MIRAGe-UC
MIRAGe-UC is a cybersecurity and network science research laboratory at the School of Information Technology, University of Cincinnati. Founded in 2023 by Dr. Jacques Bou Abdo, Assistant Professor of Information Technology, the lab advances rigorous empirical and mathematical research on anonymous overlay networks, adversarial infrastructure, cyber resilience, and the science of cyber attribution.
Our research investigates the full life-cycle of cybersecurity threats – from pre-attack intelligence gathering and adversary infrastructure mapping, through active breach analysis, to post-attack attribution and forensic accountability. We are driven by the conviction that purely defensive security postures are insufficient against today’s state-sponsored and transnational threat actors. MIRAGe-UC develops the technical foundations needed to translate cyber deterrence from theory into actionable, evidence-based practice that protects critical infrastructure and sovereign interests.
The name MIRAGe reflects both our research identity and our subject matter – we study what is hidden, what is obscured, and what operates beneath the surface of modern digital infrastructure.
Mission
Translating cyber deterrence into actionable, evidence-based frameworks that protect critical infrastructure.
Research
Investigating anonymous networks, adversarial infrastructure, and the science of cyber attribution.
Our Team
PhD researchers led by Dr. Jacques Bou Abdo, working at the frontier of network science and cyber warfare.
Global Reach
Connected with research partners and institutions across North America, the Middle East, and Asia.
Our Story
MIRAGe-UC was born from a simple but powerful question – what happens inside networks that hide?
That question carries real weight. In an era of sophisticated state-sponsored attacks and transnational cyber operations, purely defensive security postures are no longer sufficient. MIRAGe-UC was built on a different conviction – that to protect critical infrastructure and sovereign interests, we must first understand how adversaries build, conceal, and operate their infrastructure.
We do that through rigorous science. Empirical investigation of anonymous overlay networks, mathematical modeling of adversarial topology, and the forensic work of cyber attribution – tracing obfuscated infrastructure back to the threat actors behind it. From I2P darknets to Operational Relay Box networks, we study the systems designed to be invisible. Because that is precisely where the most consequential threats operate.
The Research Team
MIRAGe-UC brings together doctoral researchers and collaborators united by a shared research agenda – advancing the scientific understanding of adversarial networks, anonymous systems, and the hard problem of cyber attribution. Under the direction of Dr. Jacques Bou Abdo, the team conducts top tier research published at leading international venues in cybersecurity and network science – producing empirical and mathematical insights that matter at the highest levels of national security.
MIRAGe-UC delivers expert cybersecurity research on the global stage, backed by a team of scientists who stand tall in the academics.
Edward Ansong
Security Expert – SUNY Albany