Well secured ICT systems are crucial in our society. For decades there has been a lot of attention for possible vulnerabilities in software, but since a few years we know that hardware can also have security problems - where optimizations in processors are the critical point. Processors have vulnerabilities such as Meltdown and Spectre that make it possible to steal sensitive data. All devices that contain those processors are at risk.
Cristiano Giuffrida and his team proved that these original vulnerabilities were just examples of a much larger class of vulnerabilities and affected all computers in the world. Giuffrida worked with hardware vendors (such as Intel and IBM) and software companies (such as Microsoft and Google) to develop effective countermeasures to fix these vulnerabilities. His research findings are now in all modern CPUs, operating systems and browsers.
From the jury report:
Giuffrida's team already received many information security awards, such as the highest Intel Bounty Reward to date and five Pwnie Awards. With this nomination for the Huibregtsen Prize, the jury expresses its appreciation for solving an urgent but not so visible problem in society and especially the excellent collaborations Giuffrida has set up to ensure that his research results are actually implemented on a large scale.
He has succeeded particularly well in this goal, because with changes deployed into all modern CPUs, operating systems, and browsers, the impact on our society is enormous.
Huibregtsen Prize
The Huibregtsen Prize is awarded to a recent research project that combines scientific quality and innovation with special social added value or outreach. All public scientific research organizations in the Netherlands can nominate candidates. The jury, headed by KNAW President Marileen Dogterom, selected six research projects from 31 nominations. At the Evening of Science & Society on October 10, 2022, the winner of this year's Huibregtsen Prize will be announced.