Media Tip Sheet: National Cybersecurity Awareness Month


October 3, 2022

Cybersecurity | via Pixabay

The George Washington University has several experts available to discuss various cybersecurity topics throughout National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, including privacy and cybersecurity risks, election information security, and cybersecurity as it relates to terrorism and homeland security.

If you would like to speak with a faculty expert, please contact the GW Media Relations team at [email protected].


Connie Uthoff is the associate program director of the GW Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management Program. Connie Uthoff has written and lectured extensively in areas of national security, international relations and cyber concerns. She has participated in and led cyber tabletop exercises in the U.S and Europe and coordinated and presented cyber training in Spain to members of their Cyber Command.

Scott White is an associate professor of cybersecurity and the director of the GW Cybersecurity Program. Scott White is a criminologist with an accomplished career in security. He was a commissioned officer with the Canadian Forces Military Intelligence Command (Department of National Defence) and worked for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Additionally, he has consulted with federal, state, provincial and municipal police services in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Adam Aviv is an associate professor of computer science, whose broad research interests include cybersecurity and privacy. Most recently, he has focused on topics surrounding human factors in security surrounding mobile devices and authentication, whereby how human choice, perceptions, and actions influence the security of systems. Aviv can discuss mobile authentication and security, network security, useable security and privacy, and computer security.

Yasemin Acar is an assistant professor of computer science. Her research is broadly in human factors in security and privacy, with a major focus on secure software development. Most recently, her focus has been diversifying security and privacy research, implementing cryptography securely, and researching trust in the open-source community.

Lance Hoffman is the founder of the Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute at GW. His research has spanned multiple aspects of cybersecurity, including models and metrics for secure computer systems, cryptography policy, risk analysis, computer viruses, societal vulnerability to computer system failures, portable security labs, privacy/data protection, and statistical inference for data mining. He can also speak to data privacy concerns.

Elaine Lammert is the program director of the Homeland Security Program and program director of the Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management Program at GW. Lammert became a special agent with the FBI in April 1986. She worked organized crime, drug and terrorism investigations. Ms. Lammert retired as the Principal Deputy General Counsel, FBI Office of the General Counsel, where she oversaw legal advice in the areas of criminal law, national security, intelligence capabilities, cyber, science and technology, critical incidents and international operations.

Dave Vargas is an adjunct professor of cybersecurity. Vargas is president of an IT consulting and network integration firm that specializes in network installation, support, security, and training; strategic information systems; and the development of training programs for technical and non-technical audiences. He has worked extensively in cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors and often shares his expertise at security conferences and professional meetings nationwide.

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