The University of Texas at San Antonio's
UT San Antonio has been designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
The Leader in Advancement of State and Community Cybersecurity
Established in 2001 as part of UT San Antonio’s creation of a cybersecurity program, the CIAS is a research center on a mission to secure the nation’s infrastructure and foster a Culture of Cybersecurity. This grassroots-level research effort continues to produce practical campaigns, such as cybersecurity training and preparedness, cybersecurity competitions and K12 education programs.
20+ Years at UT San Antonio
Ponemon Institute study 2014
Universities.com ranking 2016
National Security Agency
Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research Cyber Operations
high-quality, high-impact
Competitions
The CIAS hosts the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, Panoply and HiveStorm, and co-founded CyberPatriot. The CIAS has been developing and conducting competition programs to educate, train and prepare individuals for the cybersecurity workforce since 2005.
2024
high-quality, high-impact
Cybersecurity Training
Courses
Seminars
Workshops
Our training efforts focus on improving overall cybersecurity awareness, technical capabilities, professional development and continuity plans. We’ve been helping professionals, organizations and communities prevent, detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents for more than 20 years.
Reached
K-12 Education
Gaming
Committed to creating a culture of cybersecurity nationwide, the CIAS focuses on K-12 education that introduces students to cybersecurity principles through educational gaming and storytelling. Our goals are to create good cyber hygiene and awareness of cyber careers.
Played In
World Leader
Leading the ISAO Standards Organization since 2015 and helping SLTTs establish comprehensive cybersecurity programs as the CIAS-ISAO, the CIAS actively engages the information sharing community to promote secure, rapid and widespread information sharing that helps detect and block cyber-attacks.
Information Sharing
CIAS-ISAO
National Cybersecurity
Preparedness Consortium
Filling the cybersecurity gap since 2004
A Collaboration of Five Universities
Testimonials
This Is What They Say
Press Coverage
We're in the News
TechTonics: Meet the Professor Tapped to Unite Us in the Fight Against Hackers
(August 29, 2019) — Greg White wants you to share information. Not necessarily with him, but with your business competitors and industry peers. The University of Texas at San Antonio computer science professor is leading the charge to create a nationwide network of information-sharing outfits – from mariachi groups to investment firms – in a strength-in-numbers approach to combating cyberattacks.
Hackers can Hijack Your Home with these 10 Smart Devices
BLOG — The Internet is full of stories of cybercriminals invading a home by hijacking its smart devices. You’re probably familiar with some of these devices, such as smart thermostats, smart speakers and Web cams. But have you thought about that fancy new refrigerator you just purchased, or your light bulbs? To help you navigate some common – and often forgotten – smart devices in your home, we’ve compiled 10 Internet of Things (IoT) devices that hackers can hijack.
BizJournals: Municipalities becoming more prominent target for cybercrime
Municipalities are being attacked and their data is being held ransom by cybercriminals. Recently, 22 cities in Texas were hit with simultaneous ransomware attacks. The attack on the 22 cities was a hot topic during two recent back-to-back conferences in San Antonio: the CyberTexas Foundation conference and the Information Sharing and Analysis Organization Standards Organization’s third annual International Information Sharing Conference hosted by the CIAS at UTSA.
Avoiding credit card fraud during the pandemic
(July 28, 2020) — Social distancing means more time at home and often more online shopping. Protect yourself from credit card fraud while you protect your health from the coronavirus.
Senate Passes Cornyn Bill to Enhance Cybersecurity Programs at UTSA, A&M
(November 22, 2019) — U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act, legislation that would authorize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work with the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) to help prepare for and respond to cybersecurity risks at the national, state, and local levels, passed the Senate.
UTSA awarded $500K grant from Google to expand CIAS cybersecurity clinic
The UTSA Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) received a $500,000 grant from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund to grow the UTSA/CIAS Cyber Clinic. The clinic is a long-term initiative focused on strengthening cybersecurity knowledge among UTSA students and the community at large by hosting on-campus classes and workshops at the offices of local organizations.
CIAS K–12 Cybersecurity Program goes national to boost student interest
(November 30, 2020) — The CIAS K–12 Cybersecurity Program has launched nationally to provide an innovative approach to creating a culture of cybersecurity for people of all ages by improving and expanding student interest in cybersecurity.
University of California, Irvine wins Alamo Cup at 20th National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship
University of California, Irvine triumphed at the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship (NCCDC), prevailing over nine other finalist teams to earn the coveted Alamo
Cyber Threat Defender Wins Silver Medal in Serious Play Awards Annual International Competition
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) is proud