To address cybersecurity risks associated with 3D printing – a critical vulnerability in managing the digital supply chain of additive manufacturing, the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is leading a joint U.S. and India program that gives a select group of undergraduate students in both countries a chance to find flaws, and think the way hackers think. The challenge demands trained defenders who can thwart unethical players to steal digital designs, black-market products or sabotage parts.
IRES program on Cybersecurity Risks Associated with 3D Printing
As part of the summer program, the 2021 USA-India International Research Experience for Students (IRES) – which kicked off virtually on June 7, 2021 – ten Indian and six U.S. undergraduate students, including three students from NYU Tandon, conducted research focused on designing strategies to secure the additive manufacturing digital supply chain, with an eye to protecting intellectual property (IP) and using machine learning tactics to detect compromises in 3D printed parts.
Nikhil Gupta, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NYU Tandon, coordinated the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project, in collaboration with Gaffar Gailani of New York City College of Technology (City Tech), and Mrityunjay Doddamani of the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Surathkal, India (NITK), who was the program coordinator in India.
Manufacturing security is one of the top priority areas for the Biden administration and NYU’s program will lead pathways for developing new methods and technologies as well as workforce that is trained in this unique area of manufacturing security.
“We are at industry 4.0 to optimize operations and future innovations. This program on the cybersecurity risks associated with 3D printing offersstudents an opportunity to explore new avenues in 3D printing with a focus on developing viable solutions for societal needs.” He emphasized the need for such programs that can provide technical as well as cultural exposure to the students of top universities around the world in NITK laboratories.
– Karanam Umamaheshwar Rao, director of NITK
According to Nikhil Gupta, “This new program on the cybersecurity risks associated with 3D printing,which extends an ongoing collaboration, gives students a great opportunity to both solve and create problems in additive manufacturing, while competing with each other on profound security challenges inherent to the industry’s global, interconnected network, challenges that are growing apace as AM’s use in manufacturing advances by leaps and bounds. It is also a great opportunity, by the way, to show how cultural exchanges can happen in virtual settings.”
“As manufacturing becomes increasingly automated, additive manufacturing is playing a larger and larger role in how products from pacemakers to jet engines are manufactured. Because of inherent vulnerabilities in the 3D printing global supply chain, it is imperative that the next generation of security experts understand this new threat landscape. I’m pleased that Professor Gupta is giving our school an opportunity to lead in this critical area, while demonstrating how global collaboration and shared purpose can foster global security.”
– Jelena Kovačević, dean of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai.
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