Systems

Web browsers are vulnerable to side-channel attacks, which usually play an important, first-step role in jump-starting a chain of attacks. For example, a web-level precise clock can help adversaries to break operating system level memory protection mechanisms, such as address-space layout randomization (ASLR). Browser fingerprinting, a variation of web side channels, can be used to obtain users' private information for launching social engineering attacks.

This project explores approaches to attack and defend the lifespan of flash storage in small mobile devices. While the project focuses on smartphones, the research is applicable to any small flash-based device that allows users to install applications, including smart watches, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, computerized medical equipment, and computer-managed critical infrastructure. It is well understood that, over time, writing to flash storage will physically wear out the device. This problem is considered a nonissue with respect to enterprise Solid State Drives (SSDs).

Engineering a secure IT system, in addition to technical skills, requires a particular mindset focused on using cybersecurity solutions effectively against sophisticated and stealthy cyber attacks. The traditional lecture-centric style of teaching has failed to deliver that mindset, which is the direct result of an over-emphasis on specific technical skills (with limited lifespan and insufficient technical depth), abstract rather than deeply technical examination of fundamental concepts, and an impatience in developing broader analytical skills.

Current cloud computing platforms, mobile computing devices, and embedded devices all have the security weakness that they permit information flows that violate the confidentiality or integrity of information. This project explores an integrated approach in which software and hardware are co-designed with strong, comprehensive, verifiable security assurance. The goal is to develop a methodology for designing systems in which all forms of information flow are tracked, at both the hardware and software levels, and between these levels.

This project provides support for a National Academies Roundtable, the Forum on Cyber Resilience. The Forum will facilitate and enhance the exchange of ideas among scientists, practitioners, and policy makers concerned with the resilience of computing and communications systems, including the Internet, critical infrastructure, and other societally important systems.