Example Project 1 – Secure Mobile Code
One of the main issues facing the deployment and acceptance of mobile and distributed systems
is security. Proof-carrying code is a promising technique to ensure the safety of mobile code, but it
remains to be seen whether it will scale up to more sophisticated security policies. The key idea behind
proof-carrying code is that the code producer is required to create a formal safety proof that shows
that the code respects the defined safety policy. Then, the code consumer is able to use a simple and
fast proof validator to check with certainty that the proof is valid and hence the foreign code is safe
to execute. In this project, we make use of recent advances we have made in the areas of automatic
theorem proving and security analysis to greatly extend the proof-carrying concept.

Example Project 2 – Secure Verification of Location Claims
Location information is increasingly being used by computer systems to offer services based on where
a user is located. For example, the location of a user’s mobile phone can be used locate nearby facilities
such as restaurants or assist the emergency services to respond to a 999 call. In this project we are
researching secure techniques for verifying that location information supplied by a user is correct and
that they are not making a false claim to be at a particular location. We will apply the results of this
research to Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) so that location claims by vehicles can be verified.

Example Project 3 – Software Team Dynamics and Tacit Knowledge
Software development relies heavily on employee expertise, specifically tacit knowledge to produce
software. In small teams knowledge is shared easily and problems solved quickly through direct verbal
communication. This tacit, undocumented knowledge is a major asset of software SMEs. This research
project is investigating the role of tacit knowledge in Irish software SMEs, with a view to understanding
the role of team dynamics and documentation in the software process and how tacit knowledge can
be shared for the benefit of the company. It aim is to produce a model of best practice can be achieved
without a major administration overhead.