US bill encourages increased interest in Internet security

Source Daily Texan (Austin)

A bill that would provide millions of dollars in scholarships and grants to researchers and students studying cybersecurity is making its way through the U.S. Congress with bipartisan support. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act would keep many National Science Foundation cybersecurity research programs going. UT's Department of Computer Science, ranked ninth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, would be eligible for grant money appropriated by the act. The University's Center for Information Assurance and Security studies cybersecurity, the detection and prevention of unauthorized access to computers, and has received funding in the past from the National Science Foundation. If the bill becomes law, the Congressional Budget Office estimates it will cost $639 million, about $396 million of which will be spent on research over the next four years. Graduate and undergraduate students interested in studying cybersecurity will have access to $108 million in scholarships over the next five years.