Archives

Khalifa University Graduate Students Tackle Cyber-Security Issues

September 7, 2018

Advancements in cyber security was the primary focus of Khalifa University’s most recent batch of graduate students. Five students from the University’s MSc in Information Security and MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering and two PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering students defended their research in front of internal and external examiners presenting a range of advancements in key areas of information security such as public wifi networks cloud databases and SMART homes.

The students focus on cyber security comes from initiatives begun by the leadership of the UAE and its commitment to sustainable development through the adoption of the latest techniques and technologies via incorporating them into all its online operations. Cyber security is key to the success of these initiatives as it will ensure the safety of transactions privacy and information.

MSc in Information Security student Aysha Alkharoossi presented her findings on “Assessing the Security Health of Public WiFi Environments Using Mobile Devices.” Specifically Alkharoossi looked at assessing the safety of various public Wifi networks like the ones in airports or malls through the use of HosTaGe or “Honeypot-To-Go” (a honeypot is a computer security mechanism set to detect deflect or in some manner counteract attempts at unauthorized use of information systems).

Similarly MSc in Information Security student Sanaah Al Salami looked at ways to secure SMART homes through the implementation of an encryption scheme that provides secure communication between smartphones and smart home sensors.

Fellow Information Security graduate Fatema Almansoori looked at “Subverting Randomized Message Authentication Code” or how vulnerable a Randomized Message Authentication Code (RMAC) is to Algorithm Substation Attacks (ASA) which attempt to modify the real cryptography system and replace it with a forged one. She also proposed a possible solution to the problem in order to prevent attacks on all cryptosystems that use randomness as part of their security process.

MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Hanin Abubaker conducted research into secure communication as well with her development of an Arabic reCAPTCHA system that will help prevent attacks from automated bots on the web.

PhD students Omar Al-Jarrah and Bushra AlBelooshi defended their doctorate research titled “Machine Learning Approaches for Large-Scale Intrusion Detection Systems” and “Data Remanence and Cryptographic Keys Security in the Cloud ” respectively. Their research aims to protect data attacks on networks and cloud databases.

“As the UAE continues to embrace SMART technologies and advancements in faster more efficient ways to conduct business finance and public services the threat of attack or information theft is always going to be a major focus ” said Khalifa University Senior Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Mohammed Ebrahim Al Mualla. “This is why we’ve developed our MSc in Information Security program and why we encourage our students to explore this important area. Cyber and Information Security is probably one of the fastest growing fields not just in the UAE but in the world and it’s a field that’s in need of high quality intelligent and accomplished researchers and engineers. Khalifa University is proud to supply the human capital knowledge and innovation needed for continued advancement and development in this key area.”

Download Official KU Press Release – English

للمشاھدة والتنزیل باللغة العربیة