News

How to Make AI Less of a Power Guzzler

Research by Mosharaf Chowdhury is cited as a powerful tool for reducing energy waste during LLM training in this article discussing the environmental impact of AI.

How Geoblocking Limits Digital Access in Sanctioned States

Geoblocking and internet censorship are problems in many regions around the world. In this piece on censorship in Cuba co-authored by Prof. Roya Ensafi, PhD student Anna Ablove, and Prof. Harry Oppenheimer from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the authors describe how digital equality is about not just differences in infrastructure and censorship but also whether websites themselves allow users to access their platforms.

Despite reassurances, election security risks continue to mount

Prof. J. Alex Halderman is profiled in this piece on Philadephia-region PBS affiliate WHYY. The interview summarizes Halderman’s background as a security researcher and interviews him on the details of the vulnerabilities that exist in our election infrastructure.

False claims about machines “switching” votes are going viral. Here’s what to know.

As viral claims about “switching” votes circulate, experts have said that there is no evidence of machines being hacked or programmed to alter ballots in an actual election. However, the “gold standard protection” for Americans are hand-marked paper ballots, according to Prof. J. Alex Halderman.

Validation and verification for elections

In this episode of the Michigan Minds podcast, J. Alex Halderman—Bredt Family Professor of Engineering and director of the Center for Computer Security and Society—discusses weak points in the U.S. electoral system and how to fix them, as well as the results of investigations following the 2020 election.

Inside Georgia’s effort to secure voting machines as experts raise concerns

Prof. J. Alex Halderman is interviewed in the PBS News Hour segment on the security of battleground state Georgia’s ballot marking devices (BMD) voting machines. Halderman points to scenarios that include some of the most sophisticated adversaries in the world, backed by foreign governments such as Russia, China, or Iran.

Russia to spend over half a billion dollars to bolster internet censorship system

Researchers at the Censored Planet Lab, led by Prof. Roya Ensafi, have characterized TSPU, a Russian government developed system for controlling and censoring internet content inside the country. Censored Planet has monitored Russian censorship activities for nine years.

Expert shows how to tamper with Georgia voting machine in security trial

This article describes a courtroom demonstration given by Prof. J. Alex Halderman on how votes can be quickly changed on Georgia’s voting machines.

Trump allies seek to co-opt coming election-security case to bolster 2020 lie

This article describes work done by Prof. J. Alex Halderman which describes how malware-infected voting machines could change votes without detection. Allies of former president Trump have wrongfully said that this work supports their claim that the 2020 election was stolen, whereas Halderman has repeatedly said he has found no evidence of wrongdoing – only vulnerabilities that could at some point be exploited.

Is Georgia’s election system constitutional? A federal judge will decide in trial

Prof. J. Alex Halderman’s report on voting security vulnerabilities is referenced in this article discussing the integrity of Georgia’s election system.

Cloud and consequences: Internet censorship data enters the transformation age

A blog post discussing Prof. Roya Ensafi’s work with the Censored Planet Observatory to transform the way we analyze censorship data.

Shining a light in the dark: Measuring global internet shutdowns

This blog post discusses Prof. Roya Ensafi’s work with the Censored Planet Observatory to measure and track government censorship on the internet and then make that data publicly accessible.

Should I Get a Smart Lock for My House, or Stick With a Deadbolt?

In this article on the pluses and minuses of smart locks versus traditional locks, Prof. Atul Prakash advises smart-lock users to pair those types of locks with an additional sensor that alerts the resident when the door is opened or closed, and to be aware of software security updates.

Democrats advance internet voting bill that worries security experts

Democratic lawmakers in Michigan have advanced legislation to expand internet voting overseas in a way that worries election security experts, including Prof. J. Halderman, who is quoted in this article.

Voting online is very risky. But hundreds of thousands of people are already doing it.

This article covers Michigan’s bill that would expand internet voting to military members’ families. Prof. J. Alex Halderman, who opposes internet voting, is quoted.

Making your phone screen blurry could stop people snooping on you

This article discusses Eye-Shield, a screen protection system designed by Prof. Kang G. Shin and PhD student Brian Tang that can prevent people from reading your phone from a distance while still remaining legible up close.

Researchers tout Battery Sleuth technology as disruption in vehicle security

This article highlights Battery Sleuth, a technology developed by Kevin and Nancy O’Connor Professor of Computer Science Kang G. Shin and Prof. Liang He at University of Colorado Denver that could represent a new, more secure approach to vehicle security.

U-M researchers studying ‘Battery Sleuth’ that could protect your car from being stolen

In the WXYZ-TV Detroit news segment, Kevin and Nancy O’Connor Professor of Computer Science Kang G. Shin is interviewed about Battery Sleuth, which provides a simple way to thwart hackers aiming to steal cars.

From a lab in Ann Arbor, fighting internet censorship around the world

This in-depth profile spotlights Prof. Roya Ensafi, her motivations, and the work she is doing to defend and open internet.

A Surprisingly Simple Way to Foil Car Thieves

The Communications of the ACM has highlighted news from U-M on Battery Sleuth, a technology developed by Kevin and Nancy O’Connor Professor of Computer Science Kang G. Shin and his collaborators that provides a simple way to thwart hackers aiming to steal cars.

Old-tech solution may protect high-tech car in new ways from auto hacking, theft

The Detroit Free Press discusses Battery Sleuth, the vehicle security system developed by Prof. Kang G. Shin and his team that uses the auxiliary power outlet to help safeguard cars from hacking and other forms of mishap and theft.

The case against allowing internet voting in Michigan

This articles discusses continuing security concerns surrounding online voting, citing Prof. J. Alex Halderman’s research and his team’s ability to hack the District of Columbia’s internet voting pilot program in a matter of hours in 2010.

Critics blast Georgia’s plan to delay software updates on its voting machines

Experts, including Prof. J. Alex Halderman, respond to Georgia’s decision to wait until after the 2024 election to update its voting machine software.

Court unseals long-awaited election security reports

A report by Prof. J. Alex Halderman on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of election machines in Georgia has been released, citing significant security flaws in the state’s voting technology.

Georgia won’t update vulnerable Dominion software until after 2024 election

State officials say election machines won’t be updated until after 2024, despite warnings about security flaws in a report by CSE Prof. J. Alex Halderman released this week.

Researchers at UMich find a way to reduce the energy consumed by AI

The Michigan Daily discusses Zeus, an open-source framework designed in the lab of Mosharaf Chowdhury to analyze and optimize the energy efficiency of training AI

Security concerns raised over internet voting for Michigan military spouses

Prof. J. Alex Halderman is quoted regarding security concerns related to Michigan’s proposed new system for allowing electronic ballot return for deployed military members.

Meet the brains behind the world’s first fully remote global censorship observatory

Sloan Research Fellow and Morris Wellman Faculty Development Professor Roya Ensafi has been profiled on the Sloan Foundation’s blog for her work in combatting internet censorship and surveillance.

I Got Investigated by the Secret Service. Here’s How to Not Be Me

Prof. Roya Ensafi is quoted in this piece on Wired about the role of ISPs in government surveillance, and how useful technologies like VPNs are in safeguarding privacy.

Learning How U.S. Consumers Perceive and Use VPNs

Prof. Roya Ensafi and Consumer Reports Security Planner Yael Grauer authored this piece on attitudes of U.S.-based users toward VPNs, and the widespread misconceptions of how they work.

Advocates seek federal investigation of multistate effort to copy voting software

The Washington Post references Prof. J. Alex Halderman’s security assessment of Georgia’s ballot marking devices in an article about recent efforts to copy sensitive voting software in several states.

‘Data-rich, resource-poor.’ Why Michigan schools can be a ‘soft target’ for ransomware attacks

Prof. Paul Grubbs discusses the ins and outs of ransomware attacks, which recently targeted South Redford School District in Michigan.

Nearly every election-denying secretary of state candidate lost

In this summary article, Prof. J. Alex Halderman is quoted regarding people’s expectations around voting machines.

Will Election Deniers Again Try to Access Voting Systems?

There’s no evidence that votes have been tampered with, but a case in Georgia suggests a particular potential vulnerability. Prof. J. Alex Halderman discusses the issue with The New Yorker.

The Vulnerabilities of our Voting Machines, and How to Secure Them

The security of voting remains a huge topic of concern. Prof. J. Alex Halderman talks with The New Yorker Radio Hour about his experience analyzing American voting machines and where the risks stand today.

Are virtual private networks actually private?

A joint project with Prof. Roya Ensafi and Arizona State University works to protect internet freedom and digital security by revealing vulnerabilities in VPN technology.

Apps can pose bigger security, privacy threat based on where you download them

According to a study led by PhD student Renuka Kumar, the same app can pose different different risks if you download it in, say, Tunisia rather than in Germany.

‘Absolutely terrifying prospect’: How the midterms could weaken U.S. election security

Prof. J. Alex Halderman discusses the prospect of voting system audits opening key states open to attacks and hackers in Politico.

Democratizing Automation: UiPath and University of Michigan Join Efforts

Prof. Xinyu Wang has a goal of building fundamental intelligent programming techniques that are useful in practice, and is supported by UiPath as he works toward his vision of democratizing automation so that more and more people around the world can automate their tedious tasks.

GOP operatives’ troubling trend of copying election systems

GOP operatives have made efforts to copy sensitive voting information in a number of states, including in Michigan. Computer security experts have noted that this creates new security risks. This data would often include “object code,” or the language that allows machines to understand the underlying source code, said Prof. J. Alex Halderman, which is mostly straightforward to reverse-engineer.

How ‘Stop the Steal’ Captured the American Right

Prof. J. Alex Halderman is quoted in the New York Times Magazine regarding the balance between credible election security threats and misinformation.

No evidence of exploitation of Dominion voting machine flaws, CISA finds

The federal government has found no evidence that flaws in Dominion voting machines have ever been exploited, including in the 2020 election. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s five-page advisory is based in part on an analysis and report by Prof. J. Alex Halderman

Plot to Overturn the Election

A new PBS Frontline documentary on 2020 election misinformation features commentary by Prof. J. Alex Halderman, election security expert and author of a major report on purported 2020 election fraud in one Michigan county.

New legislation could bring mobile voting to the District

Prof. J. Alex Halderman says that standards for voting should be higher – “it’s phenomenally retrograde to consider Internet voting in the present moment.”

New legislation could bring mobile voting to the District

New proposed legislation could bring mobile voting to Washington DC. Prof. J. Alex Halderman comments on why we may not be ready for this.

Feds oppose immediate release of voting machine report

A federal cybersecurity agency is reviewing a report under seal by Prof. J. Alex Halderman that indicates security vulnerabilities exist in voting machines used by Georgia and other states. Halderman has advocated to make his findings public in a limited and responsible way so that problems could be addressed.

Are voting machines too vulnerable to hacking? Georgia’s having that debate

Prof. J. Alex Halderman found multiple vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to install malicious software and undermine elections in a special report on Georgia’s voting machines.

The Catch-22 of Addressing Election Security

Prof. J. Alex Halderman comments on election security vulnerabilities versus current threats to the democratic process in this article that asks the question: How do politicians contend with the weaknesses in the voting system without fueling baseless claims of election fraud?

Keeping hackers out of our medical devices

As the FDA’s resident expert in medical device security, Prof. Kevin Fu oversees efforts to fortify devices that can be compromised or exploited during a security breach. He spoke with Politico about his efforts.

A New Report on VPNs Shows They’re Often a Mixed Bag for Privacy

Consumer Reports recently reviewed a variety of virtual private networks with the help of VPNalyzer, a tool developed in Prof. Roya Ensafi’s lab.

Could Ordinary Household Objects Be Used To Spy On You?

How the physics of sound helped test the possibilities of indirect surveillance. Prof. Kevin Fu explores the risks & opportunities of side-channel surveillance tech in Science Friday.

Governments are finding new ways to squash free expression online

Work by Prof. Roya Ensafi and the Censored Planet Lab has helped to identify the use of new censorship technology in Russia.

Russia Is Censoring the Internet, With Coercion and Black Boxes

Work by Prof. Roya Ensafi and the Censored Planet Lab was cited in a New York Times report on the growing use of new censorship technology in Russia

Election Security Problems Still Must Be Addressed | Opinion

Prof. J. Alex Halderman co-authored an op-ed for Newsweek on how disinformation is inhibiting legitimate and necessary election security reforms.

Experts call for rigorous audit to protect California recall

Work by Prof. J. Alex Halderman was cited by a group of election security experts calling on California’s top election official to take an additional step to protect the upcoming gubernatorial recall.

G.O.P. Election Reviews Create a New Kind of Security Threat

Election security experts, such as Prof. J. Alex Halderman, are concerned about the security risks that are being introduced as non-election officials are granted broad access to voting equipment.

Experts: False claims on voting machines obscure real flaws

In an interview with the Washington Post, Prof. J. Alex Halderman reminds readers that real security flaws in voting systems do exist – even if they’ve been obscured by false claims.

Computer security personnel need tools, training to assist survivors of intimate partner violence

Customer support personnel at computer security companies are not sufficiently prepared to handle cases involving intimate partner violence. U-M PhD students Yixin Zou and Allison McDonald and Prof. Florian Schaub examined where training falls short in helping IPV survivors and what can be done to address the deficits.

Hacker lexicon: what is a side channel attack?

Computers constantly give off more information than you might realize—which hackers can use to pry out their secrets. Prof. Dan Genkin gives perspective to Wired.

Trump Says More Countries Should Ban Twitter: ‘Perhaps I Should Have Done It While I Was President’

In this article, Prof. Roya Ensafi comments on how the June 2018 repeal of net neutrality in the U.S. has set the stage for potentially blocking websites nationwide.

Putin Finds Ally in China’s TikTok in Crackdown on Critics

Russia is now pioneering a “landmark” approach to censorship that relies on both pressuring platforms to police their own content and an innovative use of technology to ensure they comply, according to Roya Ensafi, the founder of the Censored Planet lab.

Academics: Russia deployed new technology to throttle Twitter’s traffic

The Censored Planet project, from the lab of Prof. Roya Ensafi, published a study explaining some of the details about the slowdown of Twitter in Russia.

Michigan expert debunks infamous report on Antrim County election as ‘meaningless’

A report released by Prof. J. Alex Halderman says the much-discussed December 2020 report by supporters of Donald Trump on election results in Antrim County “contains an extraordinary number of false, inaccurate or unsubstantiated statements.”

U of Mich. computer science prof: no fraud in Antrim Co. 2020 election

A 54-page report authored by Prof. J. Alex Halderman who analyzed Antrim County’s 2020 election results, found initial mistakes were the result of human error and that certified results of the presidential contest were accurate.

Winner of NSA’s 8th Annual Best Scientific Cybersecurity Research Paper Competition

The National Security Agency’s Research Directorate selected “Spectre Attacks: Exploiting Speculative Execution” as the winner of its 8th Annual Best Cybersecurity Research Paper competition. Prof. Daniel Genkin is one of the authors.

Human error, Dominion voting equipment fuel false fraud claims in Michigan

“It was ultimately a human error.” J. Alex Halderman discusses claims of voting irregularities in the state of Michigan.

Leading Cybersecurity Expert Applauds Michigan Election Security Measures

“Good election results take time,” says Alex Halderman, co-chair of the Michigan Election Security Advisory Commission.

How Election Tech Could Create a Recount Nightmare

Most election-tech equipment is the intellectual property of the companies that make it — meaning a contested election could get even more complicated according to experts including J. Alex Halderman.

Michigan elections vulnerable to hacks but not as much as others, report says

Michigan’s Election Security Advisory Commission, co-chaired by J. Alex Halderman, released a report on Thursday detailing a host of potential problems on Election Day, including cyberattacks from foreign states, software problems and power outages.

How secure are Michigan elections? Quietly released report shines light

While exerts tout the security of Michigan’s elections, multiple reforms crafted by an advisory commission have not yet been fully implemented.

Will Georgia’s new voting machines solve election problems — or make them worse?

Prof. J. Alex Halderman participates in a conversion about whether the latest voting technology being used in Georgia provides a stronger defense against meddling than the traditional paper ballot.

US blocks Hong Kong users from some government websites

Sites hosting economic data have been inaccessible to users in the Asian financial centre for months, according to work by Prof. Roya Ensafi and her Censored Planet team.

With time short, judge mulls Georgia voting system changes

After a glitch in Georgia’s voting machines, voting integrity activists including J. Alex Halderman made a request to sideline the state’s new touchscreen voting machines in favor of hand-marked paper ballots for the November general election.

Lawyers spar over Georgia voting machine glitch, planned fix

Georgia election officials say they’re implementing a software change to fix a glitch in the state’s new voting machines. But election integrity activists, including Prof. J. Alex Halderman, say the state is downplaying the problem and putting the security of the upcoming election at risk.

COVID-19 app built at U-M helps businesses stay open

A COVID-19 symptom checklist web app developed by students in classes taught by Profs. Sugih Jamin and Elliot Soloway is helping more than 2,500 Michigan employers meet state requirements to screen employees before they enter the workplace each day.

Is Your Vote Secure in Michigan? Cybersecurity Expert Alex Halderman is Cautiously Optimistic

The notoriously pessimistic University of Michigan computer security expert says there’s a lot of positive things happening in the state

Who Gets to Vote in Florida?

“If the Russians had pulled the trigger, there would have been utter chaos on Election Day.” Prof. J. Alex Halderman talks election security in The New Yorker.

Relying on electronic voting machines puts us at risk, security expert says

How do we make elections secure? Try paper. Professor J. Alex Halderman, a security expert at the University of Michigan, explains why.

Censys, a search engine for internet devices, raises $15.5M Series A

Censys, co-founded by Prof. J. Alex Halderman, completed a round of Series A funding for $15.5M. The company will use the funding to fuel their growth in revolutionizing Attack Surface Management.

The Cybersecurity 202: DNC’s email voting plan limits hacking risk but can’t eliminate it

“What’s at stake here is the legitimacy of the [voting] process and for that reason security is still very important.” Prof. J. Alex Halderman talks to the Washington Post.

Voting amidst a pandemic

J. Alex Halderman, professor of computer science at the University of Michigan explains why e-voting systems are so risky when it comes to election security.

Delayed Election Results Could Test Social Media Companies as Never Before

The immediate gratification American voters have enjoyed for decades will likely come to an end in 2020. That’s the diagnosis of experts and academics like Prof. J. Alex Halderman.

Hacker Lexicon: What Is a Side Channel Attack?

Prof. Daniel Genkin helps to explain why side channel attacks continue to happen in this article. Genkin has been involved in identifying a number of flaws that have been vulnerable to side channel attacks, enabling attacks such as the Meltdown, Spectre, RAMBleed, and Foreshadow attacks.

Delaware Quietly Fielded An Online Voting System, But Now Is Backing Away

Delaware briefly deployed a controversial internet voting system recently but scrapped it amid concerns about security and public confidence, comments from Prof. J. Alex Halderman.

The Cybersecurity 202: Georgia’s primary debacle should sound alarm bells for November

“The wide-scale problems in Georgia are exactly what experts have been fearing.” Prof. J. Alex Halderman raises alarm about November elections based on the experience in Georgia’s primary.

Online Voting System Used in Florida and Elsewhere Has Severe Security Flaws, Researchers Find

Significant problems with Democracy Live’s OmniBallot internet voting program could result in doctored ballots as voters gear up for election season in the era of Covid-19

The Cybersecurity 202: DARPA wants hackers to try to crack its new generation of super-secure hardware

Prof. J. Alex Halderman offered recommendations for how election officials can use online voting platform OmniBallot’s technology while mitigating risk.

Amid Pandemic and Upheaval, New Cyberthreats to the Presidential Election

Fear of the coronavirus is speeding up efforts to allow voting from home, but some of them pose security risks. A new study by Prof. J. Alex Halderman identifies risks to election integrity and voter privacy on the OmniBallot platform, currently in use for the Delaware primaries and in other parts of the country.

HBO Documentary Shows The Value Of Cybersecurity In Election Security

J. Alex Halderman examines the threats associated with electronic voting machines.

Cybersecurity Experts Say Hacking Risk Is High for Mobile Voting

J. Alex Halderman talks with Bloomberg about mobile voting systems, saying they’re still prone to tampering and manipulation.

Buggy Iowa Caucus App Is Buggy, Security Experts Say

Here’s why NSA rushed to expose a dangerous computer bug

How Multiple System Failures Produced Debacle in Iowa Caucus

App Used to Tabulate Votes Is Said to Have Been Inadequately Tested

Puerto Rico’s Internet Voting Plan Threatens Election Security: ACLU

Intel Is Patching the Patch for the Patch for Its ‘Zombieload’ Flaw

A research team from Michigan and University of Adelaide has identified a new microarchitectural attack that is capable of bypassing the buffer overwrite countermeasures in INtel’s flagship processors.

‘Chaos Is the Point’: Russian Hackers and Trolls Grow Stealthier in 2020

Research undercuts arguments from ballot-marking device advocates

Voting machines touted as secure option are actually vulnerable to hacking

EECS-CSE professor Alex Halderman’s latest study shows that hybrid voting machines are still vulnerable to hacks.

Voters fail mock election, exposing vulnerability to hackers

The latest study from EECS-CSE professor Alex Halderman shows vulnerabilities in ballot-marking devices.

Breaking Into a Smart Home With A Laser – Smarter Every Day 229

‘U’ researchers find way to hack into virtual assistants with lasers

Researchers including Profs. Kevin Fu and Daniel Genkin were able to take control of virtual assistants using only light.

Expensive, Glitchy Voting Machines Expose 2020 Hacking Risks

Study: Russia’s web-censoring tool sets pace for imitators

New research by Prof. Roya Ensafi sheds light on the implications of this technology.

Siri, Alexa, and Google Home can be controlled with lasers, new research shows

MEMS mics respond to light as if it were sound, discovered by a team including Profs. Kevin Fu and Dan Genkin

The Market for Voting Machines Is Broken. This Company Has Thrived in It.

This article highlights concerns about voting machines made by ES&S, the nation’s largest supplier of voting technology, and the tactics used by the company to continue its dominance. Prof. J. Alex Halderman is quoted on how the company’s tactics haver slowed progress toward secure elections.

Researchers use Rowhammer bit flips to steal 2048-bit crypto key

RAMBleed side-channel attack, discovered in part by Michigan researchers, works even when DRAM is protected by error-correcting code.

New speculative execution bug leaks data from Intel chips’ internal buffers

Intel-specific vulnerability was found by researchers including Prof. Daniel Genkin’s group, calling their discovery of the attack Fallout.

Utah is correct to both be at the front of online voting, and cautiously study security

Prof. J. Alex Halderman is the kind of friend to internet voting Utah needs – one who has the savvy to think and act like someone dedicated to hijacking an election.