Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security

David Hickton, the founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, is taking a leave of absence from Pitt to play a critical role in overseeing how trillions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funding are spent.

A new report from Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security recommends expanded vote by mail, avoiding online voting and recruiting less vulnerable poll workers to keep the upcoming primary and presidential elections secure.

Author and attorney Preet Bharara and Pitt Cyber’s David Hickton engaged with the Pitt community on subjects ranging from the Department of Justice, citizen responsibility and how future lawyers can be leaders in a packed Feb. 13 forum.

The Pitt Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security's latest effort — maps and analysis of voting machine purchases in Pennsylvania — aims to steer counties that still need to buy new systems toward the safest and most secure option.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania’s Election Security, co-chaired by Pitt Cyber’s David Hickton, urges the state to issue bonds, require audits and create emergency plans to protect elections.

Voter-verifiable paper ballots and changes to the voter registration process were among the recommendations Pitt’s David Hickton recently offered to the Pennsylvania House and Senate.

The second annual Air Force Association CyberCamp immersed 250 high schoolers in activities to identify malicious code, check for hackers and defend simulated network systems.

Pitt is taking a leading role in tackling the public health crisis by strengthening its prevention, treatment and recovery programs to bring meaningful change to the lives of students.

Protecting personal or work data stored in the cloud takes more technical effort and time than most average users are willing to spend. But Pitt researchers are working on simplifying the process, with the ultimate goal of putting cloud security into users’ hands.

With the addition of two experts in the fields of law and technology, Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security continues to make progress toward its institutional goals.