Yair Yona

Papers

Total Citations

148

H-Index

About

Yair Yona is a leading researcher in the security of embedded sensing systems, with a focus on protecting the physical-layer integrity of sensors used in life- and security-critical applications. His most influential work, "PyCRA" (2015), has garnered 141 citations and introduces a groundbreaking approach to securing sensors against physical attacks that bypass traditional encryption and post-processing defenses. Yona’s core contribution lies in developing attack resilience and recovery mechanisms, notably through physical challenge-response authentication for active sensors under integrity attacks (2016). This work addresses a critical vulnerability in systems like those found in airplanes, automobiles, and healthcare devices, where sensor tampering could have catastrophic consequences. By shifting the security paradigm from data-centric to sensor-centric protection, Yona has pioneered methods that actively verify sensor authenticity and recover from attacks in real time. His research bridges the gap between cybersecurity and embedded systems, offering practical solutions for hardening infrastructure against sophisticated adversaries. Yona’s achievements are particularly notable for their direct applicability to safety-critical domains, making him a key figure in the emerging field of cyber-physical system security.