rewrite this email :

Sure,
There is going to be a third party application that has access to all sensors in the smart home. My code is written using C# language and is presented as a Web API project whose output is a list of actions and the time that any of them should be done. However, in my project I have defined action as the main class and each of them has a list of conditions, results, and next probable actions. The conditions are situations that need to be checked for any action ( for example for turning the TV on, the person should be in the living room and the TV should be off ). The results are consequences of doing an action ( for example for turning the TV on, the state of TV changes to On and light and sound of the environment change based on TV light and sound). The next actions are the actions which may or must be done after another action ( for example after entering the home, the main door must close [next of entrance is closing the door with probability of 100%]). However, each action has a duration and a delay for each next action where we understand there is no sensor in a part of the house. It is worth noting that the list of actions is generated based on the ontology of the house which is about every relation and definition of actions so the platform can not distinguish the fake actions. The algorithm moves backward until it finds an action whose conditions are satisfied and then starts generating a fake event to conclude a specific result and go until it meets an action that may be the end of the list based on its finish probability field. The probability fields are defined in order to reach various lists which are not the same and the platform is not able to find out which one is fake.

thanks for your time
Behzad Dara

On Wed, Aug 30, 2023 at 7:49 PM Israat Haque <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>> wrote:
Great !! 

Can you elaborate on the implementation and evaluation of your work? i.e., how do you create this obfuscation and where do you deploy the solution in our smart home environment?


Israat

From: Behzad Dara <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>>
Sent: August 30, 2023 5:45 AM
To: Israat Haque <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>>
Subject: Re: Prospective PhD candidate
 
CAUTION: The Sender of this email is not from within Dalhousie.
Thank you for your response. I am currently working on my publication, and once the project is completed, I plan to publish it. My master’s thesis focuses on generating fake events in order to deceive attackers or untrusted IoT platforms. The problem we are addressing is that attackers have extensive knowledge about people’s lives in smart homes, including their absence from the property, and this information can be used to cause harm to customers.

To address this issue, I am creating a list of fake actions performed by users, aimed at leading attackers to draw false conclusions. This list is generated using an ontology that is defined based on users’ previous actions and their regular routines. For instance, let’s say we want to generate a fake action list resulting in “Turn on TV” as the outcome. The generated list will involve an imaginary human being in their bedroom, moving to the living room (based on a house map), sitting on the sofa, turning on the TV, and watching it, and so on.

During this process, the required actions are performed, and the time intervals between actions where there are no sensors present are considered to be genuine and indistinguishable by attackers or the platform. If you require further explanation, please let me know.

Best regards,
<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>

On Tue, Aug 29, 2023 at 11:44 PM Israat Haque <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>> wrote:
Thanks for your interest in joining my lab. Do you have any publication based on your master's thesis? Also, can you please elaborate on your master's thesis contribution? What problem you addresses? How you solved and evaluated, etc.


Israat

From: Behzad Dara <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>>
Sent: August 29, 2023 5:00 PM
To: Israat Haque <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>>
Subject: Prospective PhD candidate
 
CAUTION: The Sender of this email is not from within Dalhousie.
Dear Dr. <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>, and I am reaching out to express my interest in pursuing a Ph.D. program under your esteemed supervision. I am currently completing my master’s degree in secure computing at Sharif University of Technology in Iran, and I am set to graduate within the next three months with a commendable GPA of 17.5/20. Furthermore, I have achieved an overall IELTS score of 7.5, showcasing my proficiency in the English language.

Throughout my academic journey, I have developed a keen interest in the field of IoT and SmartHome security. As evident in my master’s thesis topic, which revolves around the design and generation of fake events based on the user’s ontology for privacy protection in smart homes, I am particularly enthusiastic about exploring the various facets of this domain.

In addition to my passion for IoT and SmartHome security, I have a background as a software engineer with three years of industry experience. During this time, I have gained valuable insights into software applications, which I consider another area of interest. My bachelor’s thesis, titled “Design and Implementation of Tutor-Student Interaction Application for Amirkabir University of Technology and Department of Computer Engineering,” demonstrates my proficiency in this field.

I kindly request your consideration of my application for the Ph.D. program. I would be more than happy to provide any additional information or supporting documents you may require to further assess my qualifications. With great enthusiasm, I am eager to contribute to your research team and collaborate on groundbreaking projects.

Thank you for taking the time to review my application. I have attached my resume for your perusal.

Warm regards,

<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>