SIS Faculty Members Secured $4M Research Contract to Strengthen Canada’s Critical Infrastructure

Many essential physical systems, such as smart grids and transportation networks, rely on integrated software and firmware. As these systems become increasingly interconnected, they evolve into critical cyber-physical systems and Internet-of-Things (IoT) environments with a heightened risk of cyberattacks. SIS faculty members Benjamin Fung and Steven Ding have been awarded a $4M research contract from Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) to develop AI-powered security solutions. The project aims to accelerate the software reverse engineering of highly heterogeneous Internet of Things (IoT) firmware. By leveraging cutting-edge AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), the team will develop scalable analysis techniques to help DRDC identify vulnerabilities within the rapidly expanding IoT landscape.