Title: Protecting Your Code: Navigating the Landscape of Software Security

Speaker: Michele Ianni, University of Calabria

Date: February 28, 14h00

Where: FCUL, room C6.3.27

Abstract: Software security is a crucial issue in today’s digital world, with numerous malicious activities threatening the confidentiality of code. In order to mitigate these risks, various methods have been proposed to protect the software industry from reverse engineering, code stealing, and tampering, among others. One such method is the use of obfuscation, which is a set of techniques that alter the form of a software without changing its semantics. This makes the process of reverse engineering more challenging and provides a level of protection for valuable code.

However, it is important to note that obfuscation can also be used for malicious purposes, such as hiding malicious functionality within seemingly legitimate programs. In particular, the field of malware benefits greatly from obfuscation, as it allows malware writers to create variations of their malicious software that evade detection by anti-virus programs.

In addition to obfuscation, software watermarking and the use of Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) are also crucial approaches to protect code confidentiality. These methods aim to provide a comprehensive solution to the challenge of code protection and security, making software a secure and protected asset.

In this talk, we will explore software security and code confidentiality, focusing on obfuscation, software watermarking, and TEEs. We will discuss the challenges of protecting code and the benefits of using these methods to make software a secure asset.

Short Bio: Michele Ianni is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Modeling, Electronic and System Engineering (DIMES) of the University of Calabria, Italy.

He received the Ph.D. degree in Information and Communication Technologies from the University of Calabria, Italy, in 2018. During his Ph.D. He was a visiting researcher in SecLab, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Previously, He was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Calabria, Italy and at the University of Verona, Italy.

His main research interests include Binary Analysis and Exploitation, Obfuscation, Watermarking, Malware, Trusted Execution Environments and IoT Security.