Project description DEENESFRITPL Enhancing IoT security with binary analysis The rapid pace of digitalisation and the transition to the Internet of Things (IoT) has resulted in a significant number of legacy devices connected to the internet. Despite the many benefits of this transition, it has also made both legacy devices and the IoT more susceptible to digital crime due to the lack of available solutions. Funded by the European Research Council, the BASTION project aims to address this issue by developing a research programme focusing on binary analysis techniques. The project aims to produce novel methods and technologies that can improve security within the IoT. To achieve this, it will design several useful technologies and methods focusing on software to provide crucial data for binary analysis-based security solutions. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective We are in the midst of the shift towards the Internet of Things (IoT), where more and more (legacy) devices are connected to the Internet and communicate with each other. This paradigm shift brings new security challenges and unfortunately many current security solutions are not applicable anymore, e.g. because of a lack of clear network boundaries or resource-constrained devices. However, security plays a central role: In addition to its classical function in protecting against manipulation and fraud, it also enables novel applications and innovative business models. We propose a research program that leverages binary analysis techniques to improve the security within the IoT. We concentrate on the software level since this enables us to both analyze a given device for potential security vulnerabilities and add security features to harden the device against future attacks. More specifically, we concentrate on the firmware (i.e. the combination of persistent memory together with program code and data that powers such devices) and develop novel mechanism for binary analysis of such software. We design an intermediate language to abstract away from the concrete assembly level and this enables an analysis of many different platforms within a unified analysis framework. We transfer and extend program analysis techniques such as control-/data-flow analysis or symbolic execution and apply them to our IL. Given this novel toolset, we can analyze security properties of a given firmware image (e.g. uncovering undocumented functionality and detecting memory corruption or logical vulnerabilities,). We also explore how to harden a firmware by retrofitting security mechanisms (e.g. adding control-flow integrity or automatically eliminating unnecessary functionality). This research will deepen our fundamental understanding of binary analysis methods and apply it to a novel area as it lays the foundations of performing this analysis on the level of intermediate languages. Fields of science engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternetinternet of thingsnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresocial sciencessociologysocial issuescorruptionnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer security Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-StG-2014 - ERC Starting Grant Call for proposal ERC-2014-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Coordinator RUHR-UNIVERSITAET BOCHUM Net EU contribution € 1 472 268,75 Address Universitaetsstrasse 150 44801 Bochum Germany See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Arnsberg Bochum, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all RUHR-UNIVERSITAET BOCHUM Germany Net EU contribution € 1 472 268,75 Address Universitaetsstrasse 150 44801 Bochum See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Arnsberg Bochum, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
