Tektronix, a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions, today announced that the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research (FICS Research) at the University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering will outfit its electronics research lab with an extensive range of state-of-the-art Tektronix test equipment.

The instrumentation, ranging from mixed domain oscilloscopes to spectrum and logic analyzers, will advance the institute’s research in Internet of Things (IoT) security, supply chain security, side channel analysis, physical tampering, reverse engineering, trust verification, forensics, failure analysis, and counterfeit detection. New cybersecurity solutions will be tested and courses and curriculum developed for students based on the capabilities of the equipment.

FICS Research turned to Tektronix for its instrumentation needs based in part on the company’s reputation as an industry leader and previous experience working with Tektronix equipment. As part of the partnership, Tektronix is making a substantial gift to the FICS Research program to supplement the purchased equipment which together has enabled the University of Florida to fully outfit its cybersecurity lab.

“With the Internet of Things all the objects in our lives are going to be connected through the Internet and communicating with one another. This could represent a major security risk,” said Dr. Domenic Forte, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UF. “We are ethically hacking into devices and using vulnerabilities as feedback to create design automation tools and modules that boost security.  Mixed domain oscilloscopes from Tektronix that can view RF, digital and analog signals will be extremely beneficial to these and other security research efforts and we are extremely grateful to Tektronix for their generous support and world-class test solutions.”

Among the ways FICS will look for security vulnerabilities is to gain access to internal nodes of chips using focused ion beam (FIB) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) systems, obtained through partnership with TESCAN. After the FIBs and SEMs are used to create access, Tektronix oscilloscopes and signal generators will be used to measure internal nodes and inject signals for deeper analysis beyond what’s possible through the chip input/output pins alone.

FICS Research was established to be the nation’s premier multidisciplinary research institute in the advancement of cyber security as a basis for long-term partnership and collaboration among industry, academe, and government. FICS Research is one of a few institutions in the country that provides expertise in all aspects of cybersecurity and assurance including hardware, network, mobile, big data, IoT, applied crypto, social sciences, law, and more.

The Tektronix test equipment supplied to FICS Research offers the performance and versatility to help support the institute’s far-reaching mission. Researchers will be able to capture and analyze fast signals with an MSO70404C high-performance real-time oscilloscope or a DSA8300 sampling oscilloscope. An MDO3102 mixed domain oscilloscope is ideal for investigating wireless-enabled IoT devices along with a pair of RSA5000 series spectrum analyzers. Other equipment includes a TLA series logic analyzer, a PA1000 power analyzer, digital multi-meters, and arbitrary function generators.

“FICS Research is playing an important role in making all types of computing devices more secure and more resistant to tampering. True cyber security requires a holistic view encompassing both hardware and software,” said Ray Merckling, vice president Americas Sales at Tektronix. “As there is strong alignment with our vision for advancing computer technology for the benefit of all, we are excited to support this program with our state-of-the-art electronics test solutions.”