The University of Texas at San Antonio's

CENTER for
INFRASTRUCTURE
ASSURANCE &
SECURITY

UT San Antonio has been designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.

The Leader in Advancement of State and Community Cybersecurity

Since its establishment in 2001, the CIAS has been on the leading edge of designing, developing, and delivering high-quality, high-impact cybersecurity programs. The CIAS currently provides cybersecurity programs focused on training, workforce development, K-12 education, information sharing, competitions and simulations, exercises, and research.

25+ Years at UT San Antonio

The CIAS has been working to create a culture of cybersecurity and improving the nation’s cybersecurity posture since 2001! Take a look back at our history and activities in the CIAS’ 20th Anniversary Report here.

Ponemon Institute study 2014

In the nation for undergraduate cybersecurity
# 10

Universities.com ranking 2016

In the nation for graduate cybersecurity
# 10

National Security Agency

NSA Designations
1

Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research Cyber Operations

K-12 Education

Gaming

Committed to creating a culture of cybersecurity nationwide, the CIAS focuses on K-12 education that introduces students to cybersecurity principles through educational gaming and storytelling. Our goals are to create good cyber hygiene and awareness of cyber careers.

Played In

Countries
1

high-quality, high-impact

Cybersecurity Training
Courses Seminars Workshops

Our training efforts focus on improving overall cybersecurity awareness, technical capabilities, professional development and continuity plans. We’ve been helping professionals, organizations and communities prevent, detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents for more than 20 years.

Reached

Small Businesses
1

high-quality, high-impact

Competitions

For more than 20 years, the CIAS has hosted competitions such as the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, Panoply and HiveStorm, and (co-founded) CyberPatriot. The CIAS has been developing and conducting competition programs to educate, train and prepare individuals for the cybersecurity workforce since 2005.

2024

Competitors Worldwide
1 ,000

World Leader

Leading the ISAO Standards Organization since 2015 and helping SLTTs establish comprehensive cybersecurity programs, the CIAS actively engages the information sharing community to promote secure, rapid and widespread information sharing that helps detect and block cyber-attacks.

Information Sharing

CIAS-ISAO

Members
1

National Cybersecurity
Preparedness Consortium

Filling the cybersecurity gap since 2004

A Collaboration of Five Universities

Testimonials

This Is What They Say

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Press Coverage

We're in the News

Georgia Recorder: Cyber attack headaches linger at state patrol, other Ga. agencies

(September 9, 2019) — Cyber attacks that hit some state agencies in Georgia earlier this summer continue to ripple through the system, particularly for law enforcement and the courts. Meanwhile, security officials work to boost software safeguards and train thousands of employees to avoid triggering future attacks. … All Georgia government agencies should instruct employees not to open suspicious emails or documents, said Greg White, the director of the CIAS.

Kens5.com: Understanding Cyber Attacks

(January 12, 2020) — In light of the overseas conflict, there’s been a lot of talk about the nation’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks. Dwayne Williams, associate director at the CIAS, provides insights into cyber attacks and how families can protect their homes from cybersecurity vulnerabilities in this Kens5.com interview.

Hackers can Hijack Your Home with these 10 Smart Devices

BLOG — The Internet is full of stories of cybercriminals invading a home by hijacking its smart devices. You’re probably familiar with some of these devices, such as smart thermostats, smart speakers and Web cams. But have you thought about that fancy new refrigerator you just purchased, or your light bulbs? To help you navigate some common – and often forgotten – smart devices in your home, we’ve compiled 10 Internet of Things (IoT) devices that hackers can hijack.

ExpressNews.com: Leaders tout San Antonio’s defenses against cyber attacks

(August 21, 2019) — After hackers last week hijacked the data of 22 Texas towns, tech experts in San Antonio this week said the city isn’t impervious to such attacks — but it has one of the strongest cyber defenses of any U.S. community. “We still have a lot to do,” said Greg White, a leading regional cybersecurity expert and director of the CIAS at UTSA. “But we’re on the right path.”

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