Since it was established in 1984 as a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, the SEI has delivered innovative methods, tools, algorithms, and frameworks to meet current software and cybersecurity needs and provide a foundation for combating future ones.
In our role as a research leader, the SEI often produces technical work that bears fruit years later. For example, our pioneering work in software architecture led to the accepted understanding today that architecture determines the quality and longevity of a software system. And SEI experts closed gaps in network data collection and analysis by developing a suite of cybersecurity tools and a system that now provides traffic monitoring and protection throughout federal networks.
The stories below offer snapshots of the culture of innovation at the SEI as our researchers and engineers have investigated the nation's toughest problems in software and cybersecurity over the years.
You can also read these stories in the 2016 book History of Innovation at the SEI.
2021
SCAIFE: Secure Code Analysis for Continuous Integration
The SEI developed SCAIFE, an AI-enabled framework for efficient static analysis classification and prioritization, aiding in flaw detection.
Read More2020
Crucible and GHOSTS: Enabling Realistic Cyber Simulations
Read the Story2019
Foundry: A Training Asset Management Portal
A next-generation cyber-training asset-management portal, Foundry connects cyber training content users, sponsors, and developers in a shared environment where available content is registered for users to consume, rate, and add to playlists.
Read More2018
Defining the Practice of Managing Technical Debt: From Research to Community
Read the Story2017
Helping Analysts Automate Reverse Engineering
In 2017, the SEI released OOZanalyzer, part of the Pharos Binary Static Analysis Framework, a suite of tools that help reverse engineers and malware analysts gain insights into software binaries when source code is not available.
Read More2017
Automating the Repair of Software Flaws
Read the Story2016
Contributing to Developing and Implementing the DoD Vulnerability Discovery Program
In 2016, the DoD identified a need for a transparent and modernized vulnerability disclosure program and asked the SEI’s CERT Division to help develop and implement such a program.
Read More2015
Enhancing Computing Power at the Edge
Read the Story2015
Creating a New Language to Verify Complex Systems
SEI researchers created a new programming language to verify distributed, adaptive real-time (DART) systems, which are essential to DoD capability but notoriously difficult to verify.
Read More2015
Integrating Early to Prevent Costly Problems
Read the Story2014
Taming Uncertainty in Software Cost Estimation
Early cost estimates rely on expert judgments about cost factors, but cost factors change throughout the program lifecycle. The SEI's approach helps program managers account for these changing factors.
Read More2014
Enabling a Stronger Cyber Workforce
Read the Story2014
Attacking Software Vulnerabilities
In 2014, the SEI's CERT Division introduced the Tapioca tool to check Android apps for vulnerabilities. In the first year of use, Tapioca was used to check more than one million Android apps.
Read More2014
Building Capability to Defend Against Malware
Read the Story2011
Assessing Cyber Risk Readiness
This research led to development of standards in 2004, which were chosen for an aerospace initiative in 2008 and used to detect potential integration issues in the Joint Multi-Role helicopter program in 2015.
Read More2009
Certifying the Software Architect Role
Read the Story2009
Augmenting T&E with Assurance
Our work on the use of assurance cases in the development of medical devices led the FDA to issue draft guidance to manufacturers recommending the use of assurance cases and providing guidance for their use.
Read More2009
Codifying Resilience Practice
Read the Story2007
Strengthening Network Traffic Analysis
Casual conversation among members of the DoD and SEI staff sparked a collaboration that produced the DHS Einstein program, which helps protect federal computer networks and the delivery of essential government services.
Read More2004
Leading the Growth of an Architectural Modeling Standard
Read the Story2003
Defining Non-Functional System Qualities
The idea that quality attributes influence the shape of an architecture and that the architecture is fundamental to a system emerged from 2003 research at the SEI in rate monotonic analysis.
Read More2003
Standardizing More Secure Software
Read the Story2002
Tailoring Risk Management Practice
Since the 1990s, SEI risk research has shaped standards for software risk management, enabling program managers in software-intensive programs to identify what could go wrong and mitigate those risks.
Read More2001
Setting a Foundation for Software Architecture
Read the Story2001
Changing Software Contractor Selection Criteria
Through CMMI and SCAMPI, the SEI has made substantial contributions to software contractor appraisal and evaluation processes, strongly influencing government acquisition practices.
Read More2000
Bringing Science to Insider Threat Mitigation
Read the Story2000
Enabling Large-Scale Network Flow Analysis
Since the early 1990s, SEI and CERT have developed numerous tools and techniques to assist in analyzing network traffic flow and identifying cybersecurity incidents.
Read More1994
Evaluating System Architecture
Read the Story1993
Meeting Real-Time Scheduling Needs
The SEI has been instrumental in developing the rate monotonic scheduling paradigm, publishing A Practitioner’s Handbook for Real-Time Analysis: Guide to Rate Monotonic Analysis for Real-Time Systems in 1993.
Read More1991
Transforming Software Quality Assessment
Read the Story1990
Establishing a Basis for Software Reuse
Underlying today's efforts to reuse software is a 1990s technology called feature-oriented domain analysis. By developing this technology, the SEI demonstrated that managing variation is essential to software reuse.
Read More1989
Building the Master of Software Engineering Curriculum
Read the Story1988
Pointing the Way Toward a Software Architecture Discipline
The SEI contributed to a greater understanding of how architectural decisions affect the ease of modifying a user interface, introducing an important concept to the discipline of software architecture in the 1990s.
Read More