academia Archives - Spray on Security

Faculty Interview Presentation Tips

Post author:Mireya Jurado
Post published:March 14, 2019
Post category:academia computer science

After listening to *many* of these particular talks, I have some faculty interview presentation tips for you (and maybe some general presentation tips too). Take what you need. Some background My computer science department, like so many others right now, is undergoing a rapid expansion to meet the growing demand for AI and cybersecurity researchers. For the interviewee, this process involves a full day of talking with faculty, touring the facilities, and giving a presentation…

Takeaways from Why Cryptosystems Fail

Post author:Mireya Jurado
Post published:December 1, 2018
Post category:academia

Ross Anderson presents a survey of ATM failures in Why Cryptosystems Fail (1993). Here are some major takeaways: If the deployment environment changes, your assumptions may stop holding. Revisit the goals of your system after deployment. Build with your adversary's real abilities in mind. Do a postmortem study to determine why the cryptosystem failed. (Aside: share the results.) Having good cryptographic building blocks does not mean that what you build with them will be secure.…

Saltzer and Schroeder Design Principles

Post author:Mireya Jurado
Post published:October 9, 2018
Post category:academia computer security

Alright, time to discuss another classic computer security paper! Today, it's The Protection of Information in Computer Systems by Jerome H. Saltzer and Michael D. Schroeder. Written in 1975, this document outlines some fundamental security concepts. I suggest focusing on Section 1, Basic Principles of Information Protection. The 8 design principles start at Section 1.3. As is apparent, these principles do not represent absolute rules--they serve best as warnings. Economy of mechanism: Simple is best.…

In Support of Diverse Clip Art

Post author:Mireya Jurado
Post published:October 3, 2018
Post category:academia computer science

tl;dr Diverse representation within computer science matters. Stock images, clip art, and textbook examples affect us in subtle and perhaps unconscious ways. They dictate who we expect to see in certain roles. They even influence which roles we see ourselves assuming. When we rely on one default representation, we create a box for ourselves from which it is difficult to break free. We become unable to see others in a specific role and if we…

Classic Cybersecurity Papers

Post author:Mireya Jurado
Post published:September 25, 2018
Post category:academia computer security cybersecurity

If you're looking for an accessible (read: short) list of classic papers on computer/information security, I've got you. My PhD program requires that we read five classic papers in our area for the candidacy exam. My area is cybersecurity, whatever that means, so I've been given five classic papers on security. I've included links to the online versions of the paper below. Jerome Saltzer and Michael Schroeder, The Protection of Information in Computer Systems, Proceedings…