Bill Bard
Senior Lecturer
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Phone: (512) 471-4802
Fax: (512) 471-5532
Email: w.bard@mail.utexas.edu
William “Bill” Carl Bard earned his master’s degree in computer sciences in 1969, and another master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1976 from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a professional engineer and joined the College of Engineering in 1996. He is a member of the Wireless Networking and Communications Group.
Bard researches the security, performance and availability of networks for the Internet, telephones, televisions, cell phones and other technologies. In one study on network security, called the Honeynet Project, Bard creates vulnerable computer systems or “honey pots,” puts them on the Internet, and tracks and characterizes unpleasant activity such as hackers attempting to take control of the system. The ultimate goal is to create methods to notify users and prevent inappropriate activity on the networks. Bard also analyzes network performance and availability by studying real-life communication networks at the University. In one current project, Bard is experimenting with techniques to identify the physical location of individual wireless network users by measuring signal strengths from their computers to find their access points.
Research Interests:
- Analysis of network performance
- Network security
- Sensor and ad hoc networks