Hardware can help solve challenging security problems from secure key storage to real-time monitoring of attacks to shrinking the Trusted Computing Base (TCB). Of course, hardware vulnerabilities can also cause software systems to fail. In this talk, we focus on the synergies between hardware and cryptography, and first describe recent research in using hardware acceleration to speed up cryptography and enable the design of more efficient cryptographic protocols. We explore how cryptography helps to secure hardware systems and whether new security definitions can help with the design of secure hardware.

Bio:

Srini Devadas is the Webster Professor of EECS at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has been on the faculty since 1988. Devadas's current research interests are in computer architecture, computer security, and applied cryptography. In 2021, he received the IEEE Cybersecurity Award for Practice, and the ACM SIGSAC Award for Outstanding Innovation for his work on secure hardware.

He received the ACM-IEEE Computer Society Eckert-Mauchly Award in 2026 for his contributions to computer and digital systems architecture. https://awards.acm.org/eckert-mauchly

You can see an overview of current projects and courses at https://people.csail.mit.edu/devadas/

You can see a more extensive bio at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srini_Devadas

Directions to 32-G449 - MIT Stata Center, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA: Please use the main entrance to the Stata Center at 32 Vassar Street (the entrance closest to Main street) as those doors will be unlocked. Upon entering, proceed to the elevators which will be on the right after passing a large set of stairs and a MITAC kiosk. Take the elevator to the 4th floor and turn right, following the hall to an open area; 32-G449 will be on the left. Location of Stata on campus map

Please register in advance for this seminar even if you plan to attend in person at
https://acm-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/9817867530861/WN_2nVQNyq4RQOq_V...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Indicate on the registration form if you plan to attend in person. This will help us determine whether the room is close to reaching capacity. We plan to serve light refreshments (probably pizza) before the talk starting at around 6:30 pm. Letting us know you will come in person will help us determine how much pizza to order.

We may make some auxiliary material such as slides and access to the recording available after the seminar to people who have registered.
This joint meeting of the Boston Chapter of the IEEE Computer Society and GBC/ACM will be hybrid (in person and online).