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Security

We have a strong group of faculty whose research is widely recognized for advancing the foundations of security and privacy, building provably-secure systems, and developing new programming languages and tools to aid the construction of secure software.

The goal of our group is to provide a scientific understanding of the sources of insecurity in computer systems, and to apply this understanding to the construction of new software and systems that come with guarantees about how they will behave when under attack.

Security and privacy are concerns that cut across all subdisciplines in Computer Science, so we continually work closely with researchers from other areas to find new challenges and opportunities. As a result, our research covers a broad range of topics, including authentication, language-based security, secure information flow, system and network security, cryptographic protocols, privacy, and mechanisms for accountability and transparency. However, our work on these topics is united by the view that security is impossible to achieve without a solid footing in rigorous techniques, precise definitions, and an appreciation of the nuances in real systems that are oftentimes at the core of these problems.




News

Portrait of Matt Fredrikson.

Fredrikson Receives Test of Time Award

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Carnegie Mellon University's Matt Fredrikson has received the 2025 ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS) Test-of-Time Award, honoring research with enduring impact in computer and communications security. Read More
The logo for the 34th USENIX Security Symposium.

Faculty and Students Present at USENIX Security Symposium

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Carnegie Mellon faculty and students will present on a wide range of topics at the 34th USENIX Security Symposium held in Seattle on August 13-15. The event brings together experts from around the world, who will highlight the latest advances in the security and privacy of computer systems and networks.

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Faculty Researchers Working in this Area

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