First, thank you for considering to work with me. I am always honored when I
receive requests from prospective students who are thinking about working with
me! However, before you contact me, you should read this:

I work in systems security. If you are interested in data mining, networking,
or any other computer discipline, I am not the right person for you. I am not
interested, or active in these areas. Although we do use all sorts of different
CS techniques (e.g., machine learning) in our work, we are interested in
solving security problems, and not interested in advancing the field in these
areas. Also, note that I am not interested in crypto. Crypto is an area that I
appreciate, but I am not smart enough to understand the problems and research
issues there ;)

Intrusion Detection in the general sense is not interesting for me any more
(scientifically). The attacks are more sophisticated and specific, so if you
are interested in general IDS research, you might want to work with someone
else. What we do is related to IDS, but we attack more specific problems to
have more effective solutions (e.g., botnet detection, spyware detection, etc).

If you want to do a Ph.D. in systems security, you need to have a good systems
background. Languages such as C, C++ should not be an issue for you. You should
be able to develop web applications, you should be a proficient user of Linux /
UNIX systems, and should be passionate about coding. Programming should not be
a challenge for you, it should be a normal part of your life. Of course, if you
don't enjoy coding, or if it is a big hurdle for you, then you are not a good
fit for us...

When you apply, it is important for you to say why you want to do a Ph.D. and
why you think you are qualified. Research is tough business, and you need to
explain why you want to do it. You need to be self-motivated to do research.

If you are wondering if you have the "minimal" technical skills to work in
systems security, feel free to drop me an e-mail. I can give you access to a
remote server, documentation, and some instructions, and you can see if you
have the technical and intellectual skills... ;) We don't expect you to know
everything, but we expect you to be able to read and learn.

Best regards,

E.Kirda