Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Dr. Lashkari's CRC research program will define a fundamental anomaly detection model for cybersecurity based on an analysis of common behavioural patterns of benign users contrasted with those of known adversarial threats. This program will create an advanced model of detecting known and unknown threats, and zero-day attacks; the Universal Anomaly Detection (UAD) by designing and developing a Universal User Profile (UUP) and a Universal Anomaly profile (UAP). In conjunction with the development of this comprehensive fundamental model, this program will release an Understanding Cybersecurity Series (UCS) as a new platform for increasing public awareness and understanding of cybersecurity and for all users with varied levels of familiarity with the topic. This platform has two components: an academic and technical component, and a public non-technical component. The academic and technical component will target a readership primarily consisting of academic scholars, advanced educators, post-secondary students, researchers and developers, corporate decision-makers, industry professionals, government legislators and legal practitioners. The non-technical component will target the widest readership audience, including youth, seniors, laypeople, and the general public. Awareness of, and access to, these simplified materials will be facilitated via the distribution and promotion of research findings through social networks and other online communication channels. Addressing both the need for technical solutions to detect anomalous behaviour and increased public awareness to encourage better cybersecurity knowledge and practices will support our collective social responsibility for cybersecurity.