Susan K. Hinrichs, PhD

My research interests revolve around network security. Specifically, I am interested in the issues that arise from trying to understand, implement, and maintain a security posture. My work at Cisco Systems involved creating tools to translate from a higher level security policy description to a multi-device implementation. I am now looking into related problems of auditing a security posture and evaluating it against a security policy specification. I am looking at analysis and understandability issues related to Operating System security policies such as the type enforcement policies of SE Linux. As SE Linux type enforcement moves into the network the interconnection of network security posture and operating system security posture become ever tighter.

My Ph.D. work at Carnegie Mellon University took me on an excursion into parallel systems. I worked on compiler and tool support for iWarp, a unique systolic architecture. This work with parallel systems colored my view of security policy specification and implementation.

I am working on the development of network security analysis products at Network Geographics. This is a continuation of my interests in lining up security policy or security intent with security reality.

I am also working at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in the Department of Computer Science. I developed a Security Laboratory course which attempts to give upper classmen and graduate students hands on experience in configuring and designing security implementations for computer systems. I also teach the introductory Information Assurance course. I'm starting to write a blog on issues in computer security and information assurance based in fair part on ideas that arise from class preparation, class discussion, and general world observations.

More details about my professional life.

My GPG public key with fingerprint 388E 7466 4DD3 390E 8F36 A535 474D 5DC9 4912 BF7E.