S4:E5 - Apple AirTag Security Concerns, a Deep Neural Network Hack, an Oil Pipeline Cyber Attack, and a Shortage of Semiconductors

DevNews

In this episode, we talk about Apple’s AirTag security concerns, a US oil pipeline cyber attack and shutdown, and a shortage in semiconductors. Then we chat with Sanghyun Hong and Yigitcan Kaya Ph.D. students in Computer Science at the University of Maryland College Park, and co-authors of a research paper about how hackers could make AI networks consume much more energy than they already do.

Show Notes

• DevDiscuss (sponsor)
• CodeNewbie (sponsor)
• Avalanche (sponsor)
• Review | Apple’s AirTag trackers made it frighteningly easy to ‘stalk’ me in a test
• A German security researcher claims he was able to break into the microcontroller of Apple's AirTag, allowing him to modify its NFC URL
• Here’s the hacking group responsible for the Colonial Pipeline shutdown
• Biden Plans an Order to Strengthen Cyberdefenses. Will It Be Enough?
• The Chip Shortage Keeps Getting Worse. Why Can’t We Just Make More?
• A Panda? No, It's a Sloth: Slowdown Attacks on Adaptive Multi-Exit Neural Network Inference

Sanghyun Hong

Sanghyun's research interests lie at the intersection of computer security and machine learning. His current research focus is to study the computational properties of DNNs from a systems security perspective. He was invited as a speaker at USENIX Enigma'21, where he talked about practical hardware attacks on deep learning. He is also a recipient of the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship.

Yigitcan Kaya

Yigitcan Kaya is a fourth year PhD student at University of Maryland. His research focus is on security risks and vulnerabilities of deep learning models, such as their sensitivity to malicious inputs or their tendency to memorize and leak private information. In the past, being inspired by neuroscience, he identified the overthinking problem in neural networks then proposed a generic solution to this problem.