Summary
CYSE 587/SYST 687 & CYSE 787 is a course led by George Mason University’s (GMU) Cyber Security Engineering faculty. The course focuses on designing and engineering secure cyber-physical systems, with projects involving vulnerability assessments, security threat analysis, and defense strategies for complex systems like Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) or industrial control systems (ICS).
Students will also develop technical and professional skills through their project work.
CYSE 587 and SYST 687 students work in Teams A thru E. CYSE 787 students design and develop their projects on their own.
OnAir Post: CYSE 587 & SYST 687/ CYSE 787 (Fall 2025)
News
– December 9, 2025
On December 8th, 2025, Dr. Alexandre De Barros Barreto’s CYSE 587 class presented their shark tank seminar presentations! Each team presented for twenty minutes before a panel of sharks began to ask their questions.
It was an innovative and engaging night, full of discussion, collaboration, and problem solving. Thank you to all of the amazing sharks who came out, and to all of the presenters for their solutions to real world problems!
Please look at the overview post to view each team’s presentation and videos.
About
Source: Course Catalog
CYSE 587: Cyber Security Systems Engineering. 3 credits.
This course addresses cyber security from the standpoint of systems engineers. It introduces core principles for the design and management of resilient and robust systems throughout their complete lifecycle.
Topics include but are not limited to lifecycle assurance of systems, risk analysis, models for secure systems development and management, gap analysis, quantitative methods for cyber security, and special topics in cyber security.
The course also covers distinct technologies for assessing system vulnerabilities, measuring and modeling risk, reducing uncertainty in risk management, and others.
Target audience consists of engineers who want to expand their skill sets to better align with the demands of current cyber security jobs, as well as those who intent to work on cyber security research. Cyber security professionals would also benefit from the course by being exposed to a systems engineering, holistic perspective on cyber security design, development, and management.
Offered by Cyber Security Engineering. May not be repeated for credit. Equivalent to CYSE 787, SYST 687, SYST 787.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
587 & 687 Teams
Team A
Team A’s project “Zero-Trust Architecture for Securing UAV Systems” in CYSE 587 is composed of the following members:
Members of Team A: Yaz Barmil, Karthik V Calanji Sridhar, Mohamed El Mostapha Cheikh Abdallahi, Edwarwd Hickey, Fatima Majid, Pablo Sejas Fernandez, and Huy Than
Team B
Team B’s project “Anonymous Authentication for UTM Access” in CYSE 587 is composed of the following members:
Members of Team B: Jai Althi, Simon Betancur, Sharath Chandra Kumar Chavla, Salome Kotei, Varun Prakash Murugesan, Joseph Yeboah, and Alite Zemichael
Team C
Team C’s project “Protecting Individual Privacy from Intrusive Drone Surveillance” in GMU 587 is composed of the following members:
Members of Team C: Kabir Dugh, Zachary Francis, Fatima Hashimi, Tom Oswald, Ameer Quazi, and Connor Wadlin.
Team D
Team D’s project “Zero-Trust Architecture for Securing UAV Systems” in GMU 587 is composed of the following members:
Members of Team D: Nikith Kadambi, Blake Lainhoff, Shriya Pasyavala, Rahul Patel, Noor Qadir, Arshraj Singh, and Solomon Pamie-george
Team E
Team E’s project “Zero-Trust Architecture for Securing UAV Systems” in GMU 587 is composed of the following members:
Members of Team E: Srivanth Dhulipala, Nic Dmitriev, Aaron Lam, Carlos Ortiz Collao, Dj Strigel, and Brodie Watson
CYSE 787 Projects
Pitches & Schedule
| Time | Presenter (Group) | Topic |
| 4:30 – 5:00 PM | Group A | Zero-Trust Architecture for Securing UAV Systems |
| 5:05 – 5:35 PM | Group B | Anonymous Authentication for UTM Access |
| 5:40 – 6:10 PM | Group D | Zero-Trust Architecture for Securing UAV Systems |
| 6:15 – 6:45 PM | Group C | Protecting Individual Privacy from Intrusive Drone Surveillance |
| 6:50 – 7:20 PM | Group E | Zero-Trust Architecture for Securing UAV Systems |
Team A Pitch
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Team B Pitch
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Team C Pitch – Protecting Privacy from Drones
Protecting Individual Privacy from Intrusive Drone Surveillance
Team C focused on how to protect privacy within Unmanned Aerial Systems. We implemented protections throughout the system, from low-level hardware solutions to high-level route planning and guidance solutions. This research helps to protect individuals while in public, at work, and at home from being spied on by drones.
In our presentation, we covered the current field of play, how current solutions fail to protect individuals, and how we can advance UAS technology for the benefit of everyone!
If you are interested and want to learn more, you can view our post here!
Team D Pitch
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Team E Pitch
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