Publication Date
8-2025
Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)
5-8-2025
Type of Culminating Activity
Dissertation
Degree Title
Doctor of Philosophy in Computing
Department
Computer Science
Supervisory Committee Chair
Nasir Eisty, Ph.D.
Supervisory Committee Member
Amit Jain, Ph.D.
Supervisory Committee Member
Edoardo Serra, Ph.D.
Abstract
Data breaches remain a critical threat in high-security sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, where protecting sensitive data is paramount. This research investigates and addresses key mechanisms of data leakage, focusing on covert channels and physical attacks that exploit system vulnerabilities. First, I demonstrated a novel data exfiltration technique using clock modulation in x86 CPUs, showing that dynamic manipulation of CPU frequencies can enable high-speed covert communication. Second, I developed a hardware-level security framework to protect sensitive assets—such as private keys—from cold boot and similar physical attacks. Experimental results confirmed the framework’s ability to maintain data confidentiality even under direct hardware access. Third, I implemented an AI-based classification model that maps software vulnerabilities from the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) database to their root causes in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration), effectively identifying recurring coding flaws that lead to security breaches. Collectively, this work advances the field of cybersecurity by providing validated solutions to mitigate data leakage at both hardware and software levels.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.18122/td.2389.boisestate
Recommended Citation
Alam, Shariful, "Enhancing System Security: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Preventing Data Leaks" (2025). Boise State University Theses and Dissertations. 2389.
https://doi.org/10.18122/td.2389.boisestate
Comments
Shariful Alam, ORCID: 0009-0004-6206-2634