Zidong Zhang's Homepage

Zidong 'kee1ongz’ Zhang (aka Zander Zhang) PhD Student & Security Researcher, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, Canada Email: kee1ongzz [AT] gmail.com / zza323 [AT] sfu.ca [Google Scholar] [Github] [CV]

Biography

I am an upcoming PhD student in School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University, under the supervision of Prof. Jianliang Wu. Before joining SFU, I obtained my M.S. degree from Shandong University, under the supervision of Prof. Wenrui Diao. I also interned at QI-ANXIN Research Institute, where I worked closely with Dr.Qinsheng Hou, Dr.Yacong Gu and Dr.Lingyun Ying. My research focuses on Web/mobile security.

Research Interests

My research focuses on uncovering security vulnerabilities that emerge from real-world scenarios in web and mobile ecosystems. I aim to push the boundaries of security analysis by identifying novel attack surfaces and quantifying their impact through large-scale automated program analysis. My current work emphasizes security risks in next-generation mobile applications—such as mini-programs, super apps, and companion applications for IoT devices, particularly those leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Also, I used to play CTFs, specializing in web security.

Education

• Sep 2024 - Jun 2028 (Expected): Ph.D. Student in Computer Science, supervised by Prof. Jianliang Wu, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

• Sep 2021 - Jun 2024: M.Sc. in Network and Information Security, supervised by Prof. Wenrui Diao, Shandong University, Qingdao, China.

• Sep 2017 - Jun 2021: B.Sc. in Information Security, Hebei University, Baoding, China.

Experience

• Oct 2022 - Aug 2024 (Expected): Security Researcher Intern, supervised by Dr.Lingyun Ying and Dr.Yacong Gu, QI-ANXIN Research Institute, Beijing, China.

Publications

1. [S&P’25] Jiawei Zhou*, Zidong Zhang*, Lingyun Ying (✉️), Huajun Chai, Jiuxin Cao (✉️), and Haixin Duan. Hey, Your Secrets Leaked! Detecting and Characterizing Secret Leakage in the Wild. The 46th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, San Francisco, CA, USA. May 12-15, 2025. [Top]

2. [SaTS’24] Zidong Zhang, Jianqi Du, Wenrui Diao (✉️), and Jianliang Wu (✉️). MiniBLE: Exploring Insecure BLE API Usages in Mini-Programs. The 2nd ACM Workshop on Secure and Trustworthy Superapps, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. October 14, 2024. [PDF]

3. [CCS’24] Zidong Zhang, Qinsheng Hou, Lingyun Ying (✉️), Wenrui Diao (✉️), Yacong Gu, Rui Li, Shanqing Guo, and Haixin Duan. MiniCAT: Understanding and Detecting Cross-Page Request Forgery Vulnerabilities in Mini-Programs. The 31st ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. October 14-18, 2024. [Top] [PDF] [Code] [Slides]

4. [MSN’23] Jianqi Du, Zidong Zhang, Fenghao Xu (✉️), and Wenrui Diao (✉️). Living in the Past: Analyzing BLE IoT Devices Based on Mobile Companion Apps in Old Versions. The 19th International Conference on Mobility, Sensing and Networking, Nanjing, China. December 14-16, 2023. [PDF]

5. [SECON’22] Jianqi Du, Fenghao Xu (✉️), Chennan Zhang, Zidong Zhang, Xiaoyin Liu, Pengcheng Ren, Wenrui Diao (✉️), Shanqing Guo, and Kehuan Zhang. Identifying the BLE Misconfigurations of IoT Devices through Companion Mobile Apps. The 19th Annual IEEE International Conference on Sensing, Communication, and Networking, Virtual Conference. September 20-23, 2022. [PDF]

Professional Activities

Artifact Evaluation Committee

• USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX SEC): 2025

External Reviewer / Subreviewer:

• ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (ACM CCS): 2024

• IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy (IEEE EuroS&P): 2024

• European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS): 2022

• International Conference on Information and Communications Security (ICICS): 2022

• International Conference on Information Security and Cryptology (Inscrypt): 2023

• CCF Chinasoft: 2023

Teaching

Teaching Assistant@SDU:

• 04630210 - Reverse Engineering: 2023 Spring

• 04630130 - Software Security: 2021 Fall

Awards

• 2023: DataCon Security Analysis Competition, Vulnerability Analysis Track, Third Place (3/689 teams)

• 2020: The Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM), Meritorious Winner

• 2020: National College Student Information Security Contest (CISCN), First Prize of North China Region

• 2019: National College Student Information Security Contest (CISCN), Second Prize of North China Region

• 2019: College Student Information Security Contest in Hebei Province, First Prize

Useful Links

• SecPaper

• Top Crypto and Security Conferences Ranking

• System Security Circus

• CCF Conference Deadlines

Misc

In my free time, I am an avid video game enthusiast, particularly fond of MMORPGs. I have been playing World of Warcraft since 2010, with a keen interest in Mythic+ dungeons (M+) and addon development.

My favorite and most proficient spec is Outlaw Rogue.