A Novel Idea

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Kevin Kwiat

Dr. Kevin A. Kwiat, formerly Principal Computer Engineer with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York with more than 34 years of federal service, is currently a CAESAR Group partner. He continues his 30+ years as an adjunct professor by teaching in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Network and Computer Security at the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute. He received his PhD in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.

Latest posts by Kevin Kwiat (see all)

• A Hardware Hiatus - November 18, 2024
• A Novel Idea - November 6, 2024
• Reflections on Technology Transfer - May 11, 2020

The threat posed by malicious actors to our defense systems and critical infrastructure, whether it be via software or hardware trojans, is not solely for those with technical backgrounds to worry over. The body of individuals that work on behalf of our nation’s defense, both military and civilian, includes vast numbers that herald from non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) backgrounds, including Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Criminology, Global Security studies, and others. They too must be aware of the ever-more innovative ways our adversaries seek to exploit our information or corrupt our systems, and how to combat them. To paraphrase Keanu Reeves’s character in the film Constantine “you may not believe in the devil, but the devil believes in you.” This is to say that, even if something does not necessarily fit your area of expertise, if it poses a threat, then it is something deserving of your attention or understanding.

At the CAESAR Group, we recognize that, for some, the work we do may not be easily understood or digested, and indeed may not even, at first glance, appear all that interesting. That is why, at my suggestion, Adam Kwiat has written a novel portraying the use of RECORD in a fictional, but realistic, scenario. Partly influenced by Dr. Peter Singer’s Ghost Fleet, and written in the vein of a Tom Clancy or David Ignatius novel, RECORD: A Novel, sets out to make the technology and the concept of hardware security more easily accessible to those in non-STEM fields. Rather than having to obtain an understanding of RECORD’s capabilities and intentions from a white-paper, a reader can instead do so from an engaging and, hopefully, page-turning, read. Should the novel see success, we hope this will represent a new and “novel” way of explaining and demonstrating other technologies and technical concepts to a wider audience.