Ali Akhavani
Ali Akhavani
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WAFFLED: Exploiting Parsing Discrepancies to Bypass Web Application Firewalls
Finding methods to bypass Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) by mutating HTTP requests using fuzzing approaches.
Seyed Ali Akhavani
,
Bahruz Jabiyev
,
Ben Kallus
,
Cem Topcuoglu
,
Sergey Bratus
,
Engin Kirda
Last updated on Mar 12, 2026
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Open Source, Open Threats? Investigating Security Challenges in Open-Source Software
This study analyzes the evolution of vulnerabilities in open-source ecosystems, revealing trends in growth, distribution, and critical factors influencing security risks.
Seyed Ali Akhavani
,
Behzad Ousat
,
Amin Kharraz
Last updated on Oct 14, 2025
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Evaluating Security Checks Against Malicious Payloads with Forged Signatures
This research investigates how cybercriminals exploit digital code-signing certificates to disguise malicious software as legitimate, trusted programs. By analyzing how modern web browsers and operating systems handle these “signed” threats, the study reveals significant inconsistencies in security responses that leave users vulnerable to deception. To address these gaps, the study demonstrates that a specialized browser extension can effectively narrow the attack surface and provide a more robust defense against certificate-based exploits.
Lalchandra Rampersaud
,
Behzad Ousat
,
Seyed Ali Akhavani
,
Javad Zandi
,
Selcuk Uluagac
,
Amin Kharraz
Last updated on Mar 12, 2026
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Measuring and Evaluating the Performance of Generative AI Models for Scam Detection
Measuring and Evaluating the Performance of Generative AI Models for Scam Detection
Anonymous Authors
Last updated on Nov 1, 2025
Browserprint: An Analysis of the Impact of Browser Features on Fingerprintability and Web Privacy
The evolution of increasingly more complicated web applications relies on browsers constantly adding and removing features. At the same time, some of these web services use browser fingerprinting to track and profile their users with clear disregard for their web privacy. In this paper, we perform an empirical analysis of browser features evolution and aim to evaluate browser fingerprintability.
Seyed Ali Akhavani
,
Jordan Jueckstock
,
Junhua Su
,
Alexandros Kapravelos
,
Engin Kirda
,
Long Lu
Last updated on Mar 12, 2026
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