About me
Hi there! My name is Juan Enrique, and I am a Ph.D. at the University of Malaga currently working as ICS cybersecurity consultant at Telefónica Tech. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2014 and my Master’s Degree in Computer Science in 2016, both with distinction from the same University. I also collaborated in the Department of Computer Science from 2013 to 2021, focusing my research activities on the protection of critical infrastructures in the context of national and international projects. Ever since, my work revolves around the analysis of cybersecurity threats that arise with the paradigm of Industry 4.0 and the concept of Industrial Internet of Things, interconnecting productive processes of all sectors with cutting-edge information and communications technologies.
Education
Bachelor of Computer Science Engineering
University of Malaga
2010 - 2014
Specialization in the major of Information Technology (Distinction)
Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering
University of Malaga
2014 - 2016
Specialization in Data Science and Information Security (Distinction)
PhD Degree in Computer Technologies
University of Malaga
2016 - 2022
Thesis on the Analysis and Design of Security mechanisms in the context of Advanced Persistent Attacks Against Critical Infrastructures (Cum Laude)
Supervised by Javier Lopez and Cristina Alcaraz
Experience and projects
Cybersecurity engineering
Telefónica Tech
At present, I am working at Telefónica Tech, a leader in the integration of systems and technologies for digital transformation. In particular, I am involved in projects concerning the implementation of industrial cybersecurity improvement plans in a wide range of infrastructures.
During my tenure at Ingenia, I had the honor of being invited by the National Cryptology Centre (CCN) to give a presentation on our work around the cybersecurity issues of the supply chain in Industry 4.0.
Watch video (in Spanish)
Research
NICS Lab
I worked at NICS Lab, an international leading Security research group led by Javier Lopez, Full Professor of the Computer Science Department at the University of Malaga. It is located at the Ada Byron Research Building, and its members have participated in more than 50 security research projects at an international and national level. During my doctoral studies, I had the possibility to contribute in some of these works, which have been published in high-impact journals and international conferences (listed below).
Among the latest projects financed by the European Union H2020 programme, I can highlight SealedGRID, which aims at developing an advanced Smart GRID security platform. We prepared a video to summarize the different contributions from the University of Malaga.
Check it out
Teaching
University of Malaga
Besides my research activities as a Ph.D. student, I also had the opportunity to give lectures at the University of Malaga, on the subjects of Wireless Networks and Telematic Services Development (in Spanish), from 2017 to 2020.
Along with teaching, I co-directed some dissertations of the main Bachelor’s degrees, which were mainly focused on the implementation of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and secure applications.
Development
Matlab, webapps, and more
After working hours, I am always keen to improve my development skills. Apart from Matlab, I am especially interested in Node.js projects, Blockchain technologies and mobile apps. In this sense, I have certain experience using web-based hybrid frameworks such as Cordova or Ionic.
I started to be interested in these technologies back in 2014, when I had the chance to enroll in an intership in Seis Cocos, a company from Malaga focused on web and mobile development. This knowledge was also reflected on my Bachelor’s Thesis, a continuous authentication protocol based on wireless devices with Bluetooth Low Energy. That also helped a lot to click my mind and grow my interest in the cybersecurity area.
Take a lookResearch publications
- Javier Lopez, Juan E. Rubio, and Cristina 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.
- Cristina Alcaraz, Juan E. Rubio, and Javier 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.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, Ruben Rios, Rodrigo Roman, and Javier 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.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, and Javier 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.
- Juan E. Rubio, Rodrigo Roman, and Javier Lopez, "Integration of a Threat Traceability Solution in the Industrial Internet of Things", IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 16, issue 10, no. 6575-6583, IEEE, 10/2020.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, Rodrigo Roman, and Javier Lopez, "Current Cyber-Defense Trends in Industrial Control Systems", Computers & Security Journal, vol. 87, Elsevier, 07/2019.
- Juan E. Rubio, Mark Manulis, Cristina Alcaraz, and Javier 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.
- 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.
- Juan E. Rubio, Rodrigo Roman, Cristina Alcaraz, and Yan Zhang, "Tracking APTs in Industrial Ecosystems: A Proof of Concept", Journal of Computer Security, vol. 27, issue 5, Elsevier, pp. 521-546, 09/2019.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, and Javier Lopez, "Addressing Security in OCPP: Protection Against Man-in-the-Middle Attacks", 9th IFIP International Conference on New Technologies, Mobility & Security, 2018.
- Juan E. Rubio, Rodrigo Roman, and Javier Lopez, "Analysis of cybersecurity threats in Industry 4.0: The case of intrusion detection", The 12th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security, vol. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 10707, Springer, pp. 119-130, 08/2018.
- Javier Lopez, Juan E. Rubio, and Cristina Alcaraz, "A Resilient Architecture for the Smart Grid", IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 14, issue 8, IEEE, pp. 3745-3753, 08/2019, 2018.
- Juan E. Rubio, Rodrigo Roman, Cristina Alcaraz, and Yan 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.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, Rodrigo Roman, and Javier 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.
- Cristina Alcaraz, Jesus Rodriguez, Rodrigo Roman, and Juan E. Rubio, "Estado y Evolución de la Detección de Intrusiones en los Sistemas Industriales", III Jornadas Nacionales de Investigación en Ciberseguridad (JNIC 2017), 2017.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, and Javier 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.
- Javier Lopez, Cristina Alcaraz, Jesus Rodriguez, Rodrigo Roman, and Juan E. Rubio, "Protecting Industry 4.0 against Advanced Persistent Threats", European CIIP Newsletter, vol. 11, issue 26, no. 1, European CIIP Newsletter, pp. 27-29, 03/2017.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, and Javier 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.
- Juan E. Rubio, Cristina Alcaraz, and Javier 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.
A little more about me
Woo hoo! Still here? I didn’t think you were going to scroll that long. That only means either you want to know more or you are trying to reach me for any other matter.
As for the former, I can just say that I am a hell of a freak, kind of amateur photographer and that I would spend years on a problem until I got it solved. Pigheaded as a mule but shy as a fox, I deeply enjoy spending time with my closest people. I turn out to be very organized and tidy for serious stuff, but not that much for the rest of my mind. Oh, and I love New York.
As for the latter, please, do not hesitate to contact me at info@jercobyte.com or any other network linked in the header. We are in touch!