A recent study by cybersecurity researchers at NYU Tandon finds that a significant amount of the code generated by Github CoPilot programming assistant is, at best, buggy, and at worst, potentially vulnerable to attack. The researchers drew their conclusion after creating 89 potential scenarios and having CoPilot output 1,692 programs. When these programs were reviewed,...
Category: CCS News
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Facebook Disables Ad Observatory; Academicians and Journalists Fire Back
Since September 15 of 2020, the Ad Observatory has been an effective resource for journalists and academicians seeking information about the placement and targeting of ads on social media. In doing so, the project increased transparency about what messages are being used, who is funding each ad, and how much is being spent to disseminate...
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DM webinar looks at threats to supply chain security
Recent cyber attacks, such as SolarWinds, highlight the vulnerability of industrial supply chains. Given the high visibility of these attacks, it’s not surprising that a four-part webinar series on cybersecurity challenges in 3D manufacturing would include a look at how to deal with this issue. The July 1 event featured Dr. Satish Bukkapatnam of Texas...
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To close the cybersecurity talent gap, open new entry paths
How will we find the workforce needed to fill the currently more than 3 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally? Dr. Nasir Memon suggests the key is to open the profession to a wider cross-section of individuals. At a June 10 SecureWorld event on meeting the increasing demand for trained cybersecurity professionals, the co-founder of NYU’s...
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Hack3D Summer Challenge kicks off CSAW Season
While the annual CSAW competition is still several months away, a new competition called the Hack 3D Summer Challenge, served as a calling card for the main event. The summer session, which focused on growing security concerns in the field of additive manufacturing, invited student to “test the security limits in additive manufacturing and to...
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Cybersecurity strategy for vehicles marks a pair of firsts
Onboard computing units in cars are a desirable target for hackers. Defensive strategies are out there, but many automotive manufacturers and suppliers are not equipped to choose between them. To make the differences between available options clearer, the Uptane project recently announced the availability of two new educational resources. On June 12, Uptane, a secure...
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Introducing the 2021 CCS Ph.D.s
Five doctoral candidates affiliated with the NYU Center for Cybersecurity were officially declared graduates at Commencement Services on May 19. Let’s congratulate the Center’s newly minted doctors as they head off to positions in both industry and academia. Periwinkle Doerfler (Advisor: Dr. Damon McCoy) Ph.D., Computer Science Periwinkle successfully defended her dissertation on “’Adversarial ‘Intended’ Usage...
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CCS Ph.D. graduate Doerfler featured in 2021 “Commencement Profile”
Dr. Periwinkle Doerfler from the Computer Science and Engineering department was one of 18 NYU Tandon graduates from all levels featured in a series of “2021 Commencement Profiles” shared on the school’s website and featured in the ceremony’s program. In the profile, Doerfler, one of five CCS-affiliated doctoral candidates to be awarded a Ph.D. at...
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Tandon research projects tap emerging encryption strategies to better secure data
The early months of 2021 have been a productive period for Dr. Brandon Reagen, an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and a member of the NYU Center for Cybersecurity (CCS). His recent initiatives to enhance data security have included two different projects utilizing an increasingly popular form of encryption called fully homomorphic encryption...
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Tandon research team reveals GANs cannot completely protect identity
Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are machine-learning (ML) systems used to “scrub” images of any traces of personal identity. But, after exploring the machine-learning frameworks behind these tools, a team of researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering suggest that these scrubbed images leave a lot of “residue” behind. The...