Computer Science Graduate Student & Security+ Certified | Bridging Cybersecurity, Cognitive Security, AI & Public Sector Expertise for Next-Gen Solutions | Versatile Analyst & Tech Enthusiast | Official Ironman🏅
As I progress through my Masters degree in Computer Science at the University of Louisville...I am realizing, more and more, how exactly the CS oriented mathematics I am learning applies to cybersecurity. For instance, in advanced counting, the 'Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion' or PIE can help us calculate the total number of ‘something’ in a given set. PIE is technique used in combinatorics to find the size of a union of multiple sets and can adjust for any overlap. Mathematically, it looks like this for three sets A, B, and C. ∣A∪B∪C∣ = ∣A∣+∣B∣+∣C∣ − ∣A∩B∣ − ∣A∩C∣ − ∣B∩C∣ + ∣A∩B∩C∣ (Obviously, it can be expanded to include more sets than these...) How does this apply to cybersecurity? For instance, in role based access control or RBAC, there could many individuals who have multiple roles within the enterprise, i.e. admin, user, guest, contractor, etc. Each has its own permissions, and using PIE we can figure out the effective permissions for each individual so we don't grant more permissions than necessary. In data filtering or packet analysis, suppose we are using the PIE to find the number of borderline behaviors, those that have properties of both normal and abnormal behavior in our Intrusion Detection System (IDS). After locating and investigating them, we can fine tune our IDS to be more precious. The best part about all of this is understanding the applications to CS and cybersecurity in the real world. #cybersecurity #computerscience #informationtechnology #mathematics #application #gradschool #uofl #louisvilleky
