Riccardo Focardi

Riccardo Focardi is a Full Professor at Ca' Foscari University of Venice in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Computer Science and Statistics. He has held this position since September 2017, following roles as Associate Professor (2013–2017) and Researcher (1996–2002). He is also co-founder and Chief Scientist of Cryptosense and 10Sec, startups focused on cybersecurity and IoT security solutions.

Education: PhD in Computer Science from the University of Bologna (1999), Laurea cum laude in Computer Science (1993).

Research focuses on cybersecurity, cryptography, formal methods for security protocol analysis, and secure hardware/software systems. Notable projects include the Cryptosense Analyzer tool for cryptographic device analysis and contributions to IoT security via 10Sec's fingerprinting technologies. His work on PKCS#11 vulnerabilities and padding oracle attacks has significantly impacted practical cryptographic security.

Publications emphasize applied cryptography, API security, and IoT systems. Recent work explores GAN-based authentication (EUAS-GAN) and zero-shot malware detection (Z-MDZS). Over 110 publications span top venues like CRYPTO, CCS, and IEEE S&P.

Leadership roles include coordinating national cybersecurity projects (e.g., POR FESR 2017–2020), chairing conferences (ITASEC 2017, CSF 2007), and directing Ca' Foscari's Computer Science PhD program (2012–2019). Active in public engagement, including media appearances on cybersecurity trends.

Labs/Teams: Cryptosense (founded 2013), 10Sec (2020), and the DAIS department's security research group. Supervised over 10 PhD students, contributing to academic-industry collaborations in secure systems.