Security analysis of open-source software

Overview

Several open-source projects drive modern-day IT applications. However, some open-source projects get compromised by malicious attackers, who include malware to the code to compromise the security of the application users.

This project will investigate approaches for securing the open-source software.

Research activities

Research questions:

1. How to analyze the security of open-source software written in multiple programming languages?
2. How can we apply machine learning to classify risky open-source software?

We have a dataset of open-source software. You are expected to focus on the following issues:

• investigate the literature on open-source software and its security
• work with the project supervisor to develop a design for securing open-source software.

The project has many research opportunities within the context of open-source security. We can discuss and decide on a specific research question based on the candidate's interests.

Outcomes

We plan to write a research article describing the findings of this work. This project has immense potential for both the industry and the research community if the research activities are carried out diligently.

Skills and experience

You should have:

• a willingness to work on new areas and challenging problems in cybersecurity
• a desire to read papers
• an interest in designing software (desirable)
• the ability to code in Python (desirable)

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

• cybersecurity
• software security
• open-source software

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.