Riccardo Paccagnella

Riccardo Paccagnella is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where his research focuses on computer security. His work has been featured in Ars Technica, New Scientist, and Wired, and recognized with several distinctions, including three “Top Pick” awards, three “Pwnie” awards, and the David J. Kuck Outstanding PhD Thesis Award. His research has prompted major technology companies—including Google, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, and Cloudflare—to patch vulnerabilities and issue new security guidelines.

Paccagnella’s research tackles a central challenge: modern hardware cannot keep secrets. Attackers can exploit hardware features to leak sensitive data, revealing fundamental weaknesses in computer security. Because hardware was long designed without sufficient attention to security, the community still lacks a complete understanding of these vulnerabilities—and emerging technological trends suggest the problem is only growing.

His work develops a deeper understanding of software security in the context of today’s leaky hardware. He has shown how certain hardware optimizations enable timing attacks even on constant-time code and can be exploited for stealthy computation via “weird machines.” Building on these insights, he is developing new techniques to detect and mitigate hardware-induced vulnerabilities, paving the way for more secure and reliable systems.