Carnegie Mellon's SEI Issues New Cyber Research Blueprint

Developed by a team of 25 technical experts led by Bill Scherlis and CERT Division director Greg Touhill, the document titled 'Advancing Cybersecurity: A Framework of Cyber Research Priorities' serves as a strategic guide for the Department of War, the intelligence community, and the Department of Homeland Security. The initiative moves beyond general research, focusing exclusively on mission-centric challenges such as securing AI-based workflows, protecting cyber-physical systems, and managing human-systems interaction.

To ensure these efforts remain actionable, the framework mandates that R&D strategies be evaluated against three specific indicators: the threat characteristics of potential attackers, the impact on mission success, and inherent system vulnerabilities. Scherlis emphasized that the urgency to improve the nation's security posture requires accelerating the delivery of capabilities directly to the field. By grounding research in these seven identified areas, the SEI aims to provide a unified vision for government agencies and industry partners to outpace adversaries in an increasingly volatile digital environment.