MIT News breed · Science

Lincoln Laboratory Interns Tackle National Security

MIT Lincoln Laboratory's summer research program is a key talent pipeline for defense-critical programs. Many interns return to academia, but some, like Anna Raymaker and Vivek Jagadeesh, continue as student technical assistants, supporting national security research.

Anna Raymaker researches maritime security, focusing on Automatic Identification System (AIS) vulnerabilities. Mariners report AIS manipulation, like "ghost fleets," due to a lack of identity verification. Raymaker's work analyzes AIS trust assumptions and exploitation methods such as "spoofing."

Her research identifies risks to navigation and global shipping from manipulated AIS data. Raymaker is exploring defenses against false signals and plans to research other maritime security issues, including undersea cable protection.

Vivek Jagadeesh works on transitioning Hardware-Assisted Kernel Compartmentalization (HAKC) to industry. HAKC enhances operating system security by compartmentalizing kernel code, addressing Linux kernel vulnerabilities. His goal is to make HAKC accessible to major Linux distributors.

Jagadeesh developed a transpiler to insert HAKC code directly into source files. This tool aids auditing and integration into complex kernel development systems, overcoming compiler-specific challenges.

His transpiler is crucial for HAKC's next iteration, planned for release under a Linux Foundation initiative. Jagadeesh noted the supportive environment and the opportunity to work on impactful projects.

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