Xiyu Kang

PhD student

Office: GS 749

Interests: Computer Security


I earned my bachelor's degree in Beijing, China. After graduation, I decided to pursue a PhD degree overseas for many reasons. It would be my first time studying abroad alone. But I knew I'm capable of it. So here I am in the University of Arizona as a PhD student. My major is computer science with a focus on automatic exploitation of JIT compiler bugs.

​​​​​Research Interests

My research interest in general is security. It includes network security, software security, web security, IoT security, mobile security, etc. In all these fields, I prefer to explore how to attack, rather than how to defend. Besides, I'm also interested in using machine learning techniques to do the attacks.

What long-term project do you want to work on?

Currently, I'm working on a long-term project: automatically build exploits for bugs that originate from JIT compilers. If you are interested in this topic, email me and let's explore it together.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Successfully implement an attack!

What are your career goals

First, I want to be a security expert. Next, I have five options: 1) start up a company. 2) become a blogger. 3) be hired in industry. 4) be hired in academia. 5) Others. I haven't decided which to choose. But things will get clear with time.

​​​​Tell us something interesting about yourself!

1. I'm going to travel around the world after graduation! No kidding.

2. I started a blog: https://pwnbykenny.com It shares knowledge about all kinds of security techniques with a focus on my research topic. Welcome to leave your precious comments!

3. I'm learning piano! Hopefully, after graduation, I will be a pianist!

4. Like all kinds of sports and experiences