campaign targeting GMU undergraduate students in order to understand the factors associated with user susceptibility to phishing e-mails.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Kristin DiMichele, Abdulla Alhamer, Te Ming Tiong, Abdullah Alsaadi SME: James Lee, Brandan Nary. Abdulla Alhamer West Riffa, Kingdom of Bahrain Kristin DiMichele Newark, De. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to work for a well-known company as a. Aspirations: After graduation, I plan on staying in the northern. Class Comment: This course improved my problem solving and. Class Comment: I have learned so much about the importance of. cyber security analyst.. communication skills dramatically.. Abdullah Alsaadi Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Virginia area to work full time.. communication and starting tasks early through this course.. Te Ming Tiong. Kuching, Malaysia. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to find a satisfying job in the field of cybersecu-. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: After graduating, I hope to find a job in the field of. rity after graduation and specialize in digital forensics or artificial intelligence.. Class Comment: This class taught me the importance of working. Class Comment: Through this senior design project, I have learned. cyber security that will help me continue developing new skills. with a team to solve expected and unexpected problems.. how to handle real life conflicts and developed leadership and teamwork skills.. Project Sponsors: Kathy Laskey. Cyber Security Engineering. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 12.
(14) RPM BodyCam CHALLENGE We wrote an application to successfully hash a video in order to ensure integrity.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Pryatna Timalsina, Rahma Moalin-Mohamed, Mattias Duffy SME: Steve du Plessis. Mattias Duffy Boston, Mass.. Pryatna Timalsina Fairfax, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to work as a digital signal processing engineer.. Aspirations: I am currently working at Looking Glass Cyber Solu-. Class Comment: This class was a good way to gain experience working on a project with a team. It challenges both your technical and interpersonal skills as an engineer and teaches you how to work on long-term projects.. tions as a Cyber Security Analyst. I hope to have a career as a Cyber Security Analyst specializing in penetration testing.. Class Comment: It was a great way to familiarize undergraduate students with real-world problems and working conditions.. Rahma Moalin-Mohamed Fairfax, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to have a positive impact on the world. I am currently working as an IT Support Specialist.. Class Comment: It was fulfilling and allowed me to gain hands-on experience in a professional environment.. Project Sponsor: Tammer Obilah. 13. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(15) Cyber Attack Map CHALLENGE We developed a Cyber Attack Map to visualize potential malicious network activity.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Hebah Beg, Jordan Poole, Warrie Proffit SME: Braden Pierson. Hebah Beg Ashburn, Va.. Jordan Poole Woodbridge, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to apply the knowledge I learned through this. Aspirations: I want to use the programming skills I learned to work. Class Comment: Through the capstone course, we acquired expe-. Class Comment: The professors worked tirelessly to assist the stu-. course in the workplace.. rience in the business, professional, and technical sides of cyber security.. with machine learning in cyber security. dents in this class.. Warrie Proffit Catlett, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to apply my knowledge from this degree to a job in the field.. Class Comment: This class provides us with the exact sort of skills and experience I would expect from this major.. Project Sponsor: Tammer Obilah. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 14.
(16) Baxter Sigma Spectrum Infusion Pump Honeypot CHALLENGE The objective of our project is to create a honeypot that connects to the Baxter Sigma Spectrum infusion pump. The honeypot will misdirect users into accessing it instead of the pump. Data logs will be generated in order to analyze the methods attackers are using to access the biomedical device. LEFT TO RIGHT: David Nguyen, Ronan Roque, Salma Almaz, Anthony Tate, Randy Maysaud SME: Matt Wilkes, Zach Furness, Marty Barron, Bryon Squier. Salma Almaz Sterling, Va.. Ronan Joshua Roque Toronto, Canada. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I aspire to create my own business specializing in cyber. Aspirations: I plan to continue studying hardware security in order. security in the healthcare industry.. Class Comment: This course encourages teamwork and going beyond. to design systems that are secure at both the hardware and software layers.. Randy Maysaud Alexandria, Va.. various documents used for project management that are crucial for businesses.. what you learn in class to expand your technical and research skills.. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: My goal for the future is to get a master’s in machine. learning and a master’s in biomedical engineering, then start a company that works with biomedical devices.. Class Comment: I really appreciated how this course exposes us to. Anthony Tate Harleysville, Pa. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to own a cyber security company specializ-. Class Comment: This class really encouraged teamwork and is an. ing in vulnerability analysis.. David Nguyen Falls Church, Va.. tween students and mentors. It also provides an introduction to the business side of company contracts.. amazing way to see how actual contracting work is like.. Class Comment: This course encourages open communication be-. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: My goal is to become a penetration tester to find and. fix vulnerabilities to protect devices from being exploited, especially medical devices.. Class Comment: This course allows students to work alongside big companies and research methods to solve their real-world issues.. Project Sponsor: Scott Larsen, Matt Wilkes, Paul Curylo. 15. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(17) Pen-Testing Biomedical Devices CHALLENGE INOVA requested a biomedical honeypot that will attract threat actors and collect information on their tactics, techniques, and procedures for analysis.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Jared Benedict, Elizabeth McPherson, Miranda Eveker, Evan Simon SME: Matt Wilkes, Zach Furness, Marty Barron, Bryon Squier. Jared Benedict Chesapeake, Va.. Elizabeth McPherson Stafford, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to get a full-time job in penetration testing or. Aspirations: I plan on working full-time while pursuing a Master’s in. Class Comment: I enjoyed the information from the lectures present-. Class Comment: It was valuable to learn how to work in a team on a. Miranda Eveker Fairfax, Va.. Evan Simon Lexington, Mass.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to get a full-time job and then work while I earn. Aspirations: I want to get a full-time job as a digital forensics spe-. Class Comment: I really enjoyed the “real-world” experience I got. Class Comment: I also enjoyed the “real-world” aspect of the class.. digital forensics.. ed by our professors.. a Master’s in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. from the class.. Digital Forensics, and then moving into the human rights field. long-term project.. cialist.. Project Sponsor: Scott Larsen, Matt Wilkes, Paul Curylo. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 16.
(18) Lockheed Martin Space Cyber Research Project CHALLENGE The purpose of this project was to improve the process of tagging data for use in the training of machine learning object detection and classification models.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Twinkle Gera, Bawer Alissa, Mohammad Saad, Adalid Helguero, Amir Itayem SME: Jonathan Brant. Bawer Alissa South Riding, Va.. Amir Itayem Gainesville, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I plan on becoming a System Integrity Management. Aspirations: I would like to get certified in the Splunk tool and work. Class Comment: Through this project, I became a TensorBoard ex-. Class Comment: This class and project have given me a deeper. Twinkle Gera Falls Church, Va.. Mohammad Saad Lorton, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to explore new subjects and have a successful. Aspirations: I want to learn new things every day and become an. Class Comment: I have learned a lot about machine learning and. Class Comment: I learned how to generate fake images with machine. Platform Engineer.. pert, which helped our team reach more ambitious milestones.. career in cyber security.. artificial intelligence through this capstone project.. on projects that use it.. knowledge of how neural networks work.. experienced and efficient cyber security engineer. learning.. Adalid Helguero Falls Church, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I am studying to become an expert in cyber security, specializing in ethical hacking or penetration testing.. Class Comment: I learned how to use Keras to improve our models.. Project Sponsor: Tim Parker. 17. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(19) Huawei Patrol CHALLENGE We developed and applied a vulnerability research workflow to discover zero-day vulnerabilities in the Huawei HG8245H router.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Austin Harlow, Cliff Krey, Peyton Edmondson, Fletcher Davis, Austin Griffith SME: Sasha Morgan. Fletcher Davis Leesburg, Va.. Austin Harlow Alexandria, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to work on a red team performing network. Aspirations: I will become a top-notch cyber security professional. Class Comment: In this class, I learned how to perform a vulnerabili-. Class Comment: This project taught me how to do vulnerability. Peyton Edmondson Fredericksburg, Va.. Cliff Krey Pittsburgh, Pa.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to work at the Cyber Security Warfare Center. Aspirations: I want to perform both hardware and software pen-. penetration testing and adversarial simulations. ty assessment on an embedded device.. being built in Dahlgren, Virginia.. Class Comment: This class has taught me about the business aspects of projects like these.. and help secure U.S. assets and companies. research.. etration tests on third-party information systems to ensure their security.. Class Comment: This class has taught me valuable teamwork skills and the importance of proper communication.. Austin Griffith Powhatan, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to gain a robust technical foundation in secure network engineering, then transition into an architectural role.. Class Comment: I have learned a lot about time management and how to work as part of a team on a long-term project.. Project Sponsor: Tim Parker. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 18.
(20) Windows Packer/Loader System CHALLENGE We produced a software tool that can perform compression and then encryption operations on files and binary executables.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Hunter Rowlette, Mitchell Palmer, Andrew Chapin, Andre Herrera, Carl Bai SME: Allison Elfring, Matt Murray, Steve Kyle, Austin Keeley. Carl Bai Southborough, Mass.. Mitchell Palmer Richmond, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspiration: I would like to work for a large private sector corpora-. Aspirations: I want to make the world a safer place through cyber. tion or financial institution.. security.. Class Comment: This capstone project introduced me to agile planning and project management.. Class Comment: This class introduced me to agile development and C++.. Andrew Chapin Fairfax, Va.. Hunter Rowlette Stafford, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I just want to keep playing with computers and solving. Aspirations: I want to work in cyber security as a penetration tester.. puzzles.. Class Comment: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison. Class Comment: This capstone project really helped introduce me to the real world of working with customers.. Andre Herrera Bayville, N.J. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspiration: I want to work in government contracting. Class Comment: This class helped me practice time management for a year-long project.. Project Sponsor: Allison Elfring. 19. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(21) Composable DevOps Architecture: The Need for Secure and Flexible Deployment CHALLENGE We developed a cloud service provider independent DevSecOps pipeline.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Noha Elissawy, Jeong-Joo Park, Harkaran Singh, Karan Sharma, Parastou Moghaddam SME: Vibha Dhawan, Christine Kim. Noha Elissawy Port Said, Egypt. Harkaran Singh Springfield, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I will continue following my passion through a career in. Aspirations: I hope to pursue a career as a Cyber Threat Analyst. Class Comment: This class has given me an opportunity to work in. Class Comment: It taught me how to overcome obstacles and chal-. cloud security or cyber threat intelligence.. an environment similar to what I will experience in the real world prior to graduating.. Jeong-Joo Park Centreville, Va.. specializing in defensive and offensive adversary emulation. lenges both as an individual and through teamwork.. Karan Sharma Aldie, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to work on cloud security and threat analyAspirations: I want to design, manage, and maintain highly available, sis in the future. scalable, and self-healing systems that continuously integrate and deliver applications.. Class Comment: This project, more than anything, taught me the importance of thinking about enterprise-level coordination.. Class Comment: The senior design project has given us opportunities to learn project management, architecture design, and DevSecOps practices.. Parastou Moghaddam Tehran, Iran Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to promote best practices in cloud computing. Class Comment: The senior design project provided a rewarding opportunity to collaborate with a team to research, design, and implement a DevOps pipeline.. Project Sponsor: Katy Warren. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 20.
(22) Weapon System Cyber Protection CHALLENGE The primary objective is to design, build and test a small form factor, low power, environmentally resilient network protection device that can be integrated into current and new weapons systems to enhance their cyber profiles when deployed. The secondary objective is to apply a standards-based approach or combination of standards to develop the device and its supporting operations. These may include, but are not limited to, NIST 800-160, DevSecOps, SAFe Agile, and applicable IEEE standards. LEFT TO RIGHT: De’Shauna Downs, Felicia Ip, Sumeet Ramani, Nick Gould SME: Archer Batchelle. De’Shauna Downs Portsmouth, Va.. Felicia Ip Fairfax, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to become a knowledgeable, well-rounded cyber. Aspirations: I want to become a well-rounded cyber security profes-. Class Comment: The senior design project has opened my eyes to. Class Comment: The senior design project has helped me develop. security professional.. interesting field projects and the importance of teamwork.. Nick Gould Manassas, Va.. sional.. project management skills and gain hands-on experience in development.. Sumeet Ramani Chantilly, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: My aspiration is to constantly learn new skills. Class Comment: I loved this class. It has taught me so much and. was a very necessary part of my education. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I aim to have a successful career in cyber security and eventually to become a professor in the field.. Class Comment: I enjoyed gaining experience that has real world applications and obtaining management skills.. Project Sponsor: Mike Raeder. 21. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(23) Weapon Systems Cyber Protection CHALLENGE Weapon systems consist of hardware and software components that are vulnerable to cyber attacks, which can lead to catastrophic consequences. Our solution to this problem was to design a board-level communication and network protection capability for a deployed weapon system using a Raspberry Pi with open source software for a firewall, IDS, and VPN. LEFT TO RIGHT: Sanila Tabassum, Ratan Nambiar, Manav Shah, Christopher LaManna SME: Chris Hummel. Christopher LaManna Westfield, N.J.. Manav Shah Centreville, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I hope to be employed upon graduation and eventu-. Aspirations: I hope to work after college and eventually become a. ally to acquire multiple certifications, including the Security + and CISSP certifications. I want to eventually go into management and become a CISO.. Class Comment: This class has been very beneficial and rewarding. The experience gained is invaluable and showed me that I am prepared for the real world.. manager.. Class Comment: This class has helped me a lot as it allowed me to apply the skills I learned in a professional environment.. Sanila Tabassum Annandale, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Ratan Nambiar Madurai, India. Aspirations: I would like to pursue a graduate degree in cybersecu-. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: Eventually I would like to work in an offensive cyber security position.. Class Comment: This class has helped me apply some of the skills I learned over the past four years to a real-life work scenario.. rity in the future and work for the government as a digital forensics examiner. Eventually, I want to start my own non-profit to empower other women in the cybersecurity field!. Class Comment: This class has been very beneficial and has taught. me many valuable lessons. The real-world experience gained from this class has equipped me to better navigate my professional life.. Project Sponsor: Mike Raeder. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 22.
(24) Countering Malicious Threat Actors CHALLENGE We used natural language processing and machine learning principles to effectively identify “fake” news and the malicious actors spreading it.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Humzza Raja, Karl Haessler, Brennan Maynard, Matt Glover, Winterdel Matsikure SME: Patrick Biltgen, Saad Usmani. Matt Glover Springfield, Va.. Brennan Maynard Dillsburg, Pa.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to attain a position that will allow me to apply. Aspirations: I hope to work in critical infrastructure defense, such as. Class Comment: I enjoyed the learning experience of constructing an. Class Comment: This class showed me how cyber security interacts. Karl Haessler Bedford, Va.. Humzza Raja Lorton, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to use my existing cyber security knowledge to. Aspirations: I want to become a cyber security engineer, specifically. Class Comment: I learned the importance of communication and. Class Comment: I learned a lot of skills that can be applied to the real. my education and feel accomplished and content with the work I do. engineering project using what we’ve learned our last four years.. make the world a better place.. diverse skill sets when working in a team.. power grid or healthcare cyber security.. with all kinds of industries, from law to business to R&D.. a penetration tester, and discover a zero day.. world and developed skill sets that I’ve never had.. Winterdel Matsikure Herndon, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: My aspiration is to explore, identify, and leverage any opportunity available to positively impact the world.. Class Comment: Through this program, I was able to enrich not only my technical skills, but my soft skills as well.. Project Sponsor: Joe Landino. 23. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(25) NiFi Processor CHALLENGE We developed a vendor neutral NiFi processor to read IPFIX data in real time at scale.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Nakiyah Wright, Mahesh Addanki, Michael Spainhour SME: Jerry Dowdy, Phil Harvey, David Vogel. Madesh Addanki Herndon, Va.. Nakiyah Wright Virginia Beach, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I aim to strengthen my skills in risk management and. Aspirations: I aspire to become an ethical hacker and CEO of a. Class Comment: This class has taught me how to work in a dynamic. Class Comment: This class has jump started my path to an AWS. network security to provide holistic security solutions.. team environment and consolidate many parts of a project to create a product.. startup.. certification.. Michael Spainhour Richmond, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to continue to develop skills in software engineering to work on security-focused tools after graduation.. Class Comment: I have learned a lot about the project management lifecycle from working as a team on real-world problems.. Project Sponsor: Phil Harvey, Kent Pride. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 24.
(26) Enhanced Amber Alerting System CHALLENGE We developed an application system that geolocates lost children utilizing crowdsourcing data from a network of nearby phones using Bluetooth beacons.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Ryan Chan, Richa Malhotra, Alexander Danchak SME: Misty Blowers. Ryan Chan Burke, Va.. Richa Malhotra Ashburn, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering, with a Computer Science minor. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I want to pursue a career as a CNO developer and one. Aspirations: I want to find the field within cyber security that inter-. Class Comment: This class gave us the opportunity to gain experi-. Class Comment: This class gives students an opportunity to develop a. day lead my own team.. ence working on a team.. ests me the most and become a subject matter expert in that field. technical product that fits a customer’s requirements.. Alexander Danchak McLean, Va. Cyber Security Engineering with a Computer Science minor. Aspirations: I would like to work alongside the Space Force and protect their spaceships from extraterrestrial cyber attacks.. Class Comment: This class is a good way to learn how to tackle a large project with a small team.. Project Sponsor: Rick Shaffer. 25. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(27) Automated Web Proxy-Data Leakage Analysis CHALLENGE Small businesses are struggling to combat the growing threat posed by insiders due to the lack of automation and resources available to them. Our tool will automate the collection and analysis of web proxy logs to detect potential insider threat activities.. LEFT TO RIGHT: Akshith Bandam, Malay Patel, Harsimran Ruprai, Kelvin Nguyen, Justin Luu SME: David Grady. Akshith Bandam Aldie, Va.. Malay N. Patel Fairfax, Va.. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: After graduation, I would like to work for a company. Aspirations: After finishing my Master’s in Digital Forensics and. Class Comment: This class has helped me gain real-world experience. Class Comment: This class has given me a sense of what a real-world. that would help me strengthen my knowledge of cyber security and digital forensics. on the development of a project from the preliminary design to the implementation of the system.. Justin Luu Richmond, Va.. Cyber Analysis, I would like to find a job in the digital forensics area and continue to develop my expertise in the field. project looks like and how to integrate my technical skills.. Harsimran Ruprai Springfield, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I would like to be able to use this technology and the. Aspirations: Once I graduate, I want to gain as much experience and. skills I learned designing it to help protect others from cyber threats.. knowledge within the cyber security field as I can. In the future, I want to start my own cyber security business and work for myself.. Class Comment: This class helped me gain experience working on a. Class Comment: This class has allowed me to gain some real-world. team and provided an opportunity to learn new skills (i.e. JavaScript, database setup, configurations).. experience because we were able to work with a customer to meet their needs and expectations.. Kelvin Nguyen Fairfax, Va. Cyber Security Engineering. Aspirations: I’m continuing to learn and enhance my skills in soft-. ware development. I’m also working on becoming more proficient in Splunk.. Class Comment: This class has allowed me to learn how to implement different tools to fulfill our project’s objective. Project Sponsor: Anastasia Hansen. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 26.
(28) Class Instructors Our class instructors’ combined experience and insights are invaluable to our students as we prepare them for the next step in their engineering careers after graduation.. Gino Manzo. Gino Manzo is a Professor of Practice teaching numerous classes at Virginia Tech and George Mason University. Before joining George Mason University, he was the Operational Director of the four BAE Systems Electronic Systems Microelectronics facilities and Site Executive of BAE Systems, Manassas, Va.. Gino attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and started his career as a digital board designer and test engineer with IBM in Owego, NY. Over his 38-year corporate career, he has held a host of technical and management positions within all of the Electronic Systems microelectronic facilities located in Manassas, Va., Lexington, Mass., and Nashua, NH. As the Manassas Site Executive, he was responsible for the safety, security, working conditions and community outreach for the 400 Manassas employees. . Rock Sabetto. Rock Sabetto has worked in many roles during his engineering career, including technology researcher, adjunct professor, chief engineer, technology consultant, systems engineer, software and database developer, military officer, and teaching assistant. Rock’s current research and analysis focuses on cloud computing security. As a George Mason University adjunct professor, he leads the cyber security engineering capstone program in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Rock holds a Bachelor’s in Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s in Telecommunications from George Washington University.. 27. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(29) Class Mentors Dr. Andy Powell. Dr. Powell is an assistant professor of cyber security at GMU. He is a retired US Navy submarine officer who served for twenty years as an engineer working with a wide variety of physical and electronic systems. During his last ten years, he gained extensive experience in securing multi-level IT and communications systems. Since joining GMU as a Research Assistant Professor, he has worked with several companies and universities to develop countermeasures to the changing cyber threat and contributed to various projects including Geospatial decision support systems, market-based crowd sourcing, and agent-based models. He received his B.S. E.E. from the US Naval Academy, his M.ENG. from Cornell University School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and his Ph.D. in Information Technology (decision theory) from GMU.. . Dr. Tom Winston. Dr. Tom Winston is a retired, multi-disciplinary Intelligence Officer. He has extensive experience as a forensic cyber crime investigator, malware reverse engineering, and intelligence officer for emergent ICS/SCADA issues facing the US and its allies. His US Government career focused on country-based threats and cyber operations and analysis from Central Eurasia, South Asia, and the Middle East. He served as a liaison officer and Consular officer for the State Department, helped to create a new office and official program for the State Department, and briefed top-level officials on cyber policy issues. Dr. Winston is now focused on student, academic, and CYSE program development. He wants to help students achieve their full potential, both academically while at Mason and professionally after they graduate. Dr. Winston’s formal background is in telecommunication engineering, information systems, international relations, and Russian language and literature. He is professionally trained in ML and AI techniques for NLP, and image processing. He has publications in security and privacy studies, international relations, law, critical infrastructure protection, and intelligence studies. SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 28.
(30) Special Acknowledgements In addition to our project sponsors and subject matter experts, there were many other people who significantly contributed to the success of this class. We want to take this opportunity to express our deep-felt appreciation for their contributions.. Dr. Duminda Wijesekera. for serving as CYSE Department Chair and supporting our innovative student teams.. Dr. Peggy Brouse. for her vision and continued, unyielding support in making this class available for students.. Mr. Jalen Johnson. for providing timely and thorough administrative support throughout the two semesters.. Dr. Liza Wilson Durant and Ms. Kira Woitek. for identifying potential new sponsors and providing management support. Expert Guest Speakers:. Andy Gibson, Greg Fisher, Marcie Nagel, Rohit Viswanathan. 29. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSIT Y CYBERSECURIT Y.
(31) SENIOR ADVANCED DESIGN PROJEC TS. 30.
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