Through the development of innovative open-source tools and initiatives, 91亚色鈥檚 Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity Center (BCCC) is advancing public engagement and cybersecurity education across the globe.聽
Since its launch two years ago, the BCCC has emerged as a leading global hub for cybersecurity with Arash Habibi Lashkari at the helm, an associate professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Information Technology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity.
As director and founder of the BCCC, Lashkari鈥檚 research specializes in developing technology to detect and protect against cyber threats, focusing on multidisciplinary collaborations to address contemporary cybersecurity challenges.
Working to demystify complex concepts and encourage wider participation in safeguarding digital spaces, the BCCC team has created accessible datasets, open-source tools and educational resources that enhance the cybersecurity landscape for researchers, educators and industry professionals.
He adds that the Understanding Cybersecurity Series (UCS) collection of publicly available, labelled and scenario-specific datasets have become foundational for cybersecurity instructors designing university curricula, researchers and students testing, evaluating and analyzing their proposed solutions, as well as for companies testing and benchmarking AI-powered detection and prevention systems.
鈥淎t the heart of 91亚色鈥檚 Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity Center lies the Understanding Cybersecurity Series (UCS) 鈥 a groundbreaking knowledge mobilization initiative including datasets, open-source analyzers, books, blogs, contests and workshops designed to bridge academic, industry and public awareness in cybersecurity,鈥 he explains.
UCS delivers these tools, resources and training programs 鈥 as well as public engagement campaigns 鈥 to empower individuals and groups to explore and understand real-world network traffic, malware patterns and intrusion scenarios with clarity and precision.
鈥淎s cyber threats continue to evolve, these resources allow users to explore patterns of malicious behavior and understand how to detect and prevent cyber-attacks,鈥 says Lashkari, an award-winning cybersecurity expert. 鈥淭hrough these initiatives, the BCCC is not only advancing the field of cybersecurity but also promoting a culture of awareness and collaboration within the community.鈥