Security Informatics

If you’re interested in going beyond

technology to consider the social and practical aspects of protecting data, privacy, and other assets, the security informatics track may be for you. In this track, you’ll focus on topics such as:

  • The economics of security
  • User-centered design of security
  • Cryptography
  • Security modeling
  • Threat assessment and analysis
  • Network security
  • Privacy
  • Security and computer forensics

To better protect today’s computer systems and sensitive data, security professionals must understand the people as well as the technology. That’s why you’ll not only get a technical foundation in designing, implementing, and managing secure information technology systems, you’ll also gain insight into the social, legislative, and economic considerations affecting decisions people and businesses make about their own security.

Security professionals are in high demand in a wide variety of industries, so you can expect to have abundant career options when you graduate.

Learn about related research

Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering (SPICE) is the branch of informatics that studies and supports the design, evaluation, and implementation of technologies that enable control over information.

Learn more about SPICE

Track Guide

Primary Track Faculty

Informatics Appointments

Professor L. Jean Camp, is co-Director of the Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Her research areas include security, social informatics and proactive health informatics. Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy.

Assistant Professor, Mary Jean Amon, with advanced degrees in Experimental Psychology and Psychology in Education, has held research roles at Indiana University and the University of Colorado, focusing on user-oriented research to enhance decision-making within complex socio-technological systems, and has published widely in venues like CHI, CSCW, and IEEE Security and Privacy.

Assistant Professor, Cici Ling studies online abusive behavior across platforms using multi-modal, mixed methods to develop mitigation strategies; her work has been recognized in top venues like IEEE S&P and ACM CSCW and featured in outlets such as Wired. She has received honors including the 2023 EECS Rising Star award and the 2022 Meta PhD Fellowship.

Computer Science Appointments

Professor XiaoFeng Wang, is co-Director of the Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. His research focuses on system security and data privacy, particularly in mobile and cloud computing and the dissemination and computation of human genomic data. Ph.D. in Computer Engineering.

Thai Le earned his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 2022, his studies focused on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Security and Privacy, and Security Informatics.

Associate Professor Apu Kapadia, is the Associate director of Cybersecurity Academic Programs.  His research focuses on computer security and privacy issues in the context of social networks and wearable and sensor-enabled computing.  Ph.D. Computer Science.

Assistant Professor, Hyungsub Kim's research focuses on system security with a focus on program analysis and formal methods to address security threats in robotic vehicles, including detecting and verifying patches for logic bugs and developing countermeasures against physical sensor attacks.

Assistant Professor, Thai Le earned his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 2022, his studies focused on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Security and Privacy, and Security Informatics.

Assistant professor Xiaojing Liao's research interests include data-driven security, web security and privacy, with the specific focus on the investigation of cybercrime and cyber threat intelligence. Ph.D in Computer Engineering.

Assistant Professor, Chenhong Wang's research interests are related to system and software security, especially in developing and applying automated program analysis techniques for vulnerability discovery and security analysis in complex software systems (e.g., Linux kernel)

Assistant professor Luyi Xing's research focuses on the security of a wide range of systems, including mobile OSes, desktop OSes, IoT, Web, Cloud and applications on these systems.  Ph.D. in Security Informatics.

Assistant Professor, Hang Zhang's research interests are related to system and software security, especially in developing and applying automated program analysis techniques for vulnerability discovery and security analysis in complex software systems (e.g, Linux kernel).

Curriculum

Required Courses

All required courses provided by faculty in the Security track, including the I609 Advanced Seminar, are open to students with sufficient background from other tracks and programs.

A student must successfully complete ninety (90) credit hours of graduate-level course work. The specific track requirements are below.

  • Informatics Coure Requirements (6 cr.)
    • INFO I501 Introduction to Informatics (3 cr.)
    • INFO I502 Human-Centered Research Methods in Informatics (3 cr.)
  • Security Core Requirements (6 cr.)
    • INFO I520 Security for Networked Systems (3 cr.)
    • INFO I533 Systems and Protocol Security and Information Assurance (3 cr.)
  • Seminar Requirements (6 cr.)
    • INFO I609 Seminar I in Informatics (3 cr.)
    • INFO I709 Seminar II in Informatics (3 cr.)

NOTE: A student must take I609 and/or I709.

  • Research Rotation Requirement (6 cr.)
    • INFO I790 Informatics Research Rotation (3 cr.)

NOTE: A student must complete two rotations of I790. A third roation will not count for course credit.

  • Theory and Methodology Requirement (12 cr.)

NOTE: These courses must be appropriate for a Ph.D. in Informatics.

  • Minor (6-15 cr.)

NOTE: A student must complete an internal or external minor approved by the University Graduate School and the School. If a student selects an individualized minor, prior to taking courses, the University Graduate School must approve the proposed minor course list. There is no typical minor; however, students in the Security Informatics track have pursued minors in Computer Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics.

  • Electives (12-30 cr.)

NOTE: A student must have all electives approved by the student's advisor and the Director of Informatics Graduate Studies prior to enrolling in the course.

  • Thesis Reading and Research (minimum 21 cr. maximum 30 cr.)
    • INFO I890 Thesis Readings and Research

Optional Courses

In addition to required courses, faculty in the track offer courses that provide more targeted training is specific areas.

  • INFO I521 Human Robot Interaction
  • INFO I525 Organizational Informatics and Economics of Security
  • INFO I536 Foundational Mathematics of Cybersecurity
  • INFO I537 Legal and Social Informatics of Security
  • INFO I538 Introduction to Cryptography
  • INFO I539 Cryptography Protocols
  • INFO I590 Past topics have included: Security and Privacy in the Internet of Things, Advanced Topics in Privacy, and Usable Security