Secure and Reliable System Research Lab

This lab aims to enhance the security and reliability of systems through novel solutions at the compiler, OS, and communication layers. We target systems that include microcontroller- and microprocessor-based platforms. We explore various types of cybersecurity challenges, including but not limited to control-flow integrity, side-channel attacks, and usability issues.

Dr. Xi Tan is the director of the lab. She is an Assistant Professor int the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS).

We have RA openings starting from Fall 2025. Please check details here.

News

Aug 25, 2025

[Teaching] Xi serves as the instructor of CS 5220 Computer Communication.

Aug 20, 2025

Our paper entitled "'We just did not have that on the embedded system': Insights and Challenges for Securing Microcontroller Systems from the Embedded CTF Competitions" will appear in ACM CCS'25!

Jun 09, 2025

[Service] Xi serves as the mentor for the CyberTruck Challenge event, supporting student research and creation.

May 08, 2025

[Talk] Xi gives a talk at US CYBER COMMAND Tech Talk. Talk topic: "A Landscape of Security in Embedded Systems".

Apr 23, 2025

[Research] Xi receives the Committee on Research and Creative Works (CRCW) award. Thanks to co-PI Dr. Fuzhen Yin and the UCCS CRCW committee for their support!

Jan 20, 2025

[Teaching] Xi serves as the instructor of CS 2160 Comp Org & Assembly Language and CS 4910 Intro to Computer Security.

Dec 13, 2024

[Service] Xi serves as a reviewer of TCPS 2025.

Aug 26, 2024

[Teaching] Xi serves as the instructor of CS 5220 Computer Communication.

Aug 22, 2024

[Service] Xi serves as a committee member of the UCCS PhD Cybersecurity program.

Aug 19, 2024

[Job] Xi joined the University of Colorado Colorado Springs as an Assistant Professor!

May 13, 2024

[Paper] New paper entitled "SoK: Where's the “up”?! A Comprehensive (bottom-up) Study on the Security of Arm Cortex-M Systems" will appear in USENIX WOOT '24! Check out the open-source repo [here]!

Dec 12, 2023
Nov 15, 2023

[Paper] New paper entitled "Is the Canary Dead? On the Effectiveness of Stack Canaries on Microcontroller Systems" will appear in SAC'24!

Aug 10, 2023

[Paper] New paper entitled "SHERLOC: Secure and Holistic Control-Flow Violation Detection on Embedded Systems" will appear in CCS'23! Check out the open-source repo [here]!