My research interests lie in the area of wireless networking, with emphasis on application of game-theoretical tools for addressing security issues in the MAC and Network Layers in mobile ad hoc networks. I am interested in security aspects of cross-layer design in wireless networks with emphasis on the interaction among PHY, MAC and Network Layers. Current research interests focus on development of distributed techniques for detection and localization of Byzantine attacks using partially observed dynamic games and development of robust reputation mechanisms in the presence of such attacks. I am also interested in developing mechanisms for joint use of reputation and pricing for balancing the network load. Additionally, I am interested in the component-based approach for the analysis of routing protocols (Component Based Routing) which relies on isolating and securing the critical protocol components by application of formal methods.
Other research interests include development of Intrusion Detection Systems for detection and classification of known and unknown attacks using Hidden Markov Models and Finite State Machines, detection of wormhole attacks in low mobility wireless networks, security issues in p2p networks, cooperative networking, distributed decision making and statistical detection and estimation.
Keywords: Intrusion Detection, Game theory, Bidding games, Dynamic games, Sequential Detection, Cross-layer design, IEEE 802.11 MAC, Robust Network Layer Protocols, Network Economics, DSR, AODV, OLSR, Collaborative attacks, Byzantine attacks, Component-based routing (CBR), Formal Models, p2p, Reputation, Pricing.
Summary of qualifications
Three years of experience in Intrusion Detection and Prevention: flow analysis, creating signatures, protocol analysis, application of Finite State Machines for protocol detection and classification of known and unknown attacks.
Three years of experience in protocol analysis and design for Wireless ad hoc networks: IEEE 802.11 MAC and Routing (DSR, AODV and OLSR), detection and prevention of attacks in wireless networks, application of game theory (static and dynamic games) in Intrusion Detection, application of bidding games and auctions for improving the performance of wireless networks, design of sequential detection schemes, application of optimization methods in Intrusion Detection, cross-layer design.
Advanced knowledge of the Network Simulator Opnet: developed and applied the worst-case attack strategy in the IEEE 802.11 MAC, modified the original protocol in Opnet, compared the performance of other suboptimal attacks in the simulator and investigated the cross-layer impact of such attacks.
Advanced knowledge of Formal Methods: application in design of attack resilient protocols, verification of security properties of routing protocol components, analysis of the IEEE 802.11 MAC security properties, development of formal models of coordinated attacks.
Moderate knowledge in the Application layer analysis
PhD
in Electrical and Computer Engineering (April 2007.)
University of Maryland, College Park
Thesis title: Intrusion Detection for Defense at the MAC and Routing Layers of Wireless Networks
[pdf]
Advisor: John S. Baras
M. S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (December 2002.)
University of Maryland, College Park
Thesis title: Detection and Classification of Network Intrusions Using Hidden Markov Models [pdf]
Advisor: John S. Baras
Dipl. Ing. (December 1999.)
University of Belgrade, Serbia
Department of
Telecommunications, Electronics and Control
Thesis title: Future transport network architectures
Advisor: Zoran Petrovic
| DoCoMo Communications Laboratories USA, Palo Alto, CA |
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Research Engineer |
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October 2007 - present |
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| Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland at College Park |
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| Research Associate |
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June - October 2007 |
Research Associate with the Institute for Systems Research.
I am currently participating in two
projects:
• Resilient Cooperative Intrusion Detection Systems
• Formal Models for Coordinated Attacks
The goal of my research is to establish performance bounds of protocol participants in wireless ad hoc networks in the presence of Byzantine adversaries by applying a combination of game theory, optimization and trust establishment. The current focus of research is investigation of performance of the Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) protocol and trade-offs involved in the presence of Byzantine adversaries. The second project focuses on modeling coordinated attacks in wireless ad hoc networks, establishing their performance bounds and trade-offs involved. |
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| Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland at College Park |
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| Graduate Research Assistant |
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August 2000 - June 2007 |
Graduate Research Assistantship with the Institute for Systems Research. Conducted research in areas of multicast routing protocols, wireless ad-hoc networks and power control algorithms.
Investigated the problem of detection and classification of known and unknown attacks in wired networks. Developed models based on Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) for off-line detection of known and unknown attacks. Extended the framework with Finite State Machine (FSM) models and applied them for on-line detection of known attacks by extending the UCSB STAT software package with the proposed FSM models. The work was later extended for detection of wormhole attacks in wireless networks with low mobility.
Application of game theory for security analysis in wireless networks. Applied min-max approach for deriving the worst-case attack instances in the IEEE 802.11 MAC. Derived a scheme for quickest detection of such attacks and proved its optimality over all other approaches. Extended the proposed framework for the case of coordinated attacks and proved its optimality and efficiency by mathematical analysis and simulation. The proposed framework was extended by addressing the above mentioned problems using the information-theoretic approach which was later applied for analysis of effects of MAC layer misbehavior on the Network Layer.
Current research interests include development of Cooperative Intrusion Detection Systems for improving resilience against Byzantine attacks and application of Formal Models for proving security properties of resilient Intrusion Detection Systems. |
| Institut Eurecom, Sophia Antipolis, France |
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| Summer internship |
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June - August 2001. |
Worked under the supervision of Prof. Christian Bonnet in Mobile Communications Department on the project "Adaptive power-aware metric in mobile ad-hoc networks". I investigated energy efficient routing protocols in ad hoc networks with emphasis on power control. We investigated energy constraints of wireless ad hoc networks and evaluated several metrics and their performances. A new power-cost efficient algorithm with improved network lifetime and lifetime of nodes in the network was proposed.
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Environments: Unix, MS-, NT-, X-Windows, Linux
Languages: C++, C, Haskell, Perl
Testing tools: UPPAAL, Spin, Prism, Modelica, TestMaster
Software packages: Matlab, Mathematica, OPNET
Prof. John S. Baras
Prof. Virgil Gligor
Prof. Gang Qu
Prof. Carlos Berenstein
Additional references available upon request.