Talk 9/5: Uncovering Insecure Designs of Cellular Emergency Services

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:50:28 -0400
cellular, cybersecurity, networks, orientation, umbc

CSEE Assistant Professor Yiwen Hu will give a online talk on her research on the security of US 911 services from 12-1pm EST on Friday, September 5 as part of the UMBC Cyber Defense Lab Fall series of research talks.

Emergency communication over cellular networks is a vital part of our nation’s emergency response and disaster preparedness system. Its security, however, is still far from satisfactory due to cellular-specific technical challenges and the diversified requirements from standards organizations and administrative authorities. Professor Hu will share insights and findings on (1) identifying design defects in cellular emergency services standards, and (2) investigating the security of operational emergency services in the U.S., as well as the technical challenges we encountered and how to address them. Her results show that operational cellular emergency services can be abused in deniable ways. She will also discuss emerging challenges and opportunities for safeguarding next-generation emergency services.

Yiwen Hu is an assistant professor in UMBC's CSEE Department. She received her Ph.D. in computer science from Michigan State University and her B.S. degree from Zhejiang University, China. Her research interests span wireless communication, network security, mobile systems and applications. Her recent work focuses on safeguarding next-generation emergency services and advancing Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications.

You can participate in the online seminar via WebEx.