research on security and programming languages cs696 fall 2005 28 september 2005 david evans and...

Research on Research on Security and Security and Programming Programming LanguagesLanguages

CS696 Fall 200528 September 2005

David Evans and Research Grouphttp://www.cs.virginia.edu/evans

University of VirginiaComputer Science

2www.cs.virginia.edu/evans/cs696

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• Advice on Advice• Advice• Research Group Overview• Sample Projects

– Ben Cox: N-Variant Systems– Jeff Shirley: Secure Wireless Enrollment– Nate Paul: Thermal Attacks– Jinlin Yang: Dynamic Property Inference


Advice on Advice• Two types of advice:

– From Committees• Probably correct (lots of people agree on it)• Generally agreeable (lots of people agree on it)• Always uninteresting (lots of people agree on it)

– From Individuals• Probably wrong (just one arrogant person’s opinion)• Usually disagreeable (everyone’s experience is different)• Often interesting (someone was motivated enough to write

it)

• My advice: read/listen to lots of the second type, but ignore most of it


QuizThe truth is that no ideal strategy hasyet been found, and that every approach has strengths and weaknesses. Given the current state of the art in this area, we are convinced that no one-size-fits-all approach will succeed at all institutions. Because introductory programs differ so dramatically in their goals, structure, resources, and intended audience, we need a range of strategies that havebeen validated by practice.

The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense.

ACM Computing Curricula 2001, Recommendations of the Joint ACM/IEEE Task Force on Computing Curricula (http://www.computer.org/portal/cms_docs_ieeecs/ieeecs/education/cc2001/

cc2001.pdf)

Edsger W. Dijkstra, How do we tell truths that might hurt?, 1975.http://www.cs.virginia.edu/evans/cs655/readings/ewd498.html


Advice on Grad School“Almost everyone hates their dissertation by the time they're done with it. The process inherently tends to produce an unpleasant result, like a cake made out of whole wheat flour and baked for twelve hours. Few dissertations are read with pleasure, especially by their authors.

But thousands before you have suffered through writing a dissertation. And aside from that, grad school is close to paradise. Many people remember it as the happiest time of their lives. And nearly all the rest, including me, remember it as a period that would have been, if they hadn't had to write a dissertation.”

Paul Graham, Undergraduation http://paulgraham.com/college.html


“Close to Paradise”• Freedom to spend your time working on

hard and interesting problems• Luxury to fail over and over again without

consequences (as long as you’re trying and learning)– You’re supposed to fail, that’s how you learn to

become a researcher• Opportunity to work with smart,

interesting people you choose• Few responsibilities, no one tells you what

to do• Not quite paradise: low pay, long hours,

have to keep your advisor happy


Reasons for Doing PhD• Money, glory, fame, power, parchment, making people

call you “Doctor”• Preparation for academic research job:

– Obtain technical depth and breath in CS– Learn to carry out a research project (especially evaluation)– Develop taste to select good research problems– Learn to present your ideas well in writing, conversation, and

talks

• What you need to get an academic research job:– Publish 2-5 papers in top conferences in your area– One great idea – something you can give a good job talk about

(come to all job talks here)– Become known – build a social network– Be able to interview well: defend your ideas, ask interesting

questions about other people’s idea, know the important work in your area


Strategies for Finding an Advisor

1. Hard way: Examine all faculty web pages, read research papers; then start working with profs

2. Easy way: Figure out who the smartest, most successful “senior” grad students are and ask them; then start working with profs

3. Dumb way: Find the best looking students and try to join their group

4. Dumbest way: Sit through all the 696 talks and list your favorites on your matching form, assuming you have to be matched up with someone.


Tough Questions You Should Ask• What kind of beer/ice cream/coffee would you like?

• What are you working on? How did you pick it?– Bad answer: “Well, my advisor has this DARPA grant …”

• What are your scheduled meetings with your advisor like?

• What are your informal meetings with your advisor like?

• How do you write papers with your advisor?– Bad answer: haven’t written any

• How does your advisor work with you on learning to present your ideas well? (talks, in conversation, …)

• What has your advisor done to help you build your research network? – Has she/he introduced you to important people in your field?– How do people react when you mention who your advisor is at

conferences?


New Faculty

• No current students, so strategy 2 doesn’t work!– Some risk

• Lots of advantages to new faculty:– We have two excellent new professors– New faculty are not yet cynical and

jaded– New faculty are ambitious and tireless– Have funding with no strings attacked


More Advicehttp://www.cs.virginia.edu/evans/advice/

To pick an area: be sure you like the incremental results — you should consider them important, or at least fun!

Yannis Smaragdakis, PhD Rants and Raves (Be Afraid. Be very afraid.)

Don't let the dog eat your notebook. Norm Ramsey, A Guide for Research Students

A dwindling minority of traditionalists still oppose academic tipping; they instead cling to the old system whereby graduate students curried favor by emulating the thoughts and actions of their major professor, thus promulgating the "old fogy's" persona indefinitely.Steven Hughes, Academic Tipping Guidelines

Computer Science majors are not, in general, known for their interpersonal skills.

Ronald Azuma, So long, and thanks for the PhD!


Research Group• Inexpensive Program Analysis

– Lightweight static analysis– Dynamic property inference [Jinlin Yang] (4)

• Physicrypt– RFID Security [Karsten Nohl]– Wireless Enrollment [Jeff Shirley] (2)– Thermal Attacks [Nate Paul] (3)

• Security through Artificial Diversity– Evaluating security through diversity [Nora

Sovarel]– N-Variant Systems [Ben Cox] (1)

research on security and programming languages cs696 fall 2005 28 september 2005 david evans and...

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