Understanding Security APIs - CrySyS Lab

Acknowledgements
I am indebted to a whole host of people who have inspired, conspired, cooperated,
and supported me and this research since it all started back in 2000.
First, I want to thank my supervisor Ross Anderson who started it all, spotted the
significance of the results I was getting, and has backed me up at every twist and
turn of my journey. Many thanks are also due to Larry Paulson who supervised me
for the first year and a half, and lent a balance and perspective to the work which
was invaluable when I was immersed in the technical details of a problem.
I would like to thank my comrades from TG1 – George (“What are we going to do
today George? Same thing do we do every day Mike – try to take over the world!”),
Richard, and Markus: countless conversations, remonstrations, arguments, and even
sword-fights have helped me settle the truths of this topic. In more recent times
Steven, Stephen, Piotr, Andrei and Sergei have all lent their advice, skills and senses
of humour to aid my work.
Out in the big wide world of industry, special thanks go to Nicko Van Someren, Peter
Landrock and Leendert Van Doorn, who have all been very generous to me. Ernie
Cohen gave me some useful pointers and feedback on my crude efforts in formal
analysis. Particular thanks in recent times are also due to Todd Arnold and Dave
Ritten.
I must thank my mysterious and generally invisible funding bodies, the EPSRC
and Marconi – I hope the discoveries in this thesis return at least some of the
investment you have made in me. I should also thank my former director of studies,
Neil Dodgson, for (presumably) not writing a damning reference for me just after
discovering about the ‘vodka in exam’ incident!
In my personal struggle to survive this Ph.D. experience I am lost for superlatives
to describe the unshaking support I’ve had from Marianne and from my family. My
father in particular put up the money until my funding came through, and has read
or heard about (and completely understood) every idea as it arrived hot off the
press. Thanks also to numerous friends who have watched with interest and kept
me sane: Martin, Mary, Matt, Joe, Steve to mention but a few. A special thank
you to Sheila, who I swear is more interested in my work than I am, and who has
been a continual source of support and a great friend.
Finally I must thank Jol – I might have quit academic Security API research had
the size of the research community in this field not suddenly doubled. Onwards to
the future!
5