Speaker: Khaled Serag, Research Assistant, Purdue University, Department of Computer Science.

When: Thursday April 20th, 14h CEST

Where:  Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/94267641533?pwd=MGdxbmprY2FDZFFCL0lpSFViQTBiUT09)

Title: Vulnerability Identification and Defense Construction in Cyber-Physical Systems

Abstract: With the ever-accelerating computerization process of once strictly mechanical systems, information security threats are only expected to increase. This rapidly unfolding process calls into question whether we could promptly cope with the security threats it entails. Unfortunately, a commonly observed trend is for the computerization process to steadily advance while paying little attention to the security aspect until a security vulnerability is discovered, often by an external actor. Only then, a quest for a suitable security measure begins. In sum, security is considered only in reaction to manifest breaches. This comes at a high price, as the fix is not often found speedily after the breach. In this talk, we will address how to take a proactive vulnerability identification and defense construction approach to better secure cyber-physical systems. I will discuss two main themes of my research: 1) vulnerability identification and 2) defense construction with a focus on the context of Controller Area Network (CAN) systems.

Short Bio: Khaled Serag is Ph.D. candidate and research assistant at Purdue University’s Department of Computer Science. He is advised by Dongyan Xu and Z. Berkay Celik. He is the receiver of the Emil Stefanov fellowship, given to domestic graduate students specializing in security and showing originality and creative thinking in research. His research lies at the intersection of security, cyber-physical systems, and network engineering, with a focus on securing vehicular and avionic networks. Before coming to Purdue, and during the summer vacations at Purdue, Khaled worked at Boeing as a cybersecurity research engineer. His research work, together with collaborators, has been published at top-tier security conferences, including USENIX and NDSS, or as U.S. patents. He received his master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Ain Shams University.