Computer Science Colloquium

Improving the Security Response of Emerging Systems

Afsah Anwar
University of New Mexico

Date: Monday September 25, 2023
Time: 5:30pm MDT
Room: Zoom zoom.us, Meeting ID 942 3255 5926, passcode 171681
            The talk will be held in Cramer Hall Room 203.

   Abstract:

The increasing Internet footprint has increased the susceptibility of the Internet- connected devices. This has opened a multi-faceted war that is continuously evolving. On one hand malware campaigns frequently mutate making it difficult for the evolutions to be tracked centrally, warranting a collaborative effort among different stakeholders across geographies. Subsequently, more and more vulnerabilities are disclosed every year. The Internet-connected devices are to be continuously checked for the recently disclosed and the age-old vulnerabilities so as to reduce their attack surface. However, existing vulnerability databases suffer from inconsistencies. In this talk, I will discuss IoT malware, inconsistencies in vulnerability databases, and leveraging open-source intelligence for efficient incidence response.

Bio:

Afsah Anwar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico. He obtained his doctorate degree from the University of Central Florida. He was also a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University. His research interests lie in security and privacy. His primary research goal is to contribute to the understanding of malicious activity on the Internet and its impact on individuals and society. His works have been published in prominent security conferences and journals, including, CCS, ACSAC, IEEE TDSC, and ICDCS.