The DiSCS lab conducts state-of-the-art research in the area of distributed systems and cybersecurity. The recent focus has been on the security of distributed systems and the safety of the people using them. As computers are weaved transparently into the fabric of our everyday lives, we have come to realize that our dependency on them can be beneficial for the human race only if it is grounded on the principles of trust, integrity, and safety. Guided by these principles, we conduct research and development in a broad range of topics covering several aspects of the spectrum that ranges from cybersecurity all the way to cybersafety. Our mission is to make people safer via a three-pronged approach:

Technology: Develop technologies that help our digital infrastructure become more secure. Some of the recent research challenges being addressed include:

        o Security: How can we make computers safer? How can we develop tools that help applications being more robust? How can we detect applications that have vulnerabilities?

        o Privacy: How can we ensure that computers and applications respect the privacy of their users? How can we find out when applications misbehave? How can we develop applications that help users share their (anonymized) data without any privacy breaches?

        o Misinformation: How can we discover misinformation on the Internet? What can be done to help users recognize and avoid misinformation on the Internet?

Awareness: Make sure that people (and especially children) are aware of the dangers and traps of cyberspace.  The awareness axis, aims to support and educate a variety of target groups, primarily children so that they become the mature and responsible digital citizens of tomorrow, but also educators of all levels, parents, grandparents, caretakers and all professionals working with children (see www.saferinternet4kids.gr)

Response: Help Law Enforcement Agencies use state-of-the-art technology to combat cybercrime. This response encompasses the development of tools that help Law enforcement make better investigations, the development of training material for cutting-edge areas (such as mobile forensics), and the operation of a hotline for the reporting of illegal material. Operating since 2003, the hotline (www.safeline.gr) is a full member of the International Association of Hotlines (www.inhope.org)