Cranor, Agarwal Among Foresight Institute's Norm Hardy Prize Winners

The Foresight Institute has announced that Pardis Emami-Naeini, Lorrie Faith Cranor and Yuvraj Agarwal have received its 2025 Norm Hardy Prize for their contributions to advancing usable security through the development of a layered cybersecurity label for smart home devices. Cranor and Agarwal are both faculty in Carnegie Mellon University's Software and Societal Systems Department, while Emami-Naeini earned her Ph.D. from S3D in 2020 and is now a faculty member at Duke University.

In an age where reliable computer security is critical, the Norm Hardy Prize celebrates significant contributions to the field of usable security. It builds upon the vision of the late computer scientist Norm Hardy, who identified the confused deputy vulnerability. Hardy underscored the necessity of building inherently secure systems, complemented by interaction designs that enable users to operate these systems securely and intuitively.

The award recognizes Emami-Naeini, Cranor and Agarwal for their research empowering consumers to make more secure choices through clear, accessible security information. With input from experts and consumers, the team developed a layered, easy-to-read cybersecurity label highlighting key protections such as security updates, authentication, and data-handling practices for smart devices. This work directly informed national policy and industry standards, including the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a new labeling initiative for connected devices.

Lear more about the award on the Foresight Institute website.