Debin GAO
Full-time Faculty
Professor of Computer Science Faculty Manager, SMU BSc (IS)-CMU Fast-Track Programme; Supervisor to SCIS UG Instructors Director, Centre on Security, Mobile Applications and Cryptography (SMC)
School of Computing and Information Systems
SCIS
Qualification
- PhD, Carnegie Mellon University, 2006
Teaching Topics
- Information Security & Trust
- Networking
- Software Engineering
Research Advisor/Co-Research Advisor to
Research Areas and Areas of Expertise
Strategic Priorities
HighlightsDebin Gao is a leading expert in systems and software security, renowned for his impactful research on mobile security, intrusion detection, and human factors in cybersecurity, with extensive contributions to both academia and industry.
Pioneered practical approaches in mobile and systems security, bridging theoretical advances with real-world applications; recognized for leadership in large-scale, multi-institutional research grants; combines deep technical expertise in program analysis and system security with a strong emphasis on usability and human factors; significant influence on policy, industry practices, and international research communities.
Focused research areas include Security and privacy in mobile and cyber-physical systems; intrusion detection and anomaly detection; software and hardware security; program analysis and obfuscation; side-channel attacks and defences; human-centric authentication and usability in security.
Pioneered practical approaches in mobile and systems security, bridging theoretical advances with real-world applications; recognized for leadership in large-scale, multi-institutional research grants; combines deep technical expertise in program analysis and system security with a strong emphasis on usability and human factors; significant influence on policy, industry practices, and international research communities.
Focused research areas include Security and privacy in mobile and cyber-physical systems; intrusion detection and anomaly detection; software and hardware security; program analysis and obfuscation; side-channel attacks and defences; human-centric authentication and usability in security.
Areas of Expertise
computer security
Past Awarded Grant
- Development of Secured Components & Systems in Emerging Technologies through Hardware & Software Evaluation, National Cybersecurity R&D (NCR) Programme, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), PI (Project Level): DING Xuhua, Debin GAO, Robert H DENG, David LO, Co-PI (Project Level): Guansong PANG, JIANG Lingxiao, DUAN Yue, YANG Guomin, PANG Hwee Hwa, 2023, S$11,365,070
- Less is More: Addressing Mobile Application Security and Privacy through Debloating, NCR-TAU Grant Call, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), PI (Project Level): David LO, Co-PI (Project Level): Debin GAO, 2022, S$599,568
- National Satellite of Excellence in Mobile Systems Security and Cloud Security, National Cybersecurity R&D (NCR) Programme, National Research Foundation (NRF), PI (Project Level): Robert H DENG, Co-PI (Project Level): Debin GAO, PANG Hwee Hwa, DING Xuhua, LI Yingjiu, 2019, S$7,498,320
- Enhanced function signature recovery for control-flow integrity enforcement on compiler optimized executables, NSoE TSS Grant Call, National Satellite of Excellence - Trustworthy Software Systems, PI (Project Level): Debin GAO, Co-PI (Project Level): David LO, 2019, S$714,780
- A system framework for reliable and dependable incident response on mobile devices, NSOE MSS-CS Research Programme, National Satellite of Excellence - Mobile Systems Security and Cloud Security, PI (Project Level): DING Xuhua, Co-PI (Project Level): Debin GAO, 2019, S$1,201,607
Latest Publications
Showing up to 6 latest publications from the past 5 years.
- Y Liu, Y Niu, C Ma, R Han, W Ma, Y Li, D Gao, D LoIEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 2026
- R Han, Z Yang, C Ma, Y Liu, Y Niu, S Ma, D Gao, D LoIEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 2026
- W Li, G Pang, H Qiao, D Gao, D LoarXiv preprint arXiv:2601.04548, 2026
- H Hu, W Minn, Y Liu, J Liu, F Thung, TY Zhuo, LK Shar, D Gao, D LoarXiv preprint arXiv:2510.04078, 2025
- Rethinking and Exploring String-Based Malware Family Classification in the Era of LLMs and RAG [2025]Y Chen, D Wu, J Zhong, Z Zhang, D Gao, S Wang, Y Li, N Liu, J Chen, ...arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.04055, 2025
- DynDebloater: Dynamically Debloating Unwanted Features of Android Apps without APK Modification [2025]Z Zhang, J Liu, F Thung, X Hu, W Minn, YN Tun, LK Shar, D Lo, D GaoProceedings of the 33rd ACM International Conference on the Foundations of …, 2025
This highlights are AI-generated content using the faculty's CV.
Qualification
- PhD, Carnegie Mellon University, 2006
Teaching Topics
- Information Security & Trust
- Networking
- Software Engineering
