Industry Leader in Security Technology Supports Innovative Academic Effort to Design Real-World Security Solutions

ATLANTA (September 1, 2006) - The College of Computing at Georgia Tech, a national leader in the creation of real-world computing breakthroughs that drive social and scientific progress, today announced that Symantec Corp. is sponsoring the second annual Tiger Teams Student Design Competition in Usable Security Research. The competition is designed to foster research in creating secure systems that are both usable and useful to everyday computer users.

The Tiger Teams competition, which runs throughout the entire school year, is in its second year and is hosted by the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) and the Georgia Tech Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center (GVU).

"Recent high-profile cases, as well as a rise in media exposure of online identity fraud, have increased the demand for security solutions that are intuitive for the everyday computer user," said Keith Edwards, associate professor at the College of Computing. "The Tiger Teams competition allows the academic world to unite with industry leaders such as Symantec in an effort to create the next generation of security solutions that will impact the future of computing for everyday users."

Acknowledging the need to help restore consumers' confidence online, Edwards developed The Tiger Teams Student Design Competition in Usable Security Research in 2005 to spur grassroots research in the area of usable security. Starting in August 2006, students with expertise in security, human-computer interaction (HCI) and design will form two-person teams and prepare project proposals that address the challenges of creating security technologies that are intuitive to the everyday computer user. At the end of the semester, a faculty and industry panel will review and judge each of the proposals, with the winning team or teams receiving funding to further develop their proposals into solutions during the following year. For this year's competition, Symantec, as an industry sponsor, will provide insight into the current and future challenges facing information security and mentor the students throughout each phase of the competition.

"As the world's leader in information security, Symantec is committed to fostering innovation and supporting promising new technologies that provide consumers the freedom to safely enjoy their favorite online activities," said Darren Shou, senior manager, University Research, Symantec Research Labs. "Our support of the Tiger Teams Competition and the College of Computing at Georgia Tech underscores this commitment as these highly creative and skilled technologists apply their ingenuity and passion to the advancement of real-world computing research and education."

About the College of Computing at Georgia Tech
The College of Computing at Georgia Tech is a national leader in the creation of real-world computing breakthroughs that drive social and scientific progress. With its graduate program ranked 11th nationally by U.S. News and World Report, the College's unconventional approach to education is defining the new face of computing by expanding the horizons of traditional computer science students through interdisciplinary collaboration and a focus on human centered solutions. For more information about the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, its academic divisions and research centers, please visit www.cc.gatech.edu.

Useful Links
Tiger Team: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/program/tiger-teams

For more information, contact:
Stefany Wilson
College of Computing at Georgia Tech
404.894.7253
stefany@cc.gatech.edu
www.cc.gatech.edu