Cristina Alcaraz

Associate professor

Computer Science Department, University of Malaga
Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 – Málaga (Spain)
Phone: +34 952139313 / +34 951952915
E-mail: alcaraz@uma.es

Positions and Fellowships

BBVA Leonardo fellowship, 2019.
Ramón y Cajal postdoctoral fellowship, Economy and Competitiveness Ministry Spain, 2015.
Marie-Curie Cofund postdoctoral fellowship at Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), Department of Information Security, U.K., August 2012 – August 2014
Guest Researcher at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Computer Security Division, Washington D.C., United States, November 2011 – August 2012.

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science with European Doctorate mention, University of Malaga (Spain), September, 2011.
- Title of PhD thesis: “Interconnected Sensor Networks for Critical Information Infrastructure Protection”.
- Advisor: Prof. Javier Lopez
M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Malaga, Malaga, 2006.
B.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Malaga, 2003.

Teaching

Seguridad de la Información (Information Security)
BSc. in Computer Science and BSc. in Computer Science + Mathematics
Diseño y Configuración de Sistemas Seguros en Red (Design and Configuration of Secure Networked Systems)
Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering
Seguridad en Sistemas Industriales y Ciberfísicos (Industrial and Cyber-Physical Systems Security)
Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering
Ciberseguridad y Blockchain (Cibersecurity and Blockchain)
MSc. in Digital Business Transformation

Scope of Research

Technologies and use cases:
- Security in Cyber-Physical Systems
- Security in Industrial Internet of Things
- Security in Digital Twins
- Security in Industry 5.0 and Supply Chain
- Security in Smart Grids
- Blockchain
Interest areas:
- Advanced detection and prediction
- Resilience (response and recovery)
- Situational awareness

Scientific Activities

Editorial Board Member:
- IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics (TII), IEEE.
- IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing (TDSC), IEEE.
- Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT), ACM.
- International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection (IJCIP), Elsevier.
- International Journal of Information Security (IJ IS), Springer.
- IEEE Networking Letters, IEEE.
- Security and Communication Networks (SCN), John Wiley & Sons.
- Telecommunication Systems (TELS), Springer.
- Annals of Telecommunications (AT), Springer.
- International Journal of Critical Infrastructures (IJCIS), Inderscience Publishers.
- Transactions on Emerging Telecomunications Technologies (ETT), John Wiley & Sons.
- Journal of Surveillance, Security and Safety (JSSS), OAE Publishing Inc.
- European CIIP Member Newsletter (ECN).
- Ad Hoc Networks, Elsevier (2015-2017).
- Computers & Electrical Engineering (CAEE), Elsevier Science (2013-2016).
IEEE Technical Committees:
- IEEE SMC Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (Enterprise Information Systems)
- IEEE SMC Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (Homeland Security)
Vice-Chair of IEEE ComSoc SIG on Green Digital Twin Network
IEEE Senior Member
ACM Member

Recognition

Women in Homeland Security Award, IEEE SMC TC on Homeland Security, July 27th 2021.

PhD Thesis (co)Advisor

Ioannis Stellios (2022)
Juan E. Rubio (2022), RENIC Cybersecurity Awards for the best Doctoral Thesis 2023
Lorena Cazorla (2017)

Relevant Publications and/or Recent Publications

BOOKS:

C. Alcaraz, “Security and Privacy Trends in the Industrial Internet of Things“,
Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications, Springer, 2019. More..

JOURNALS (ISI JCR Ranked):
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Protecting Digital Twin Networks for 6G-enabled Industry 5.0 Ecosystems“,
  IEEE Network Magazine, IEEE, In Press. (I.F.: 10.294)More..
- R. Roman, C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, and K. Sakurai, “Current Perspectives on Securing Critical Infrastructures’ Supply Chains“,
  IEEE Security & Privacy, IEEE, In Press. (I.F.: 3.105)More..
- C. Alcaraz, J. Cumplido, and A. Triviño, “OCPP in the spotlight: threats and countermeasures for electric vehicle charging infrastructures 4.0“,
  International Journal of Information Security, Springer, In Press. DOI (I.F.: 2.427)More..
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Digital Twin: A Comprehensive Survey of Security Threats“,
  IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 24, issue 3, no. thirdquarter 2022, IEEE, pp. 1475 – 1503, 04/2022. DOI (I.F.: 33.84)More..
- F. Flammini, et al., “Towards Trustworthy Autonomous Systems: Taxonomies and Future Perspectives“,
  IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing, IEEE, 2022. DOI (I.F.: 6.595)More..
- A. D. Syrmakesis, C. Alcaraz, and N. D. Hatziargyriou, “Classifying resilience approaches for protecting smart grids against cyber threats“,
  International Journal of Information Security, vol. 21, Springer, pp. 1189–1210, 05/2022. DOI (I.F.: 2.427)More..
- J. Lopez, J. E. Rubio, and C. Alcaraz, “Digital Twins for Intelligent Authorization in the B5G-enabled Smart Grid“,
  IEEE Wireless Communications, vol. 28, issue 2, IEEE, pp. 48-55, 04/2021. DOI (I.F.: 12.777)More..
- S. Fischer-Hübner, et al., “Stakeholder Perspectives and Requirements on Cybersecurity in Europe“,
  Journal of Information Security and Applications, vol. 61, no. 102916, Elsevier, 09/2021. DOI (I.F.: 4.96)More..
- C. Alcaraz, J. E. Rubio, and J. Lopez, “Blockchain-Assisted Access for Federated Smart Grid Domains: Coupling and Features“,
  Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing, vol. 144, Elsevier, pp. 124-135, 06/2020. (I.F.: 3.734)More..
- C. Alcaraz, G. Bernieri, F. Pascucci, J. Lopez, and R. Setola, “Covert Channels-based Stealth Attacks in Industry 4.0“,
  IEEE Systems Journal., vol. 13, issue 4, IEEE, pp. 3980-3988, 12/2019. DOI (I.F.: 3.987)More..
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, R. Roman, and J. Lopez, “Current Cyber-Defense Trends in Industrial Control Systems“,
  Computers & Security Journal, vol. 87, Elsevier, 11/2019. DOI (I.F.: 3.579)
- I. Stellios, P. Kotzanikolaou, M. Psarakis, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Survey of IoT-enabled Cyberattacks: Assessing Attack Paths to Critical Infrastructures and Services“,
  IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials, vol. 20, issue 4, IEEE, pp. 3453-3495, 07/2018. DOI (I.F.: 22.973)
- J. Lopez, J. E. Rubio, and C. Alcaraz, “A Resilient Architecture for the Smart Grid“,
  IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 14, issue 8, IEEE, pp. 3745-3753, 08/2019, 2018. DOI (I.F.: 7.377)
- C. Alcaraz, “Cloud-Assisted Dynamic Resilience for Cyber-Physical Control Systems“,
  IEEE Wireless Communications, vol. 25, no. 1, IEEE, pp. 76-82, 02/2018. DOI (I.F.: 11)More..
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “A Cyber-Physical Systems-Based Checkpoint Model for Structural Controllability“,
  IEEE Systems Journal, vol. 12, issue 4, IEEE, pp. 3543-3554, 12/2018. DOI (I.F.: 4.463)
- C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, and S. Wolthunsen, “OCPP Protocol: Security Threats and Challenges“,
  IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, vol. 8, issue 5, IEEE, pp. 2452 – 2459, 02/2017. DOI (I.F.: 7.364)
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Recommender System for Privacy-Preserving Solutions in Smart Metering“,
  Pervasive and Mobile Computing, vol. 41, Pervasive and Mobile Computing, pp. 205-218, 10/2017. (I.F.: 2.974).
- C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, and S. Wolthusen, “Policy Enforcement System for Secure Interoperable Control in Distributed Smart Grid Systems“,
  Journal of Network and Computer Applications, vol. 59, Elsevier, pp. 301–314, 01/2016. (I.F.: 3.500)
- L. Cazorla, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Cyber Stealth Attacks in Critical Information Infrastructures“,
  IEEE Systems Journal, vol. 12, issue 2, IEEE, pp. 1778-1792, 06/2018. DOI (I.F.: 4.463)
- L. Cazorla, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “A Three-Stage Analysis of IDS for Critical Infrastructures“,
  Computers & Security, vol. 55, no. November, Elsevier, pp. 235-250, 2015. (I.F.: 1.64)
- C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, and K-K. Raymond Choo, “Resilient Interconnection in Cyber-Physical Control Systems“,
  Computers & Security, vol. 71, Elsevier, pp. 2-14, 11/2017. DOI (I.F.: 2.650)
- C. Alcaraz, and S. Zeadally, “Critical Infrastructure Protection: Requirements and Challenges for the 21st Century“,
  International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection (IJCIP), vol. 8, Elsevier Science, pp. 53–66, 01/2015. DOI (I.F.: 1.351)
- L. Cazorla, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Awareness and Reaction Strategies for Critical Infrastructure Protection“,
  Computers and Electrical Engineering, vol. 47, issue October, Elsevier, pp. 299-317, 2015. DOI (I.F.: 1.084)
- L. Cazorla, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “A Three-Stage Analysis of IDS for Critical Infrastructures“,
  Computers & Security, vol. 55, no. November, Elsevier, pp. 235-250, 2015. (I.F.: 1.64)
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “WASAM: A Dynamic Wide-Area Situational Awareness Model for Critical Domains in Smart Grids“,
  Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 30, Elsevier, pp. 146-154, 2014. DOI (I.F.: 2.786)
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Diagnosis Mechanism for Accurate Monitoring in Critical Infrastructure Protection“,
  Computer Standards & Interfaces, vol. 36, issue 3, Elsevier, pp. 501-512, 2014. DOI (I.F.: 0.879)
- C. Alcaraz, and S.. Zeadally, “Critical Control System Protection in the 21st Century: Threats and Solutions“,
  IEEE Computer, vol. 46, no. 10, IEEE Computer Society, pp. 74 – 83, 2013. DOI (I.F.: 1.438)
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Wide-Area Situational Awareness for Critical Infrastructure Protection“,
  IEEE Computer, vol. 46, no. 4, IEEE Computer Society, pp. 30-37, 2013. DOI (I.F.: 1.438)
- C. Alcaraz, R. Roman, P. Najera, and J. Lopez, “Security of Industrial Sensor Network-based Remote Substations in the context of the Internet of Things“,
  Ad Hoc Networks, vol. 11, Elsevier, pp. 1091–1104, 2013. DOI (I.F.: 1.943)More..
- J. Lopez, C. Alcaraz, and R. Roman, “Smart Control of Operational Threats in Control Substations“,
  Computers & Security, vol. 38, Elsevier, pp. 14-27, OCT 2013. DOI (I.F.: 1.172)
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Analysis of Requirements for Critical Control Systems“,
  International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection (IJCIP), vol. 5, Elsevier, pp. 137–145, 2012. DOI (I.F.: 0.63)More..
- S.. Zeadally, A.. Pathan, C. Alcaraz, and M.. Badra, “Towards Privacy Protection in Smart Grid“,
  Wireless Personal Communications, vol. 73, Springer, pp. 23-50, Nov 2013, 2012. DOI (I.F.: 0.428)
- C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, R. Roman, and H-H. Chen, “Selecting key management schemes for WSN applications“,
  Computers & Security, vol. 31, no. 38, Elsevier, pp. 956–966, Nov 2012. DOI (I.F.: 1.158)More..
- S.. Zeadally, A.. Pathan, C. Alcaraz, and M.. Badra, “Towards Privacy Protection in Smart Grid“,
  Wireless Personal Communications, vol. 73, Springer, pp. 23-50, Nov 2013, 2012. DOI (I.F.: 0.428)
- R. Roman, C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, and N. Sklavos, “Key management systems for sensor networks in the context of the Internet of Things“,
  Computers & Electrical Engineering, vol. 37, Elsevier, pp. 147-159, Mar 2011. DOI (I.F.: 0.837)
- C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, J. Zhou, and R. Roman, “Secure SCADA Framework for the Protection of Energy Control Systems“,
  Concurrency and Computation Practice & Experience, vol. 23, no. 12, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 1414-1430, Aug 2011. DOI (I.F.: 0.636)
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “A Security Analysis for Wireless Sensor Mesh Networks in Highly Critical Systems“,
  IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C: Applications and Reviews, vol. 40, no. 4, IEEE, pp. 419-428, July, 2010. DOI (I.F.: 2.105)
- R. Roman, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “A Survey of Cryptographic Primitives and Implementations for Hardware-Constrained Sensor Network Nodes“,
  Mobile Networks and Applications, vol. 12, no. 4, Springer, pp. 231-244, August, 2007. DOI (I.F.: 0.586)
CONFERENCES:
- J. Cumplido, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Collaborative anomaly detection system for charging stations“,
  The 27th European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 2022), vol. 13555, Springer, Cham, pp. 716–736, 09/2022. DOI
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, R. Rios, R. Roman, and J. Lopez, “Distributed Detection of APTs: Consensus vs. Clustering“,
  25th European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 2020), vol. 12308, pp. 174-192, 09/2020. DOI
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Game Theory-Based Approach for Defense against APTs“,
  18th International Conference on Applied Cryptography and Network Security (ACNS’20), vol. 12147, Springer, pp. 297-320, 10/2020. DOI
- J. E. Rubio, M. Manulis, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Enhancing Security and Dependability of Industrial Networks with Opinion Dynamics“,
  European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS2019), vol. 11736, pp. 263-280, 09/2019. DOI
- A. Farao, et al., “SealedGRID: A Secure Interconnection of Technologies for Smart Grid Applications“,
  14th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security (CRITIS 2019), vol. 11777, Springer, Cham, pp. 169-175, 12/2019. DOI
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Addressing Security in OCPP: Protection Against Man-in-the-Middle Attacks“,
  9th IFIP International Conference on New Technologies, Mobility & Security, 2018.
- J. E. Rubio, R. Roman, C. Alcaraz, and Y. Zhang, “Tracking Advanced Persistent Threats in Critical Infrastructures through Opinion Dynamics“,
  European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 2018), vol. 11098, Springer, pp. 555-574, 08/2018. DOI
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, R. Roman, and J. Lopez, “Analysis of Intrusion Detection Systems in Industrial Ecosystems“,
  14th International Conference on Security and Cryptography (SECRYPT 2017), vol. 6, SciTePress, pp. 116-128, 2017. DOI
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Selecting Privacy Solutions to Prioritise Control in Smart Metering Systems“,
  The 11th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security, vol. 10242, pp. 176-188, 2017.
- J. E. Rubio, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Preventing Advanced Persistent Threats in Complex Control Networks“,
  European Symposium on Research in Computer Security, vol. 10493, 22nd European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 2017), pp. 402-418, 09/2017.
- C. Alcaraz, J. Lopez, and K-K. Raymond Choo, “Dynamic Restoration in Interconnected RBAC-based Cyber-Physical Control Systems“,
  Proceedings of the 13th International Joint Conference on e-Business and Telecommunications (SECRYPT 2016), pp. 19-27, 2016. DOI
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Safeguarding Structural Controllability in Cyber-Physical Control Systems“,
  The 21st European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 2016), vol. 9879, Springer, pp. 471-489, 2016.
- C. Alcaraz, L. Cazorla, and G. Fernandez, “Context-Awareness using Anomaly-based Detectors for Smart Grid Domains“,
  9th International Conference on Risks and Security of Internet and Systems , vol. 8924, Springer International Publishing, pp. 17-34, 04/2015. DOI
- C. Alcaraz, and S. Wolthusen, “Recovery of Structural Controllability for Control Systems“,
  Eighth IFIP WG 11.10 International Conference on Critical Infrastructure Protection, SRI International, Arlington, Virginia, USA , vol. 441, Springer, pp. 47-63, 2014. DOI
- C. Alcaraz, and M. Sonmez, “PDR: A Prevention, Detection and Response Mechanism for Anomalies in Energy Control Systems“,
  7th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security (CRITIS 2012), vol. 7722, pp. 22–33, 2013.
- L. Cazorla, C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Towards Automatic Critical Infrastructure Protection through Machine Learning“,
  8th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security, vol. 8328, Springer, pp. 197-203, 2013. DOI
- C. Alcaraz, E. Etcheves Miciolino, and S. Wolthusen, “Structural Controllability of Networks for Non-Interactive Adversarial Vertex Removal“,
  8th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security, vol. 8328, Springer, pp. 120-132, 2013. DOI
- C. Alcaraz, E. Etcheves Miciolino, and S. Wolthusen, “Multi-Round Attacks on Structural Controllability Properties for Non-Complete Random Graphs“,
  The 16th Information Security Conference (ISC), vol. 7807, Springer, pp. 140–151, 09/2015. DOI
- F.. Siddiqui, S.. Zeadally, C. Alcaraz, and S.. Galvao, “Smart Grid Privacy: Issues and Solutions“,
  21st International Conference on Computer Communications and Networks (ICCCN), IEEE Computer Society, pp. 1-5, Jul 2012. DOI
- C. Alcaraz, and J. Lopez, “Addressing Situational Awareness in Critical Domains of a Smart Grid“,
  6th International Conference on Network and System Security (NSS 2012), LNCS 7645 7645, Springer-Verlag, pp. 58-71, November 2012. DOI
- R. Roman, J. Lopez, C. Alcaraz, and H. Hwa Chen, “SenseKey – Simplifying the Selection of Key Management Schemes for Sensor Networks“,
  5th International Symposium on Security and Multimodality in Pervasive Environments (SMPE’11), IEEE, March, 2011. DOI More..
- C. Alcaraz, I. Agudo, D. Nuñez, and J. Lopez, “Managing Incidents in Smart Grids à la Cloud“,
  IEEE CloudCom 2011, IEEE Computer Society, pp. 527-531, Nov-Dec 2011. DOI More..
- C. Alcaraz, P. Najera, J. Lopez, and R. Roman, “Wireless Sensor Networks and the Internet of Things: Do We Need a Complete Integration?“,
  1st International Workshop on the Security of the Internet of Things (SecIoT’10), IEEE, pp. xxxx, December, 2010. More..
- C. Alcaraz, A. Balastegui, and J. Lopez, “Early Warning System for Cascading Effect Control in Energy Control Systems“,
  5th International conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security (CRITIS’10), LNCS 6712, Springer, pp. 55-67, September, 2010. More..
- C. Alcaraz, et al., “Adaptive Dispatching of Incidences Based on Reputation for SCADA Systems“,
  6th International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Digital Business (TrustBus’09), Springer-Verlag, pp. 86-94, September, 2009. DOI More..
- R. Roman, and C. Alcaraz, “Applicability of Public Key Infrastructures in Wireless Sensor Networks“,
  European PKI Workshop: Theory and Practice (EuroPKI’07), LNCS 4582, Springer, pp. 313-320, June, 2007. DOI More..
- C. Alcaraz, and R. Roman, “Applying Key Infrastructures for Sensor Networks in {CIP/CIIP} Scenarios“, 1st International Workshop on Critical Information Infrastructures Security (CRITIS’06), LNCS 4347, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, pp. 166-178, 2006. DOI