Yaser Baseri

Experienced cybersecurity specialist with a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Communication and Network Security) from Université de Montréal. Specialized in Data Privacy, Security, Risk Assessment, and Machine Learning. Proven leadership and impactful contributions to projects for renowned organizations, including Scotiabank, CIRA, Huawei, Bell, Siemens, and RBC.

Skilled in conducting comprehensive security evaluations, utilizing cutting-edge technologies, and ensuring compliance with industry standards. Committed to advancing security practices and protecting critical infrastructure in the dynamic cybersecurity landscape.

Cybersecurity R&D Team Lead Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC), Fredericton, Canada Jan 2020 - Present Key

Projects 1.

Scotiabank Project: ”Security Evaluation and Risk Assessment for Post Quantum Cryptography”

• Conducted research on classical and post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, aligning with NIST recommendations and the imminent advent of quantum computing capabilities.
• Proactively identified potential security threats posed by quantum computers, critically analyzing cryptographic mechanisms for data security at rest and in transit.
• Delivered a comprehensive gap analysis report, meticulously assessing risks associated with transitioning from non-quantum-safe to quantum-safe cryptographic systems.
• Led the development of a holistic security risk assessment framework for a secure quantum-safe transition.

2.

Canadian Internet Registration

Authority (CIRA) Project: ”DNS Firewall for Households”

• Collaborated with industry partners to extract and analyze data using Amazon Elasticsearch and Kibana services.
• Designed and implemented a risk assessment process aligned with NIST (SP) 800 guidelines for user identification.
• Created a prototype demonstrating the functionality of the DNS firewall system.

3.

Huawei Project: ”Feature Map Privacy”

• Investigated privacy threats and vulnerabilities in machine learning.
• Conducted attacks, including reconstruction, model inversion, and membership inference.
• Evaluated cryptographic and non-cryptographic techniques for machine learning model protection.
• Developed and validated privacy-enhancing prototypes.

4.

Bell Project: ”BGP Anomaly Detection using Machine Learning”

• Researched and analyzed BGP cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
• Simulated diverse attack scenarios to assess their impact on BGP networks.
• Utilized specialized software tools and developed ML-based visualization methods to identify anomalous behavior in live BGP traffic.

5.

Siemens Project: ”Digital Forensics for Smart Grid”

• Designed a classification system to identify and categorize OT attacks in smart grids.
• Utilized advanced forensics tools to analyze network, memory, file, and data communication in smart grid environments.
• Investigated adversary tactics using MITRE ATT&CK methodology and ICS Cyber Kill Chain framework.
• Discovered security vulnerabilities targeting specific devices and developed attack scripts.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Cryptography, Security, and Privacy (CrySP), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada Jul 2018 - Nov 2019

Key Project

1.

RBC Project: ”Privacy Preserving Information Sharing”

• Researched cryptographic techniques for privacy-preserving information sharing.
• Developed a private set intersection solution based on Homomorphic Encryption and differential privacy.
• Optimized solution parameters for improved performance.
• Implemented solutions using C++ and integrated encryption libraries.

Instructed Course • CS458/658: ”Computer Security and Privacy”

– Introduced security and privacy issues in various computing aspects.

– Explored causes of security breaches and prevention methods.

Research Assistant Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada May 2012 - Mar 2018

Key Project 1.

NSERC Project: ”Secure Access Control in Mobile Cloud”

• Designed IAM solutions including Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) for secure data access in the mobile cloud.
• Implemented attribute-based encryption to enhance Access Control in Mobile Cloud environments.

• Ph.D., Computer Science University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada 2013-2018

Thesis: Secure Access Control in Mobile Cloud (Excellent Thesis)

Awards: Received Bourses d’excellence four times.

• M.Sc., Computer Science Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran 2005-2007

Thesis: Case Studies in Process Algebraic Verification of Network Protocols

• B.Sc., Computer Science Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran 2000-2005

Project: Enterprise Resource Planning