Florida Innovation in Secure Systems & Technology Lab (FISST)
Advancing Hardware & System Security
The Florida Innovation in Secure Systems & Technology (FISST) Lab is a new faculty-led research laboratory within the Department of Electrical, Computer & Cybersecurity Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University.
The lab advances hardware and system security with emphasis on DRAM Rowhammer vulnerabilities, side-channel and fault-injection analysis, and cybersecurity of industrial control systems (ICS/OT) that underpin critical infrastructure.
Mission Statement
The FISST Lab integrates teaching, research, and workforce development by engaging undergraduate students in hands-on security experimentation, hardware and embedded system testing, and applied cybersecurity research. The lab leverages state-supported cybersecurity programs (such as CyberFlorida) and emerging industry collaborations (e.g., Sittadel) to expand real-world experiential learning and strengthen Florida’s cybersecurity talent pipeline.
Core Research Areas
Hardware & system security
DRAM Rowhammer vulnerability analysis
Side-channel & fault-injection testing
Cybersecurity of industrial control systems (ICS/OT)
Workforce & undergraduate research development
Opportunities for Students
- Undergraduate research assistantships
- Senior design projects
- Cybersecurity competition preparation (Cybersecurity Club).
Contact
Dr. Mohammad Farmani
Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Engineering
Department of Electrical, Computer & Cybersecurity Engineering
Florida Polytechnic University
mfarmani@floridapoly.edu
Dr. Mohammad Farmani is an Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Engineering at Florida Polytechnic University, which he joined in 2024. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity at Santa Fe College (2023–2024). He teaches a range of courses in cybersecurity engineering and develops lab-based learning experiences that integrate hands-on challenges with real-world security scenarios.
His research focuses on hardware security, Rowhammer and DRAM vulnerabilities, side-channel and fault-injection attacks, and the cybersecurity of industrial control systems (ICS/OT) that underpin critical infrastructure. Dr. Farmani leads the Florida Innovation in Secure Systems & Technology (FISST) Lab, mentoring undergraduate researchers and advancing workforce development initiatives that leverage state-supported cybersecurity programs and emerging collaborations with industry partners. His recent scholarly contributions include a forthcoming Elsevier book chapter on smart grid cybersecurity and ongoing projects in memory and embedded system security.
Full Bio
Courses
Fall 2024
- Computer Architecture and Organization
- Computer Engineering Design Lab I
- Cyber-Physical Security for Industrial Control Systems
Spring 2025
- Hardware Security
- Cybersecurity Design Lab II
- Protective & Forensic Technologies for Cyber Security
Fall 2025
- Digital Logic Design
- Cybersecurity Design Lab I
- Cyber-Physical Security of Industrial Control Systems
Spring 2026
- Hardware Security
- Digital Logic Design
- Computer Engineering Design Lab II
Awards & Honors
- Best Demo Award, Florida Institute for Cybersecurity (FICS) Conference, 2018
- CHES Conference Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2016
Education
- D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, 2022
- S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2017
- S. in Computer Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 2014
- S. in Computer Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, 2012
Expertise
- Hardware security
- DRAM Rowhammer vulnerabilities
- Side-channel analysis
- Cyber-physical systems security
Professional Activities
- Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2024 – present
- Faculty Advisor, Cybersecurity Club, Florida Polytechnic University, 2024 – present
- Chair, Cybersecurity Engineering Faculty Hiring Committee, Florida Polytechnic University, 2025 – present
- ABET Accreditation Support, Cybersecurity Engineering Program, 2025 – present
Selected Publications
- Farmani, M., & Scott, M. (2025). Smart grid cybersecurity. In M. Rashid (Ed.), Handbook of Power Electronics in Smart Grids and Intelligent Energy. Elsevier. (Forthcoming).
- Suresh Kumar, V., & Farmani, M. (2025). Formal characterization of manufacturer-specific Rowhammer behavior in DDR4 DRAM. (Manuscript under review).
- Farmani, M., Rahman, F., & Tehranipoor, M. (2021). RHAT: Efficient RowHammer-aware test for modern DRAM modules. 2021 IEEE European Test Symposium (ETS), IEEE.
- Rahman, F., et al. (2017). Hardware-assisted cybersecurity for IoT devices. In 2017 18th International Workshop on Microprocessor and SOC Test and Verification (MSTV) (pp. 51–56).
- Farmani, M. (2017). Threshold implementations of the PRESENT cipher (Master’s thesis). Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
- Chen, C., Farmani, M., & Eisenbarth, T. (2016). A tale of two shares: Why two-share threshold implementation seems worthwhile—and why it is not. In ASIACRYPT 2016 (pp. 1–28). Springer LNCS.
- Salarifard, R., Bayat-Sarmadi, S., & Farmani, M. (2016). High-throughput low-complexity unified multipliers over GF(2^m) in dual and triangular bases. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, 63(11), 1944–1953.
- Bayat-Sarmadi, S., & Farmani, M. (2015). High-throughput low-complexity systolic Montgomery multiplication over GF(2^m) based on trinomials. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, 62(4), 377–381.
