School of Computing Science

ICSPatch: Automated Vulnerability Localization and Non-Intrusive Hotpatching in Industrial Control Systems using Data Dependence Graphs

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Anthony Rainey
Date: 26 February, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 11:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity23/presentation/rajput

The paradigm shift of enabling extensive intercommunication between the Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) devices allows vulnerabilities typical to the IT world to propagate to the OT side. Therefore, the security layer offered in the past by air gapping is removed, making security patching for OT devices a hard requirement. Conventional patching involves a device reboot to load the patched code in the main memory, which does not apply to OT devices controlling critical processes due to downtime, necessitating in-memory vulnerability patching. Furthermore, these control binaries are often compiled by in-house proprietary compilers, further hindering the patching process and placing reliance on OT vendors for rapid vulnerability discovery and patch development. The current state-of-the-art hotpatching approaches only focus on firmware and/or RTOS. Therefore, in this work, we develop ICSPatch, a framework to automate control logic vulnerability localization using Data Dependence Graphs (DDGs). With the help of DDGs, ICSPatch pinpoints the vulnerability in the control application. As an independent second step, ICSPatch can non-intrusively hotpatch vulnerabilities in the control application directly in the main memory of Programmable Logic Controllers while maintaining reliable continuous operation. To evaluate our framework, we test ICSPatch on a synthetic dataset of 24 vulnerable control application binaries from diverse critical infrastructure sectors. Results show that ICSPatch could successfully localize all vulnerabilities and generate patches accordingly. Furthermore, the patch added negligible latency increase in the execution cycle while maintaining correctness and protection against the vulnerability.

Virtually Unrolling the Herculaneum Papyri by Diffeomorphic Spiral Fitting

Group: Computer Vision for Autonomous Systems (CVAS)
Speaker: Dr Paul Henderson
Date: 27 February, 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Location: SAWB 423, Sir Alwyn Williams Building

The Herculaneum Papyri are a collection of ancient rolled papyrus documents that were charred and buried by the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. They promise to contain a wealth of previously unseen Greek and Latin texts, but are extremely fragile and thus most cannot be unrolled physically. A solution to access these texts is virtual unrolling, where the papyrus surface is digitally traced out in a CT scan of the scroll, to then create a flattened representation. In this talk, I will discuss a new fully-automated method for virtual unrolling, that won the Vesuvius Challenge Autosegmentation Prize last year, and allows reading text from two Herculaneum Papyri.

ICSPatch: Automated Vulnerability Localization and Non-Intrusive Hotpatching in Industrial Control Systems using Data Dependence Graphs

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Anthony Rainey
Date: 26 February, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 11:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity23/presentation/rajput

The paradigm shift of enabling extensive intercommunication between the Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) devices allows vulnerabilities typical to the IT world to propagate to the OT side. Therefore, the security layer offered in the past by air gapping is removed, making security patching for OT devices a hard requirement. Conventional patching involves a device reboot to load the patched code in the main memory, which does not apply to OT devices controlling critical processes due to downtime, necessitating in-memory vulnerability patching. Furthermore, these control binaries are often compiled by in-house proprietary compilers, further hindering the patching process and placing reliance on OT vendors for rapid vulnerability discovery and patch development. The current state-of-the-art hotpatching approaches only focus on firmware and/or RTOS. Therefore, in this work, we develop ICSPatch, a framework to automate control logic vulnerability localization using Data Dependence Graphs (DDGs). With the help of DDGs, ICSPatch pinpoints the vulnerability in the control application. As an independent second step, ICSPatch can non-intrusively hotpatch vulnerabilities in the control application directly in the main memory of Programmable Logic Controllers while maintaining reliable continuous operation. To evaluate our framework, we test ICSPatch on a synthetic dataset of 24 vulnerable control application binaries from diverse critical infrastructure sectors. Results show that ICSPatch could successfully localize all vulnerabilities and generate patches accordingly. Furthermore, the patch added negligible latency increase in the execution cycle while maintaining correctness and protection against the vulnerability.

Virtually Unrolling the Herculaneum Papyri by Diffeomorphic Spiral Fitting

Group: Computer Vision for Autonomous Systems (CVAS)
Speaker: Dr Paul Henderson
Date: 27 February, 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Location: SAWB 423, Sir Alwyn Williams Building

The Herculaneum Papyri are a collection of ancient rolled papyrus documents that were charred and buried by the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. They promise to contain a wealth of previously unseen Greek and Latin texts, but are extremely fragile and thus most cannot be unrolled physically. A solution to access these texts is virtual unrolling, where the papyrus surface is digitally traced out in a CT scan of the scroll, to then create a flattened representation. In this talk, I will discuss a new fully-automated method for virtual unrolling, that won the Vesuvius Challenge Autosegmentation Prize last year, and allows reading text from two Herculaneum Papyri.

TBC

Group: Systems Seminars
Speaker: Youssef Moawad, University of Glasgow
Date: 03 March, 2026
Time: 12:00 - 13:00
Location: Room 422, Sir Alwyn Williams Building and Zoom

TBC

[FATA Seminar] Approximate sampling from the random cluster model via Markov chains

Group: Formal Analysis, Theory and Algorithms (FATA)
Speaker: Paulina Smolarova, University of Oxford
Date: 03 March, 2026
Time: 15:00 - 16:00
Location: Room 422, SAWB

In many settings, we are interested in sampling from a complex distribution, where exact sampling is computationally hard. However, often we are nevertheless able to design an approximate sampler, whose distribution is "not far" from the desired distribution. A common approach is to use Markov chains: one can obtain an approximate sampling algorithm by designing a Markov chain with the desired stationary distribution and proving that it converges in a polynomial number of steps. Most existing methods focus on the worst-case convergence, even though in algorithm design, we can choose the initial state, and thus potentially dramatically improve the convergence time. In this talk, I will use an example of the random cluster model, a hard sampling problem generalizing independent percolation. I will show how to bound the convergence time for a simple Markov chain with a suitable initialisation to obtain a fast sampling algorithm on random graphs, including on Erdos-Renyi graphs, where previously no efficient algorithms were known.

[FATA Seminar] Measuring Dynamic Contact Networks with Experimental Epidemic Games

Group: Formal Analysis, Theory and Algorithms (FATA)
Speaker: Estelle McCool, University of Oxford
Date: 05 March, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Lilybank Gardens, F121 Conference Room

‘Epigames’ are mobile, Bluetooth-based experimental epidemic games that combine proximity sensing with simulated contagion and embedded behavioural mechanics. In this talk, I will introduce the Epidemica platform and describe how we used it to collect high-resolution temporal proximity networks across five field deployments in a range of settings and demonstrate the structural and temporal fidelity of the networks generated by this approach and discuss how the platform provides a reproducible experimental framework for studying dynamic contact networks, disease transmission processes, and behavioural responses in real-world settings.

Using these datasets, I show that the inferred networks exhibit structural and temporal signatures consistent with their social settings: conferences form dense, rapidly mixing cores, whereas campus deployments display greater modularity and temporal persistence. These patterns align with established empirical findings, indicating that the sensing pipeline yields behaviourally realistic contact networks across contexts. Coupling these networks to simulated transmission processes enables controlled investigation of how structure and timing shape epidemic outcomes, while the embedded game mechanics allow measurement of behavioural responses to risk and intervention prompts.

Together, this framework provides a reproducible platform for experimental research on dynamic contact networks, epidemic processes, and behavioural dynamics.

TBC

Group: Systems Seminars
Speaker: Xiangmin XU, University of Glasgow
Date: 10 March, 2026
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Room 422, Sir Alwyn Williams Building and Zoom

tbc

Pallas: A Data-Plane-Only Approach to Accurate Persistent Flow Detection on Programmable Switches in High-Speed Networks

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Weihe Li, University of Edinburgh
Date: 12 March, 2026
Time: 12:00 - 13:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

Abstract:

In high-speed data center networks, persistent flows are repeatedly observed over extended periods, potentially signaling threats such as stealthy DDoS or botnet attacks. Monitoring every flow in production-grade hardware switches that feature limited memory, however, is challenging under typical high flow rates and data volumes. To tackle this, approximate data structures, like sketches, are often employed. Yet many existing methods rely on per-time-window flag resets, which require frequent control-plane interventions that make them unsuitable for high-speed traffic. This paper introduces Pallas, a fully data-plane-implementable sketch for detecting persistent flows in high-speed networks with high accuracy, obviating the need for time-window-based resets. We further propose Opt-Pallas, an enhanced variant of Pallas that improves detection accuracy by incorporating flow arrival patterns. We present a rigorous error bound analysis for both Pallas and Opt-Pallas, along with extensive performance evaluations using a P4-based prototype on an Intel Tofino switch. Pallas scales persistent flow detection to line-rate capacity, while state-of-the-art solutions fail to operate beyond a few Mbps. Our results show that Pallas and Opt-Pallas can accurately detect persistent flows in traffic volumes over 60× higher than those handled by the best existing approach. Additionally, even under low-speed traffic, Pallas and Opt-Pallas achieve 4.21% and 7.85% higher lookup accuracy while consuming only 8.5% and 9.7% of switch resources, respectively. Extensive trace-driven results on a CPU platform further validate the high detection accuracy of Opt-Pallas compared to existing methods.

Bio:

Weihe Li is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh. He received his Ph.D. in Informatics from the University of Edinburgh in 2025. His research focuses on the design of approximate data structures for fast and accurate flow detection in high-speed networks, with an emphasis on practical deployment on programmable switches. His first-author work has appeared in top-tier venues, including ACM SIGMOD 2025, ACM WWW 2024 and 2025 (Best Student Paper Award, 2024), IEEE ICNP 2025, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking (ToN), and IEEE Transactions on Computers (TC). He has also conducted research in related networking areas, including video streaming and load balancing in data center networks.

HRI 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 16 March, 2026
Time: 00:00 - 00:00
Location: TBA

The ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is the premier venue for innovations on human-robot interaction. Sponsored by the ACM special interest groups on computer-human interaction (SIGCHI) and artificial intelligence (SIGAI) as well as the IEEE robotics and automation society (RAS), HRI brings together researchers spanning robotics, human-computer interaction, human factors, artificial intelligence, engineering, and social and behavioral sciences. The theme of the 21st edition of HRI is HRI Empowering Society. Our field has the potential to bring about positive change in many areas of our societies such as healthcare, transport, remote working, agriculture and industry. However, this change cannot happen if we do not engage properly with the end users who will potentially utilize robots in their jobs and daily lives. For this reason, HRI 2026 will focus on: 1) how we can ethically integrate robots in everyday processes without creating disruptions or inequalities, carefully thinking at the future of work and services; 2) how we can make them accessible to the general public (in terms of design, technical literacy and cost) with the final aim to make robots more willingly adopted as technological helpers. More information is available on the HRI 2026 website

Black Holes and Prisoners: Understanding AS112 Deployment Characteristics

Group: Systems Seminars
Speaker: Elizabeth Boswell, University of Glasgow
Date: 17 March, 2026
Time: 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Room 422, Sir Alwyn Williams Building and Zoom

Abstract: AS112 is a distributed, volunteer-run, anycast DNS service that acts as a sink for leaked DNS queries for local resources, preventing them from overloading core DNS infrastructure. AS112 helps protect important parts of the Internet infrastructure, but there has been no comprehensive study of who runs the AS112 servers, where they are located, and whether they effectively capture leaked queries. Using RIPE Atlas and 33646 open recursive resolvers, we detect 469 AS112 sites, run by 97 operators, and compare the response time and query distances of AS112 to root server queries. AS112 performs well, with 23.21% lower median response times and 36.11% lower median distances than the root. However, AS112 is largely dependent on few large operators (one operator serves 41.71% of probes in our study), limiting its resilience.

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: George Hatzivasilis
Date: 26 March, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 11:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

Pre-CHI Day 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 01 April, 2026
Time: 10:00 - 15:00
Location: Stirling Court Hotel, University of Stirling, Airthrey Rd, Stirling, FK9 4LA

The ACM CHI conference is the premier publication venue in the field of HCI, and Scotland-based researchers are contributing extensively to the programme for the 2026 conference which will be held in Barcelona, Spain in mid-April. The Pre-CHI Day is a chance for the Scottish HCI community to see some of the world-leading research going on across Scotland, and allow those not travelling to Spain to talk to authors first-hand and hear about their work. Over the day, we will have presentations from ACM CHI 2026 full paper authors, with the potential for also having a poster or interactivity session as well (depending on numbers). The event will be hybrid, and virtual attendance and virtual presentation will both be supported. We expect a mixed audience, including researchers of the Scottish HCI community as well as interested students, designers, industry, practitioners etc., as well as newcomers to the field of HCI. Register by 31 March to attend in-person or onlin Submit a paper or poster by 22 March to be included in the programme.

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 09 April, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Lilybank Gardens, F121 Conference Room

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 23 April, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

SICSA Writing Retreat 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 27 April, 2026
Time: 15:00 - 14:00
Location: Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE), G63 0JS

The 2026 SICSA Writing Retreat will bring together researchers from across Scotland for a two-day intensive writing event. The programme will consist of networking and skill sharing activities, in addition to individual and group writing blocks. Postdoctoral researchers from any SICSA institution are invited to apply to attend the writing retreat by completing the online form by 1 February 2026. Spaces are very limited and the SICSA Directorate will be judging applications based on clear and achievable writing plans, quality outputs and benefits to both individual researchers and wider groups. Proposals that involve and benefit multiple SICSA institutions are particularly encouraged. Apply Date Start: 15:00 Monday 27 April 2026 Finish: 14:00 Wednesday 29 April 2026 Location Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE)

SICSA Writing Retreat 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 27 April, 2026
Time: 15:00 - 14:00
Location: Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE), G63 0JS

The 2026 SICSA Writing Retreat will bring together researchers from across Scotland for a two-day intensive writing event. The programme will consist of networking and skill sharing activities, in addition to individual and group writing blocks. Postdoctoral researchers from any SICSA institution are invited to apply to attend the writing retreat by completing the online form by 1 February 2026. Spaces are very limited and the SICSA Directorate will be judging applications based on clear and achievable writing plans, quality outputs and benefits to both individual researchers and wider groups. Proposals that involve and benefit multiple SICSA institutions are particularly encouraged. Apply Date Start: 15:00 Monday 27 April 2026 Finish: 14:00 Wednesday 29 April 2026 Location Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE)

Theory Day 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 07 May, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom

Join us on 7 May 2026 for Theory Day, bringing together researchers from across Scotland working on Theory and adjacent topics. Staff and students are encouraged to register and submit a proposal to be included in the programme.

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 07 May, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

"Abuse Risks are Often Inherent to Product Features": Exploring AI Vendors' Bug Bounty and Responsible Disclosure Policies

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Yangheran Piao, University of Edinburgh
Date: 21 May, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

Abstract:

As vendors adopt AI technologies, security researchers are working to uncover and fix related vulnerabilities, which is important given AI systems handle sensitive data and critical functions. This process relies on vendors receiving and rewarding AI vulnerability reports. To assess current practices, we analyzed the vulnerability disclosure policies of 264 AI vendors. We employed a mixed-methods approach, combining snapshot and longitudinal qualitative analysis, as well as comparing alignment with 320 AI incidents and 260 academic articles. Our analysis reveals that 36% of AI vendors have no established policy, and only 18% mention AI risks. Data access, authorization, and model extraction vulnerabilities are most consistently declared in-scope. Jailbreaking and hallucination are most commonly declared out-of-scope. We identify three profiles that reflect vendors' different positions toward AI vulnerabilities: proactive clarification (n = 46), silent (n = 115), and restrictive (n = 103). Our alignment results suggest that vendors may address AI vulnerability disclosure later than academic research and real-world incidents.

Bio:

Yangheran (Lawrence) Piao is a third-year PhD student at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. His research explores usable security, security economics, and cybercrime, with a specific focus on the vulnerability disclosure ecosystem, bug bounties, and AI vulnerability reporting. Yangheran’s work has been published and presented at premier security venues, including USENIX Security, IEEE S&P (Oakland), and WEIS.

Scottish Argumentation Day 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 29 May, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: University of Dundee

Scotland has a particularly high concentration of research groups working in the AI subfield of computational argumentation. Scottish Argumentation Day has previously been attended by researchers based both in Scotland and further afield, and has enabled the Scottish argumentation community to present their work in an informal setting, share feedback, and strengthen professional links. SAD began with Aberdeen 2011, and most recently took place in Edinburgh 2024. In continuing this series, our aim is threefold: (i) enable Scottish argumentation researchers, and especially PhD students, to mutually present their work; (ii) affirm Scottish argumentation research as a recognisable presence; (iii) provide a concrete opportunity for Scottish researchers to network. At SAD 2026 we aim to improve visibility for Scotland-based researchers, especially PhD students and early-career researchers, to encourage knowledge- and skill-exchange at all levels, and to foster cross-institution relations and collaborations. Participation is free but registration is required. ————————————————– We invite abstracts of up to 250 words to be presented as a short talk or poster. Participants at all levels are encouraged to present work, so that everyone can come away with a view of the current Scottish argumentation landscape. We invite abstracts at a range of levels, including: Overview of a specific research project or a lab’s area of work Recent work Work in progress, recent findings or initial results PhD projects and project plans PhD students are especially encouraged to present their projects and project plans to benefit from wider feedback in a supportive atmosphere. Abstract submission form: https://forms.gle/qCVGqi1sahCKATJv6 ————————————————– The day will be scaffolded by three keynote talks by John Lawrence of the University of Dundee, Elena Musi of the University of Liverpool and Henning Wachsmuth of Leibniz University Hannover. ————————————————–

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: Jinming Yang
Date: 04 June, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 423 Seminar Room

EASE 2026: International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 09 June, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: James McCune Smith Learning Hub, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QW

EASE is an internationally leading venue for academics and practitioners to present and discuss their research on evidence-based software engineering, and its implications for software practice. EASE is ranked as A conference in CORE. The 30th edition of EASE will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. EASE 2026 welcomes high-quality submissions, describing original and unpublished research for the following tracks: full research papers, short papers & emerging results, industry, posters & vision, journal-first, and a doctoral symposium. There will also be co-located events, including workshops and tutorials, and a track planned for journal-first presentations. See conference website for submission tracks and deadlines. EASE 2026

S3CIX 2026 - Symposium and Summer School on Computational Interaction

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 16 June, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, University of Glasgow, 18 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QN, United Kingdom

Registration for the 10th Symposium and Summer School on Computational Interaction will open 1 February and close 14 March 2026. View programme, event details and registration process at S³CIX 2026. This year S³CIX is expanding from a Summer School format to also include a 4 day long academic Symposium. We anticipate about 30 students and 40 academics and invited speakers to attend. There will also be two workshops. Computational interaction often involves elements from machine learning, signal processing, information theory, optimisation, inference, control theory and formal modelling. Computational interaction would typically involve at least one of: an explicit mathematical model of user-system behaviour; a way of updating that model with observed data from users; an algorithmic element that, using this model, can directly synthesise or adapt the design; a way of automating and instrumenting the modelling and design process; the ability to simulate or synthesise elements of the expected user-system behaviour.”

TBC

Group: Networked Systems Research Laboratory (NETLAB)
Speaker: TBC
Date: 18 June, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Lilybank Gardens, F121 Conference Room

10th Summer School and Symposium on Computational Interaction (S³CIX)

Group: Inference, Dynamics and Interaction (IDI)
Speaker: multiple
Date: 20 June, 2026
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Location: Sir Alwyn Williams Building, 422 Seminar Room

Welcome to the Symposium and Summer School on Computational Interaction! This year we are expanding from a Summer School format to also include a 4 day long academic Symposium. We anticipate about 30 students and 40 academics and invited speakers to attend. There will also be two workshops.

SPLV’26: Scottish Programming Languages and Verification Summer School 2026

Group: Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA)
Speaker: SICSA Event, SICSA
Date: 03 August, 2026
Time: 01:00 - 01:00
Location: TBA

The 2026 edition of SPLV will be held at the University of Glasgow, with the main courses running from within the Gilbert Scott Building. The school is aimed at PhD students in programming languages, verification and related areas. Researchers and practitioners are welcome, as are strong undergraduate and masters students with the support of a supervisor. Participants should have a background in computer science, mathematics or a related discipline. Prospective students may contact the organisers if they have any concerns about background knowledge. Registration will open March 2026. View full programme at SPLV 2026 | SPLV