Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center
About Us
The URI DFCSC is a multi-disciplinary university Center that provides courses and degree programs, research, services, and consulting in Digital Forensics, Information Assurance, and Cyber Security.
The DFCSC was established in 2004 with a grant from the US National Science Foundation. Since then it has continued to deliver cutting edge research and technology, teach graduate and undergraduate level courses in degree programs, train local, state, and federal law-enforcement, consult for local, state, and federal law enforcement, and provided digital forensics services to attorneys, businesses, government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and individuals.
Dr. Victor Fay-Wolfe serves as the primary point of contact for the NSA/DHS Center of Academic excellence. DFCSC personnel include: faculty members from Computer Science, Computer and Electrical Engineering, and other university departments; professional Center staff; and graduate/undergraduate students. The DFCSC has a wide range of expertise including experts in computer forensics, computer science, computer networks, information assurance, computer and network security, and data recovery.
The academic programs affiliated with the Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center are reviewed by the Industry Advisory Board shared with the Department of Computer Science and Statistics. The IAB is compromised of members of both local businesses, nationally recognized industries, and US Department of Defense employees. The broad range of industries represented by the advisory board helps to ensure that the programs offered are relevant and timely for the workforce needs of today and tomorrow.
Partnerships
The DFCSC members work closely with a number of different academic institutions, government organizations, state and local law enforcement agencies, and private companies. We draw on the expertise of these partners to help in developing digital forensics and cyber security related capabilities and guiding the direction of DFCSC projects.
Law Enforcement
The DFCSC collaborates extensively with the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit (RISP CCU) and with the Rhode Island Joint Cyber Task Force (RI JCTF). Through these partnerships the center staff are able to bring real-world problems and experiences into the program. Research is derived from the existing problems faced by both Law Enforcement and private critical infrastructure providers.