Thank you for your interest in my research group at the University of Maryland. My group is broadly interested in software security, cyber-physical systems security (e.g., autonomous cars and unmanned aerial vehicles), and computer systems.

<aside> 💡 We have 2-4 available positions for Ph.D., post-docs, and visiting researchers and a few positions for masters and undergraduate students.

</aside>

We conduct research on securing critical software systems. In particular, we aim to directly benefit society, making a practical impact. A few instances are listed below:

1. We build automated testing systems that have identified many vulnerabilities in ✈️ drone swarms [📄 SwarmFlawFinder], 🚘 autonomous driving cars [📄 DriveFuzz], and 🌐 web applications [📄 SynthDB, 📄 BFTDetector]. ⇒ We find and help fix vulnerabilities, securing software systems.
2. We develop practical forensic techniques that make previously difficult tasks possible. PyFET [📄 PyFET] transforms 🐍 Python binaries failed to be decompiled to decompilable ones. C2SR [📄 C2SR] ↩️ reconstructs sophisticated cyber attack executions leveraging state-of-the-art record and replay techniques. ⇒ We enable previously impossible forensic tasks (e.g., reverse engineering).
3. We develop a program analysis technique (called forced or counterfactual execution) for 👨‍💻 malware analysis, 🥷 discovering hidden malicious code [📄 MalMax, 📄 J-Force]. ⇒ We analyze advanced malware that previous techniques failed to do.
4. We propose a novel information flow tracking technique that helped 🥷 identify information leakages in real-world applications under advanced cyber attacks [📄 LDX, 📄 MCI]. ⇒ Our technique precisely catches information flows on complex real-world systems that previous techniques failed to do.

→ Candidate Qualification

I am excited to work with motivated applicants who (1) are committed to top-notch research, (2) have a solid background in system programming, and (3) have experience with building and debugging large software systems.

Applicants with research experience in software security, reverse engineering, cyber-physical systems , compilers , operating systems, and software engineering will be given priority. The group is also interested in providing a more diverse environment, welcoming any minority (in all aspects).

→ How to Apply

If you are a UMD student (Undergraduate, Master, and Ph.D. Students),

• **Please fill out this form.**
• Please take my course to get a rough idea of software security in general.

If you are not a UMD student who wants to pursue Ph.D.,

• **Please fill out this form.**
• Apply to the ECE (or CS) Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland.
• In your application, please mention “Yonghwi Kwon” as a potential adviser.

If you are interested in doing a post-doc, research scientist, or visiting researcher with me.

• **Please fill out this form.**