Teaching

Technische Universität Darmstadt

  • "Privacy by Design" seminar (WS 2015/16)
  • "Privacy-Enhancing Technologies" seminar (WS 2016/17)
  • "Project Lab Security Engineering" practical / internship course (WS 2016/17)
  • "Privacy by Design" seminar (SS 2017)
  • "Project Lab Security Engineering" practical / internship course (SS 2017)
  • "Privacy-Enhancing Technologies" seminar (WS 2017/18)
  • "Project Lab Security Engineering" practical / internship course (WS 2017/18)
  • "Privacy by Design" seminar (SS 2018)
  • "Project Lab Security Engineering" practical / internship course (SS 2018)
  • "Privacy-Enhancing Technologies" seminar (WS 2018/19)
  • "Project Lab Security Engineering" practical / internship course (WS 2018/19)
  • "Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (WS 2018/19)
  • "Bachelor's Internship" practical / internship course (WS 2018/19)

Universität Passau

  • "Computer Architecture" exercises (SS 2019)
  • "Technical Computer Science" exercises (WS 2019/20)
  • "Hardware-Based Security" exercises (WS 2019/20)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (WS 2019/20)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (SS 2020)
  • "Computer Architecture" exercises (SS 2020)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (WS 2020/21)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (WS 2020/21)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (SS 2021)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (SS 2021)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (WS 2021/22)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (WS 2021/22)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (SS 2022)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (SS 2022)
  • "Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (SS 2022)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (WS 2022/23)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (WS 2022/23)
  • "Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (WS 2022/23)
  • "Advanced Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (SS 2023)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (SS 2023)
  • "Security Engineering Lab" practical / internship course (SS 2023)
  • "Master Seminar Security Engineering" seminar (WS 2023/24)
  • "IoT Security: Security Solutions for the Internet of Things" lecture (SS 2024)
  • "Introduction to Microelectronics: From Silicon to Computer Components" lecture (SS 2024)
  • "Seminar on Hardware Security Solutions for the Internet of Things" seminar (WS 2024/25)

Supervised Theses

  • Kashif Jawed: "An Investigation and Implementation for the Effect of Row Hammering in Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2016. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Sebastian Schurig: "Development of a User Interface and Implementation of Specific Software Tools for the Evaluation and Realization of PUFs With Respect to Security Applications", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2017. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Prankur Chauhan: "Improvement and Integration of Software Tools for the Evaluation and Realization of Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) Into an Open-Source Library of Cryptographic Components (CogniCrypt)", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2017. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Ravi Sarangdhar: "An Investigation of the Effects of Radiation on Current Key Storage Solutions and on Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) Being Used as Key Storage", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2017. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Saad Ahmad: "Using Physical Unclonable Functions for Data-Link Layer Authenticity Verification to Mitigate Attacks on IEEE 802.11ad Beam Training", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2018. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Umair Muhammad Saleem: "Flash-Based Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) Using Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) NAND Flash Memory", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2018. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Ratika Sharma: "Effects of Voltage Variation on Memory-Based Physical Unclonable Functions", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2018. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Stephanie Senjuty Bartsch: "An Investigation of the Effects of Temperature-Based Aging on DRAM Retention-Based PUFs", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2019. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Bassel Hanna: "PUF-Based Authentication Web-Server", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2019. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Iratxe González Garrido: "Improving the Security of IOTA Car Wallets", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2020. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Sergej Reißig: "Testing the Spatial Correlation of Weak Memory-Based PUFs", Technical University of Darmstadt, 2020. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Michal Slezak: "Implementation and Security Evaluation of Advanced Reconfigurable PUFs", University of Passau, 2020. (M. Sc. Thesis)
  • Daniel Schaubschläger: "Lightweight Power-Supply-Noise-Based True Random Number Generator", University of Passau, 2020. (B.Sc. Thesis)
  • Sampada Diwanji: "A Single Sign-On System Based on Physical Unclonable Functions", University of Passau, 2020. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Rine Rajendran: "Testing the Capabilities of Machine Learning for Classification in Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs)", University of Passau, 2021. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Vinoth Kumar Adusumilli Govindarajulu: "Low-Temperature Data Remanence Attacks Against External SRAM PUFs", University of Passau, 2021. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Nishanth Kandaswamy Subramanian: "Development of Accurate 2D & 3D Curve-Fitting Models to Study the Characteristics of Power Magnetics and Capacitors", University of Passau, 2021. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Nico Mexis: "Fuzzy Extractors unter Einsatz von Low-Density Parity-Check Codes", University of Passau, 2021. (B.Sc. Thesis)
  • Emiliia Nazarenko: "Implementation and Investigation of a Real-World Stream Encryption Mechanism Based on Synchronised Chua Chaotic Circuits", University of Passau, 2021. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Shashi Kumar Ravula: "An Extended Single-Sign-On (SSO) System Incorporating Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs)", University of Passau, 2022. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Tanja Schaier: "Auswirkung künstlicher Alterung auf den DRAM PUF", University of Passau, 2022. (B.Sc. Thesis)
  • Nico Mexis: "A Comprehensive Comparison of Fuzzy Extractor Schemes Employing Different Error Correction Codes", University of Passau, 2023. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Aleena Elsa George: "Implementation and Investigation of a Real-World Stream Encryption Mechanism Based on Synchronized Lorenz Chaotic Circuits", University of Passau, 2023. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Mariam Elsharif, "Authentication of DRAM PUFs Using Random Forest Machine Learning", University of Passau, 2024. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • El Mehdi Bahoum, "Testing Temperature-Dependent Resistors as Physical Unclonable Functions", University of Passau, 2024. (M.Sc. Thesis)
  • Panagiotis Kessanidis, "Comparison of Two Different Resistive Random-Access Memories Acting as True Random Number Generators Under Varying Temperatures", University of Passau, 2024. (B.Sc. Thesis)
  • Abdelwahed Rebhi, "Enhancing and Securing Smart Vehicles Charging: A Refined Proof-of-Concept Implementation Using IoTeX Technology", University of Passau, 2024. (M.Sc. Thesis)

Open thesis topics:

  • Implementing/Testing/Examining a secure/trusted network for cyber-physical systems-of-systems, with PUF-based IDs/addresses (e.g. Default WiFi password generation using PUFs)
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining an Advanced Reconfigurable Physical Unclonable Function
    • By combining PUFs and the repetitive use of fast lightweight HMACs and their feedback
    • By combining multiple PUFs together
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining a DRAM PUF (of any type) on an Android device
  • Testing the entropy of strong PUFs through the correlation of their responses
  • Testing the aging of Flash PUFs
  • Examining/Testing/Implementing a PUF-based system realising 802.1ar
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining an advanced encryption scheme based on chaos (SRAM) and PUFs
  • Examining/Testing/Implementing optical fiber PUFs
  • Examining/Testing/Implementing chaos using SRAMs
  • Examining/Testing/Implementing external SRAM PUFs
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining an SRAM latency-based PUF
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining external DRAM PUFs connected to the Raspberry Pi (https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=114326)
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining chaotic circuits and chaos-based secure communication
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining new applications of PUFs
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining time-based authentication for embedded devices
  • Secure updates using PUFs
  • Testing sensors as PUFs
  • Testing ML as PUF ECC
  • Analog PUF implementation
  • Enhancing the Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) mechanism for LoRa networks
  • CNT PUF digitisation
  • ECC side channels
  • FPGA side channels
  • GUI and backend for PUF-related software
  • Security protocols
  • Side channel attacks against PUFs and PUF-related error-correction code

Already taken thesis topics:

  • Implementing/Testing/Examining a PUF-based secure/trusted network for cyber-physical systems-of-systems, either with PUF-based encryption
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining an Advanced Reconfigurable Physical Unclonable Function
    • By combining PUFs and repetitive hashing, other than HMACs
    • By combining PUFs and reshuffling data structures (e.g. trees)
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining a fuzzy extractor scheme based on the Reed-Muller OR the Reed-Solomon Error Correction Code
  • Testing the aging of DRAM retention-based OR of Flash PUFs
  • Testing the spatial correlation of weak memory-based PUFs
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining a PUF-based Single Sign-On System
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining a DRAM PUF on the Raspberry Pi
  • Implementing/Testing/Examining (general chaos) power supply-based random number generator
  • Comparison of ECCs

Please contact us with a short/brief CV that demonstrates your strong points related to the thesis topics you are interested in (e.g. potential experience with hardware, potential work in error correction codes, previous scientific publications, good knowledge of C, or Python, or English, etc.), as well as with your grades list (or grade average).

If you have a rather bad academic record (average grade (in the German grading system) 3.5 or higher) and/or you are in the last semester possible for your studies (8th semester or higher) and/or you cannot keep up with deadlines even when these are extended by more than a month and/or you still need to pass at least 4 or more courses in the semester you will be working on your thesis in order to graduate, please do not contact me and rather contact directly the Board of Examiners for a thesis.

Please note that if you get registered and your work after your deadline is over (typically 3 or 6 months) is inadequate, you will fail. Therefore, you are getting registered at your own risk.

Please also feel free to suggest a topic of your own. All theses can be supervised in collaboration with a Ph.D. student who is a native speaker of German. Most of the topics are also potentially available as Praktikum/Lab topics (12 ECTS).

Additionally, please do note that in order to have your day-to-day thesis work supervised and supported by me, we will need to be communicating regularly. During this communication, you may be asked personal questions or questions that may be perceived by you as personal, to the extent strictly necessary for being appropriately advised on your studies and academic achievements. In case you perceive anything in my behaviour, questions, or actions as potentially offensive or inappropriate, you are highly recommended to raise this issue with me at that point in time, so that any potential misunderstandings can be avoided. Common examples may include the time of our meetings, the environment of our meetings, and/or our postures during a meeting.

Furthermore, if you regularly cannot make it to meetings due to family obligations (e.g. having to meet a relative in a different city, having moved to another city/country), please do expect to be asked about your family, in the context of such family obligations and how they may be affecting your thesis. Moreover, if you mention that health issues, family issues, employment issues, issues with your partner, financial issues, etc., may affect your thesis, please do expect to be asked about these issues, especially in the context of trying to offer you appropriate advice on handling such issues.

Finally, over the course of work, some level of small talk may arise, e.g. you may be asked where you come from, what that place may look like, etc. In case you find such small talk inappropriate, please feel free not to answer such questions, and let me know that you find this inappropriate. In any case, common sense is advised, in order to avoid misunderstandings. In the same way that your raising potential personal issues will not be perceived as offensive, you are also asked to immediately raise with me any concerns you may have about our interaction, in order for them to be properly addressed. If, for any reason, you cannot operate within such a framework, please do not contact me. In any case, however, if highly inappropriate behaviour or repeated inappropriateness occurs, further action may, of course, be taken.

Mentoring prospective Ph.D. students

  • Khaled Sassi
  • Yaman Qendah