Jordan Samhi‘s ground-breaking research into the detection of malware in Android Apps has been recognised by the Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR), who awarded the postdoctoral researcher with the 2024 Outstanding PhD Thesis Award.
Samhi, who studied Computer Sciences at the University of Lorraine (2016-2019), joined SnT at the University of Luxembourg for his doctoral degree in Software Engineering and Software Security. His doctoral thesis, “Analyzing the Unanalyzable: an Application to Android Apps”, completed under the supervision of Prof. Jacques Klein, focused on developing methods to detect and prevent stealthy malicious behaviour in Android apps.
According to Samhi, today an estimated 10,000 new malwares are spread every day. Yet they are difficult to detect because most malware hide from analysis tools.
‟ Because of this widespread issue, I decided to focus on their hiding techniques so we can find better ways to detect and prevent them. It’s harder for companies like Google to spot them,”
“Because of this widespread issue, I decided to focus on their hiding techniques so we can find better ways to detect and prevent them. It’s harder for companies like Google to spot them,” Samhi explained.
The postdoctoral researcher developed a static analysis tool that can spot malicious code that only activates under certain conditions, for instance on a specific date or location. Using this tool, his team was able to discover eight malware apps on Google Play.
The tool has since been improved leading to a new publication and the researcher said he was open to future collaborations that could turn his work into a practical solution.
He also reminisced his time at SnT, calling it a “great place to work, especially for research” and praising its resources, high-level professors and networking opportunities.
“I’m incredibly happy and proud to receive this prize. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who contributed to this achievement—my supervisor, Prof. Jacques Klein; my colleagues; my family; and especially my wife, Anais,” he said.
Samhi was part of the TruX research group at SnT. The group conducts research in software security, software repair, and explainable software to create key practical solutions for developers. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at CISPA – Helmholtz Center for Information Security, in Germany, where he supervises PhD students.
The 2024 FNR awards ceremony took place on 17 October, at the Maison des Arts et des Etudiants in Belval. The award for Outstanding PhD Thesis is conferred to a person who has completed their PhD with a dissertation of outstanding scientific quality. Other awards include: ‘Outstanding Scientific Achievement’, ‘Outstanding Mentor’ and ‘Outstanding Promotion of Science to the Public’.
Photo: © Steve Ginepri / FNR