Vu Nguyen strengtened cryptography

Published: 2025-05-26

Title of thesis: Code-based Cryptography: Attacking and Constructing Cryptographic Systems. Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal Defence: Thursday, June 12th, in E:1406 at 09:15. Zoom link. Zoom ID: 66922207456. Describe your...

Title of thesis: Code-based Cryptography: Attacking and Constructing Cryptographic Systems.

Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal

Defence:  Thursday, June 12th, in E:1406 at 09:15.

Zoom link.
Zoom ID: 66922207456.

Describe your research in a popular science way

In today?s interconnected digital world, cryptography is an essential and indispensable tool underpinning crucial aspects of secure communication, online banking, digital transactions, anonymity, data integrity, and so on. Imagine all of the above (nice) things are no longer possible because of quantum computers, which can undermine the security of our digital lives. Researchers are looking for new ways to protect information - a field called post-quantum cryptography. The process ensures long-term security, a smooth transition from classical cryptography, and maintains digital trust. Among popular approaches, code-based cryptography is a reliable and wellunderstood candidate, signified by the selection of an algorithm called Hamming-Quasi Cyclic (HQC) as one of the selected few by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This standardization organization produces the main cryptographic standards in the world. There are several other code-based promising candidates, for example, those that are still in the NIST Additional Signature Scheme Proposals, an ongoing standardization effort to diversify our post-quantum digital signature portfolio. This thesis first examines the security of several code-based cryptographic constructions. We then propose novel attacking techniques that can be used to give a better security understanding for code-based cryptography. Lastly, we explore the application of code-based cryptography in lightweight cryptography.

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

Coming from a mathematic background, I always wanted to do research, especially with a more ``applied?? topic. Cryptography was an excellent opportunity for me.

What is the most fascinating or interesting with your thesis subject?

Code-based cryptography is considered quite old and stable, compared to other sibling research directions. However, in the post-quantum era in cryptography, great deals of novel code-based variants/paradigms have been proposed, making code-based cryptography a remarkably rich and lively research area. Lots of interesting things remain to be studied and explored in code-based cryptography, and they can have an immense impact on how data is encrypted in the very near future.   

Do you believe some results from your research will be applied in practice eventually? And if so, how / how?

Definitely. For example, a part of my work was towards design flaws in novel code-based constructions. These are very implicit pitfalls that can heavily worsen the security of code-based cryptographic primitives, and we hope that future researchers and users can avoid them. In addition, people will have a bigger and clearer picture of code-based cryptography security.

 What are your plans?

Perhaps moving to the industry to know how things work and materialize some of the ideas I have during Ph.D. Such experience may benefit me a lot in the future as a researcher.

Link to the article Vu Nguyen strengtened cryptography

Dino Pjanic effectivized mobile communications

Published: 2025-05-20

Title of thesis: Moving Towards Cognitive Radio Access Networks: Transforming MIMO Complexities into Opportunities Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal Defence: Thursday, June 5th, in E:1406 at 09:15. Zoom link. Zoom ID:...

Title of thesis: Moving Towards Cognitive Radio Access Networks: Transforming MIMO Complexities into Opportunities

Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal

Defence:  Thursday, June 5th, in E:1406 at 09:15.

Zoom link.
Zoom ID: 69658824268.

Describe your research in a popular science way

The introduction of advanced antenna systems marked a pivotal advancement, employing Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology. These systems opened new avenues for understanding channel characteristics. An apt analogy for these systems is a large astronomical observatory employing an array of telescopes scattered across the globe to observe the same distant object. Each telescope collects a unique portion of the light or radio waves, influenced by its position and angle. By combining the data from all telescopes, a more detailed and multi-dimensional image is created, surpassing what a single telescope could achieve. In recent years, modern cellular networks have faced new requirements beyond traditional communication between users and the network, including integrated wireless sensing. Wireless sensing utilizes existing communication signals to perceive and interpret the surrounding environment. From a network perspective, this involves leveraging cellular infrastructure to enable sensing without the need for additional dedicated sensors. Rather than solely transmitting data, the network can analyze signals to detect object presence and movement, user positioning, and environmental changes. My thesis partly examines various aspects of wireless sensing, a field still in its early stages at the time of writing. The telecommunications industry is transitioning toward the next generation of networks, 6G, focusing on terabit-level speeds, holographic communication, and AI-driven networks. Unlike traditional communication paradigms, which rely on a reactive approach where receivers wait for signals, cognitive cellular networks will utilize predictive capabilities to anticipate traffic demands and upcoming events. This thesis leverages AI, which, unlike traditional programmed devices, is adaptive, probabilistic, and capable of learning from data to make autonomous decisions. The question of how AI can enable cognitive mobile networks by utilizing MIMO-based "telescopes" to predict user movement patterns or radio channel characteristics over both short and long time horizons is addressed in the thesis. AI technology holds transformative potential to revolutionize cellular network operations by leveraging historical data to enable intelligent, autonomous functionality with minimal human intervention.

Artistic illustration of the concept of spatial fingerprinting.

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

By nature, I constantly seek out new challenges. After 20 years of experience in the industry, I decided it was time to take the next step venturing into the unknown and stepping out of my comfort zone. It?s in these moments, when the ground feels uncertain, that I tend to grow the most as a person.

What is the most fascinating or interesting with your thesis subject?
 
How the interaction between technological challenges and recent advances in machine learning and AI offers new insights and solutions to complex problems.

Do you believe some results from your research will be applied in practice eventually? And if so, how / how?

Definitely, when I began my PhD, this research field was still largely unexplored, especially from an industrial perspective. Today, AI is regarded as essential for the future of telecommunications systems.

What are your plans?

As an industrial PhD at Ericsson in Lund, it feels natural to return and apply the skills and insights I?ve gained.

Link to the article Dino Pjanic effectivized mobile communications

Syafiq Al Atiiq hardened software against attacks

Published: 2025-05-05

Title of thesis: Principles and Solutions for Improved Availability and Code Vulnerability Detection Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal Defence: Friday, May 16th, in E:1406 at 13:15. Zoom link. Zoom ID:...

Title of thesis: Principles and Solutions for Improved Availability and Code Vulnerability Detection

Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal

Defence:  Friday, May 16th, in E:1406 at 13:15.

Zoom link.
Zoom ID: 68034306533.

Describe your research in a popular science way

My research explored the following question: how do we ensure our system remains available when facing attacks or failures?
I focus on three areas. First, I've developed protocols for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, shielding these resource-limited devices from being overwhelmed by malicious traffic and help them recover after compromise.
Second, I've investigated security vulnerabilities in 5G networks, particularly in their AI-driven mobility prediction systems. I've shown that even a small number of fake devices can significantly reduce prediction accuracy and identified strategies to make these systems more resilient.
Finally, I've explored how artificial intelligence can automatically detect vulnerabilities in software before they become security problems. My research reveals that different programming languages and vulnerability types perform variably.

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

My path to doctoral studies emerged at a professional crossroads after experiencing both the startup and corporate worlds as an employee. This transition period gave me the opportunity to reflect on what truly mattered to me professionally.

What is the most fascinating or interesting with your thesis subject?

Most of the work here is based on real-world problems, and sometimes the most intuitive solution is not always the best one. One example would be that, intuitively, the larger the AI model is, the better the performance should be. But we show that smaller models can perform better (with less inference cost), at least in the vulnerability detection problem that we explored.

Do you believe some results from your research will be applied in practice eventually? And if so, how / how?

Yes! We have a product based on the last two papers of this dissertation. There is a company called VyPr AI, tackling software vulnerability detection using (some of) our results.

Link to the article Syafiq Al Atiiq hardened software against attacks

Joakim Brorsson studied the security of Trusted Third Parties

Published: 2025-02-25

Title of thesis: On the Trustworthiness of Trusted Third Parties Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal: https://portal.research.lu.se/sv/publications/on-the-trustworthiness-of-trusted-third-parties Defence: Friday, March 7th, in...

Title of thesis: On the Trustworthiness of Trusted Third Parties
Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal:

https://portal.research.lu.se/sv/publications/on-the-trustworthiness-of-trusted-third-parties

Defence:  Friday, March 7th, in E:1406 at 09:15.

Zoom link: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/67331586615
Zoom ID: 67331586615.

Describe your research in a popular science way
Much of the security of today?s IT-systems depend on trusting central points. For example, the secure connection your browser makes when visiting a webpage is guaranteed in part by a central party which certifies the legitimacy of web pages. If such a central party fails in its security, and there are many practical examples of such events, the consequences are large. My research is aimed at getting rid of as much trust as possible in these trusted parties.

What made you want to pursue a PhD?
After graduating with a master?s degree and beginning to work in the cybersecurity industry, I often found that existing ways of building secure systems felt inadequate. However, my knowledge was not deep enough to propose the needed improvements. A PhD was the prefect way of acquiring the needed knowledge.

Do you believe some results from your research will be applied in practice eventually? And if so, how / how?
I really hope that my final paper called Consistency-or-Die, or some follow up work to it, gets deployed in practice. The paper points out security problems in deployed large-scale systems called Key Transparency logs, which are part of the security in WhatsApp and iMessage, and proposes practical solutions. I also think that some of my research on Intel SGX is valuable in practice.

What are your plans?
I am now working at the cybersecurity company Hyker, which I co-founded before pursuing a PhD, and which has inspired part of my research. At Hyker, I can use knowledge acquired at LTH to build better cybersecurity products which eliminate trust in trusted third parties.

Photo: Erika Weiland, Apelöga AB.

Link to the article Joakim Brorsson studied the security of Trusted Third Parties

Ben Nel studied improvement potential of microstrip patch antennas.

Published: 2025-02-13

Title of thesis: Performance Limits for Microstrip Patch Antennas. Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal: https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/performance-limits-for-microstrip-patch-antennas Defence: Friday, February...

Title of thesis: Performance Limits for Microstrip Patch Antennas.

Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal:

https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/performance-limits-for-microstrip-patch-antennas

Defence:  Friday, February 14th, in E:1406 at 09:15.

Zoom link: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/63106127825
Zoom ID: 63106127825.

Describe your research in a popular science way

This thesis explores the fundamental limits of a particular class of antennas called microstrip patch antennas, revealing how well they can perform under certain design constraints. Microstrip patch antennas are widely used for their versatility and compact design. Much like musical instruments that produce sound by exciting resonances/oscillations, in the case of microstrip patch antennas, resonances lead to electromagnetic radiation as opposed to sound. These antennas are used in numerous electronic systems, from mobile phones to satellites, owing in part to their compatibility with existing technologies such as printed circuits. Despite their widespread use, achieving high performance in microstrip patch antenna design remains challenging. To help overcome this, traditional optimization methods can benefit from leveraging fundamental physical limits on antenna performance. Without these performance limits or a starting design that satisfies the requirements, designers face the daunting task of searching through an infinite design space without knowing whether their goals are even achievable. This thesis addresses these challenges by introducing a systematic approach to determine fundamental performance limits of microstrip patch antennas, enabling more focused and efficient design strategies.

Please complement with a relevant, or your favorite, graph/illustration (that is ok to publish from an IPR perspective) together with a caption of 10-30 words.

This figure shows that the theoretical performance limits presented in this thesis accurately predict the measured performance of three existing, well-designed, fabricated microstrip patch antennas.

What made you want to pursue a PhD?
To learn new things.

What is the most fascinating or interesting with your thesis subject?
The mathematical formulation of physical phenomena

Do you believe some results from your research will be applied in practice eventually? And if so, how / how?
Yes, I think the performance limits on microstrip patch antennas will be used as a benchmark for new designs.

What are your plans?
To travel before starting work.

Link to the article Ben Nel studied improvement potential of microstrip patch antennas.