Dr. Umara Noor

Ph.D. (Information Technology)

Lecturer

Department of Software Engineering

International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Email: [email protected]

Contact No: 0092-51-9019824

Google Scholar Link:  https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FN91_toAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Research Interests

Cyber Security, Computer and Network Security, Cyber Threat Intelligence and Information Sharing, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Web Mining, and Analysis 

Ph.D. Thesis

Title: A Data-Driven Approach to Automated Analysis of Cyber Threat Intelligence

PhD research work was conducted with Dr. Zahid Anwar (North Dakota State University, USA), and Dr. Jörn Altmann (Technology Management, Economics, and Policy Program, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, South Korea).

Education

Years
Degree
University/Institute
2020
Ph.D. (Information Technology)
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (SEECS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
2009
Master (Information Technology)
CGPA: 4.00 (GOLD MEDALIST)
Research Area: Deep Web Classification, Semantic Information Retrieval, Training less Ontology based Deep Web Source Classification
Institute of Management Sciences (Im|Sciences), Peshawar, Pakistan
2005
M.Sc. (Computer Science)
University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
2003
Bachelor (Computer Science)
University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan

Professional Certifications 

1. Google Cyber Security Professional – Coursera

2. IBM Machine Learning Professional – Coursera

3. Introduction to Large Language Models – Coursera

4. Mathematics for Machine Learning and Data Science – DeepLearning.AI

Work Experience (17 years +)

·       2013-till dateLecturer, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Subjects Taught

Under Graduate: Network Security, Cyber Security, Information Security, Probability and Statistics, Operating Systems, Data Communication, Computer Communication, and Networks, Advance Computer Programming (JAVA), Digital Logic Design, Introduction to Computing, Information Technology Infrastructure

Post Graduate (Master): Network Security, Machine Learning, Research Methods, Advanced Computer Architecture, Advanced Data Mining

Post Graduate (Ph.D.):Special Topics in Communication & Networks, Special Topics in Machine Learning

·       2009-2012: Research Associate, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Subjects Taught: Data Communication, Computer Communication, and Networks, Advance Computer Programming (JAVA), Digital Logic Design, Introduction to Computing

·       2006-2007Visiting Lecturer at Frontier Education Foundation, Degree College for Girls, Hayatabad, Pakistan

Subjects Taught: Information Technology Basics, Computer Networks, Programming Fundamentals, Object Oriented Paradigm, Operating System, and Database Systems

Journal Publications

1.      
Umara Noor, Zahid Anwar, Asad
Waqar Malik, Sharifullah Khan, Shahzad Saleem, “A machine learning framework for investigating data breaches based on semantic analysis of adversary’s attack patterns in threat intelligence repositories.” In Elsevier Future Generation Computer Systems IF: 5.7. (2019)

2.      
Umara Noor, Zahid Anwar, Tehmina Amjad, Kim Kwang Raymond Choo, “A machine learning-based FinTech cyber threat attribution framework using high-level indicators of compromise.” In Elsevier Future Generation Computer Systems IF: 5.7. (2019)

3.      
Umara Noor, Zahid Anwar,
Jörn Altmann, Zahid Rashid “Customer-oriented ranking of cyber threat intelligence service providers.” In Elsevier Electronic Commerce Research and Applications IF: 4.3. (2020)

4.      
Zahid Rashid, Umara Noor, Jörn AltmannEconomic model for evaluating the value creation through information sharing within the cybersecurity information sharing ecosystem”. In Elsevier Future Generation Computer Systems IF: 7.3. (2021)

5.      
Sarwat Ejaz, Umara Noor, Zahid
Rashid, “
Visualizing Interesting Patterns in Cyber Threat Intelligence Using Machine Learning Techniques” In Cybernetics and Information Technologies. (2022)

6.      
Tayyaba
Rasool., Siddiqa Javaid, Umara Noor, Salma Imtiaz, Zahid Rashid. The Role of Machine Learning Techniques and Internet of Things Devices in COVID-19 Detection: A Mapping Study. Technical Journal, 28(04), 17-26. (2023)

7.      
Memoona Sadaf, Zafar Iqbal, Zahid Anwar, Umara Noor, Mohammad Imran, Thippa Reddy Gadekallu, “A Novel Framework for Detection and Prevention of Denial of Service Attacks on Autonomous Vehicles using Fuzzy Logic” In Elsevier Vehicular Communications, 100741, ISSN 2214-2096, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vehcom.2024.100741. IF: 6.7 (2024)

8.      
Rimsha Kanwal, Umara Noor, Zahid Rashid, “Enhancing Smart Cities Through Real-Time Insights and Safety: A Comparative Study of Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms for Anomaly Detection in Emerging Urban Landscapes” In Technical Journal 29 (01) (2024)

 Conference Publications

1.      
Maryam Amin, Umara Noor, Manahil Fatima, Zahid Rashid, Jörn Altmann, “Towards Trustworthy Aircraft Safety: Explainable AI for Accurate Incident and Accident Predictions” In 20th International Conference on Economics of Grids, Clouds, Systems, and Services GECON 2024, Springer LNCS, September 26-27, Rome, Italy (Accepted for Publication)

2.      
Asma Bibi, Umara Noor, Zahid Rashid, “Metaverse with Mobile Twin Edge Computing: Empowering Optimal Efficiency and Accuracy”, In 2024 International Conference on Engineering & Computing Technologies (ICECT), Islamabad, Pakistan, 2024, pp. 01-06, DOI: 10.1109/ICECT61618.2024.10581074

3.      
Inbasat Fiza, Fizza Khurshid, Manahil Fatima, Umara Noor, Zahid Rashid, “
ATT&CKViz: Enhancing Cybersecurity Insights by Visual Analytics of Attack PatternsIn 2024 International Conference on Engineering & Computing Technologies (ICECT), Islamabad, Pakistan, 2024, DOI: 10.1109/ICECT61618.2024.10581292

4.      
Rimsha Kanwal, Rimsha Kanwal, Umara Noor, Zahid Rashid, “A Hybrid Learning Approach for Automatic Data Labelling and Anomaly Detection in IoT Networks”, In 3rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ICAI), Islamabad, Pakistan, 2023, pp. 238-241, DOI: 10.1109/ICAI58407.2023.10136687.

5.      
Umara Noor, Zahid Anwar, ZahidRashid, “An Association Rule Mining-Based Framework for Profiling Regularities in Tactics Techniques and Procedures of Cyber Threat Actors”, In International Conference on Smart Computing and Electronic Enterprise, (IEEE ICSCEE), July 11-12, 2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (DOI: 10.1109/ICSCEE.2018.8538379)

6.      
Zahid Rashid, Umara Noor, JörnAltmann, “Network Externalities in Cybersecurity Information Sharing Ecosystems” In 15th International Conference on Economics of Grids, Clouds, Systems, and Services GECON 2018, Springer LNCS, September 18-20, Pisa, Italy (DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13342-9_10)

7.      
 Umara Noor, Zahid Rashid, “Secure Semantic Web Application Development: Present and Future”, In 15th International Conference on Distributed Computing and Applications to Business, Engineering and Science (IEEE-DCABES 2016), August 24-26, 2016 – Paris, France (DOI10.1109/CSE-EUC-DCABES.2016.263) 

8.      
Umara Noor, Anila Ghazanfar, “A Survey Revealing Path towards Service Life Cycle Management in COBIT 5”, In 11th International Conference on Digital  Information Management
(IEEE-ICDIM) September 19-21, 2016- Porto, Portugal
(DOI: 
10.1109/ICDIM.2016.7829754)

9.    
Umara NoorZahid AnwarYasir MehmoodWaseem Aslam, “TrustBook: Web of Trust Based Relationship Establishment in Online Social Networks”, In 11th International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology (IEEE-FIT) December 16-18, 2013, Islamabad, Pakistan (DOI: 10.1109/FIT.2013.48)

10.   Umara NoorAli DaudAyesha Manzoor, “Latent Dirichlet Allocation Based Semantic Clustering of Heterogeneous Deep Web Sources” In 5th International Conference on Intelligent Networking and Collaborative Systems (IEEE-INCoS, September 9-11, 2013, Xi’an city, Shaanxi province, China (DOI: 10.1109/INCoS.2013.28)

11.   Umara NoorZahid RashidAzhar Rauf: “TODWEB: training-less ontology based deep web source classification”, In 13th International Conference on Information Integration and Web-based Applications and Services (ACM-iiWAS), December 5-7, 2011, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (DOI: 10.1145/2095536.2095569)

12.   Umara NoorZahid RashidAzhar Rauf: “Semantic Web Application: An Intelligent Metasearch Engine Paradigm for Semantic Information Retrieval on the Web” In 2nd International Conference on Intelligence and Information Technology, IEEE, Lahore, Pakistan, October 2010

13.  Umara NoorZahid RashidAzhar Rauf: “A Survey of automatic Deep Web Classification Techniques” In 2nd International Conference on Intelligence and Information Technology, IEEE, Lahore, Pakistan, October 2010

Technical Papers/ Pre-Prints

1.      
Khadija Manzoor, Umara Noor, Zahid Rashid: “NFT-Based Blockchain-Oriented Security Framework for Metaverse Applications” http://arxiv.org/abs/2307.10342 (2023)

2.      
Umara NoorSawera ShahidRimsha KanwalZahid Rashid: “A Machine Learning based Empirical Evaluation of Cyber Threat Actors High Level Attack Patterns over Low level Attack Patterns in Attributing Attacks” https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2307.10252 (2023)

Journal Paper Reviewer

·        
IEEE Access

·        
Computers & Security, Elsevier

·        
International Journal of Intelligent Systems, Wiley Online Library

·        
ACM Digital Threats: Research and Practice

Conference Paper Reviewer

·        
18th International conference on the economics of grids, clouds, systems and services (GECON), Springer LNCS, September 2021

·        
International Conference on Computer Science and Information Technology (ICCSIT) 2011

·        
20th International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology (FIT’23), 11-12 December 2023

·        
20th International conference on the economics of grids, clouds, systems and services (GECON), Springer LNCS, September 2024

Conference Program Committee Member

·        
18th International conference on the economics of grids, clouds, systems and services (GECON), September 2021

·        
20th International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology (FIT’23), 11-12 December 2023

·        
6th International Conference on Emerging Networks Technologies (ICENT) Hanoi, Vietnam (November 1-3, 2024). 

PhD Students under Supervision

·        
Maryam Amin PhDCS F22 “Safety Prediction in Air Traffic Control System, A Machine Learning based Approach.”

·        
Khadija Bibi PhDCS F22 Blockchain-based Approach for Enhancing Privacy, Accuracy, Efficiency, and Processing Speed in IoT Data Analytics”

Masters Students Supervised

·        
Sawera Shahid MSCS F21 “An Unsupervised Learning Approach For A Reliable Profiling Of Cyber Threat Actors Reported Globally Based On Complete Contextual Information Of Cyber-Attacks.”

·        
Rimsha Kanwal MSCS F20 “An Approach for the Retrieval of Attack Patterns from Unstructured Cyber Threat Intelligence Repositories”

·        
Rimsha Kanwal MSCS F20 “An effective approach for anomaly detection in future smart cities”

·        
Ayesha Manzoor MSCS F09 “Semantically Mining Heterogeneous Data Sources of Deep Web”

·        
Iqra Bashir MSCS S13 “Access Control Policy for VOIP as a secure service in cloud environment”

·        
Naveed Mumtaz MSCS F14 “Classifying Cyber Threat Intelligence Data to analyze Malware Information”

·        
Sarwat Ejaz MSCS F14 “Visualization Interesting Patterns in Cyber Threat Feeds Using Rule Base Classification and Regular Expression”

·        
Fizza Khurshid MSCS F21 “An Automated Cyber Threat Mitigation Framework For Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks In Fog Computing”

·        
Manahil Fatima MSCS F21 “A Reliable Cyber Threat Investigation Framework For Timely Detection And Mitigation Of Data Breaches.”

Masters Students under Supervision

·        
Inbasat Fiza MSCS F21 “Forecasting Cyber Attacks Using Reinforcement Learning Model Optimized Based on Ensemble of
Deep Neural Networks”

External
Reviewer in Universities

·        
Department of Cyber Security, Air University, Islamabad

Technical Skills

Information/ Cyber Security

Kali Linux, Metasploit, hping3, Ettercap, THC Hydra, Crypt tool 2, PGP Tool, Open PGP, Zero knowledge proof, Blockchain technology

Reconnaissance and Foot printing

NSlookup, Tracert,
WHOIS Lookup, ip2location,
American Registry for
Internet Numbers (ARIN
),
wayback
machine, Google Hacking (
allinurl:tsweb/default.htm)

Scanning and Enumeration

Ping Sweep, SYN stealth
scan, UDP Scanning, Nmap, Zenmap,
theHarvester

Firewall IDS Configuration

Snort, Suricata,
Windows Firewall Configuration, Windows event viewer

Web Application Attacks

OWASP Webgoat
(SQL injection, Cross site scripting)

Cyber Threat Intelligence

Splunk, STIX, MAEC, STIXViz,
ThreatConnect, OpenIOC, YARA, ATT&CK MITRE, IBM Threat Exchange,
VERIS Verizon

Vulnerability assessment and Exploitation

Nessus vulnerability
scanner, Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), National Vulnerability
Database (NVD), Rapid7 Metasploitable Virtual
Machine, Port 21 vsftpd,

vsftpd_234_backdoor
,
Port 23 telnet, Port 445 samba
,

Artificial Intelligence

Python Libraries

NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib,
Scikit Learn, Seaborn, Beautifulsoup,
Theano, TensorFlow, Keras, Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK),
SciPy, Keras

Elasticsearch Apache Lucene (search engine software library), Rapid miner,
Weka, IBM SPSS, Agena Risk, Super Decisions, Synthesia

Programming

C/C++,
Java, Python, Lisp, Prolog, Matlab, Fortran,
Assembly language, HTML5, Javascript, Json, XML

Database Management Systems

Oracle, Microsoft Access, MySQL

Networking

Packet Tracer, Wireshark
packet analyzer (IP, TCP, UDP, HTTP, FTP, Telnet, DNS, SMTP, POP3, SSL, SSH,
IPSec), Network Simulator (NS), Mininet,
NetSim

Graphical Tools

Microsoft Visio, Gimp

Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows, Red
Hat, Ubuntu, Fedora, Kali Linux

Metaverse Technology

Shopify (E-commerce platform in
metaverse)

Gather.town (a virtual space platform
that offers a new way of conducting online meetings, events, and conferences)

Matterport (Real estate in
metaverse)

Epic Metahumans
(Digital human/ avatar
creation)

Fable VirtualBeings (Digital human/ avatar
creation)

AIDungeon (single-player/multiplayer
AI based text adventure game)

Promethean AI (AI based virtual world creation)

 

Administrative Duties in University

 

Sr.
No.

Position

Responsibilities

Time
Period

From

To

1.

Terminal Exam Date Sheet

·        
Responsible for making date sheet for terminal exam

01/12/2009

01/02/2010

2.

MS Research Meeting Coordinator

·        
Responsible for conducting research meetings of MS
students for finalizing their research idea, proposal and presentation

02/02/2010

02/06/2012

3.

Lab Monitoring Committee (Spring and Fall 2013)

·        
Repair of existing hardware

·        
Responsible for handling all matters related to Labs
maintenance / shifting, Lab Assistants’ duty schedule/leaves, installation of
software required.

·        
Responsible for generating weekly reports giving
status of each lab

·        
Responsible for handling all the issues related with
labs

10/01/2013

31/12/2013

4.

Financial Assistance Committee and Course Folder

·        
Interview and selection of students for eligible for
financial assistance, Monitoring course folders of computing courses for
NCEAC audit

01/01/2014

31/12/2014

5.

Financial Assistance, Budget and Staff Trainings Manager

·        
Interview and selection of students for eligible for
financial assistance, budget allocation and staff training manager

01/01/2015

31/12/2015

6.

Trainings
Manager

·        
Plan and announce a schedule for staff trainings
properly

·        
Shortlist, arrange and collaborate with trainers
regarding smooth conduction of trainings.

·        
For program office & lab staff, trainings left
to be announced this semester.

·        
MS Word – Advanced

o 
MS PowerPoint – Advanced

o 
MS Excel – Detailed

o 
MS Outlook – Intro

o 
Publisher – Intro

o 
Windows 10

o 
Google Drive and other cloud storages

o 
Effective Official Correspondence

o 
Effective Spoken Communication Skills

o 
Network administration course

01/01/2016

07/09/2016

7.

Study
Activity and Web Content Management

·        
Responsible for planning / preparing, organizing,
leading and controlling students/faculty/staff activities such as seminars,
workshops, guest lectures, recreational tours and other similar / otherwise
co-curricular activities.

·        
Program Office is responsible for providing any
correspondence with other departments or data required by the Committee
Member at any given time.

·        
Responsible for approval of all the content to be
announced through IIUI announcements or DCSSE, IIUI Facebook Page

01/01/2020

31/12/2020

8.

GRC
Coordinator

·        
Preparing Course Offerings for MS & PhD in
collaboration with course allocation committee of male campus and

·        
Scheduling and evaluation of proposal presentations
and responsible for data record maintenance related to internal and external
examiners

·        
Maintaining a record of thesis under supervision by
each faculty member.

01/01/2021

31/08/2021

9.

GRC
Coordinator, Phd Comprehensive Exam, NCEAC Audit

·        
Preparing Course Offerings for MS & PhD in
collaboration with course allocation committee of male campus

·        
Scheduling and evaluation of proposal presentations
and responsible for data record maintenance related to internal and external
examiners

·        
Maintaining a record of thesis under supervision by
each faculty member.

·        
Coordination among the teachers who have undertaken
PhD courses and arranging the comprehensive within 90 days of completion of
course work by the PhD students.

·        
Preparations for NCEAC Audit with the committee
members.

01/01/2022

31/08/2022

10.

GRC
Coordinator, Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam

·        
Preparing Course Offerings for MS & PhD in
collaboration with course allocation committee of male campus and

·        
Scheduling and evaluation of proposal presentations
and responsible for data record maintenance related to internal and external
examiners

·        
Maintaining a record of thesis under supervision by
each faculty member.

·        
Coordination among the teachers who have undertaken
PhD courses and arranging the comprehensive within 90 days of completion of
course work by the PhD students

01/09/2022

30/01/2024

11

Deputy
Dean, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, IIUI

·        
The Deputy Dean reports to the Dean and is primarily responsible for assisting the Dean in the provision of leadership within the faculty, and oversight of faculty planning, performance, and quality management

01/02/2023

01/04/2023

References

Dr. ZahidAnwar

Associate Professor

North Dakota State University, USA

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Jörn Altmann

Professor

Technology Management, Economics, and Policy, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, South Korea,

Email: [email protected]