Magnetic Side-Channel Fingerprinting for Device Identification and Anomaly Detection
Project Details
Program
Computer Science
Field of Study
CS
Division
Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering
Faculty Lab Link
Project Description
Unintentional magnetic emissions generated by electronic devices constitute a promising yet under-explored side channel. Prior research has shown that such emissions can reveal device-specific behavior and operational patterns, enabling applications such as fingerprinting and intrusion detection. Compared to traditional electromagnetic side channels, magnetic signals are less affected by shielding and environmental interference, making them attractive for practical deployments.
Despite these advantages, current approaches generally lack: (i) lightweight and reproducible pipelines; and, (ii) systematic evaluation of robustness under realistic conditions. This project aims to address these gaps by designing a compact and effective system for device identification and anomaly detection based on magnetic emissions.
The goal is to Develop and evaluate a lightweight magnetic side-channel framework for device fingerprinting and anomaly detection.
Methodology
Phase 1 — Setup and Reproducibility (Weeks 1–2)
Phase 2 — Data Collection (Weeks 3–6)
Phase 3 — Modeling and Fingerprinting (Weeks 7–10)
Phase 4 — Anomaly Detection and Evaluation (Weeks 11–16)
About the Researcher
Roberto Di Pietro
Professor, Computer Science
Affiliations
Education Profile
- Post-doc at the National Research Council ('04-'06), Pisa-Italy
- Ph.D. in Computer Science ('04), University of Roma ""La Sapienza"", Italy.
- Specialization Diploma in Operations Research and Strategic Decisions ('03), University of Roma ""La Sapienza"", Italy.
- MS in informatics ('03), University of Pisa, Italy.
- MS in Computer Science ('94). University of Pisa, Italy.
Research Interests
Professor Roberto's objective is to achieve excellence in cybersecurity research addressing both fundamental and applied challenges in the field, as well as to have impact and to generate innovation. In particular, Professor Roberto's research interests lie in the domain of security and privacy for distributed systems, with a special focus on systems supporting critical infrastructures. He is also interested (among others) in data science, on-line social networks, and application of AI techniques to solve security and privacy issues in current and future systems.Selected Publications
- Gabriele Oligeri, Savio Sciancalepore, Simone Raponi, Roberto Di Pietro: PAST-AI: Physical-Layer Authentication of Satellite Transmitters via Deep Learning. IEEE Trans. Inf. Forensics Secur. 18: 274-289 (2023)
- Savio Sciancalepore, Pietro Tedeschi, Ahmed Aziz, Roberto Di Pietro: Auth-AIS: Secure, Flexible, and Backward-Compatible Authentication of Vessels AIS Broadcasts. IEEE Trans. Dependable Secur. Comput. 19(4): 2709-2726 (2022)
- Roberto Di Pietro, Simone Raponi, Maurantonio Caprolu, Stefano Cresci: New Dimensions of Information Warfare. Advances in Information Security 84, Springer 2021, ISBN 978-3-030-60617-6, pp. 1-226
- Pietro Tedeschi, Savio Sciancalepore, Roberto Di Pietro: ARID: Anonymous Remote IDentification of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. ACSAC 2021: 207-218
- Andrea De Salve, Paolo Mori, Barbara Guidi, Laura Ricci, Roberto Di Pietro: Predicting Influential Users in Online Social Network Groups. ACM Trans. Knowl. Discov. Data 15(3): 35:1-35:50 (2021)
Desired Project Deliverables
At completion, the student will deliver:
- a working prototype;
- a reproducible experimental framework; and,
- a potential conference submission.
Recommended Student Background
CS
Engineering
Maths
Physics