Cloakware Opens New Research Center to Drive Security Technology Development

(Business News & Technology News, 22 Jul 2009)

Cloakware, an Irdeto company, providing security solutions protecting software and content on more than one billion PCs, set-top boxes, mobile phones and media players worldwide, has launched the Cloakware Advanced Research Center (CARC). Working with renowned academic institutions across the globe, the CARC will bring together world-class researchers to advance software security technology and foster innovation.

Led by Cloakware’s Chief Architect and founder Yuan Xiang Gu, Chief Scientist and founder Harold Johnson, and System Architect and Team Lead Clifford Liem, as well as a team of respected experts from Cloakware and premier global universities, CARC’s research program will focus on developing advancements in software security and protection technology to address the myriad of modern day software security challenges. Beyond core research, the CARC will also issue external technical publications, and organize and promote international forums and workshops. In addition, the CARC will also offer research grants to some of the brightest minds in the industry, as part of the center’s ongoing mission to advance the science and technology of software security. Moreover, the CARC will partner with government agencies and universities to establish regular internship programs and provide an industry oriented research platform for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

“The launch of the Cloakware Advanced Research Center further demonstrates Irdeto’s commitment to R&D, as well as the importance of continued innovation to protect software and content across a variety of devices – from PCs to set-top boxes, and from mobile phones to media players,” said Andrew Wajs, chief technology officer of Irdeto.

“In order to remain the catalyst for advancing software security technology, broadening our internal research efforts by joining forces with leading academic institutions is a key strategic focus for Cloakware,” stated Said Rahmani Khezri, senior vice president of Cloakware. “The CARC is the latest proof point of Cloakware’s continued commitment to providing the industry with innovative technology solutions for securing digital assets and content against attacks, while enabling the highest levels of interoperability and functionality for consumers.”

The CARC is working with researchers from prominent universities across North America, Europe, and Asia, including the University of Virginia (US), University of Arizona (US), Queens University (Canada), University of Ottawa (Canada), Ghent University (Belgium), University of Verona (Italy), Imperial College (UK), State Key Laboratory of Information Security at the Institute of Software ,at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), Tsinghua University (China), Information Security Center of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (China) and Northwest University (China). In addition, the CARC is working in collaboration with MITACS ACCELERATE, a graduate internship program jointly funded by the Canadian federal and provincial governments and the private sector, and managed by MITACS Inc, a Canadian Centre of Excellence.

“Cloakware is setting a new standard for enhanced collaboration between corporations and academia and we look forward to contributing to the CARC,” said Dr. Christian Collberg of the University of Arizona, an IP software protection pioneer and chairman of the International Summer School of Software Security and Intellectual Property Protection taking place in China in 2010. “We have reached an inflection point in software security, and the timely creation of this research center is crucial in continuing to foster industry innovation.”

“The Dependability Group at the University of Virginia is extremely pleased and excited about our collaboration with Cloakware. Cloakware is recognized the world over as a leader in software technology that enables a wide range of businesses to protect their critical assets,” added Jack W. Davidson, professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia. “This collaboration represents a tremendous opportunity to advance state-of-the-art IP protection by combining results from recent research thrusts at the University of Virginia with ongoing research and development efforts at Cloakware.”