Collaborative Research: SaTC: EDU: A Scalable Platform for Remote Hardware Security Education

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $16,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Hands-on training helps students bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application in cybersecurity. While remote platforms offer excellent opportunities for learning software security, no comparable resources exist for hardware security education. Key topics in hardware security require access to physical development boards, creating a significant barrier for learners without these resources. In this interdisciplinary project, a remote platform will be designed to provide open access to physical hardware for beginners to advanced-level hardware security experiments. By providing a scalable, accessible, and innovative educational resource, this tool will advance hardware security education, support the development of skilled practitioners in this field, and respond to national security needs. The remote platform will consist of an array of hardware security development boards, comprising microcontrollers, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), built-in power side-channel measurement and fault injection hardware. The software will include a user-friendly front-end based on JupyterLab and an open-source backend for C and FPGA development. The project will also develop extensions for collecting important educational benchmarks and usage statistics, enabling the evaluation of pedagogical strategies for remote hardware labs. Students will design and conduct complex hardware security experiments on remote physical boards using Python to control the hardware and analyze o

Key facts

NSF award ID
2432709
Awardee
University of Kansas Center for Research Inc (KS)
SAM.gov UEI
SSUJB3GSH8A5
PI
Tamzidul Hoque
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
SaTC: Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace, Human factors for security research, Machine Learning Theory, CNCI
Estimated total
$16,000
Funds obligated
$16,000
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
06/15/2025 → 05/31/2027