Workshop on Measurements, Attacks, and Defenses for the Web
The Workshop on Measurements, Attacks, and Defenses for the Web (MADWeb) focuses on the convergence of browser evolution and web security, aiming to foster discussions on all aspects of web security and privacy. Since merging with the SecWeb workshop in 2025, MADWeb has expanded its agenda to include innovative security mechanisms, enhanced browser interfaces, and secure web application development frameworks. The workshop encourages submissions that rethink web security from the ground up and is particularly welcoming of works in progress and presentations from junior researchers exploring new ideas.
At MADWeb 2025 that was co-located with the Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium Marco Squarcina served as a Program Committee Co-Chair, playing a crucial role in shaping the conference agenda and steering the peer review process. MADWeb focuses on key issues in web security and privacy, such as browser security, web authentication, security of emerging technologies, and privacy-enhancing technologies. The workshop also explores advanced topics like machine learning applications for web security, DNS privacy, and the detection of malicious web activities.
The program features a mix of keynote talks, technical sessions, and discussions. Highlights include a keynote on web security through the lens of content integrity and sessions that blend network security with web technologies, such as leveraging IP geolocation for VPN detection and exploring the state of HTTPS adoption. The event also addresses new challenges in browser security, digital forensics, and the evolving landscape of Web3 security, illustrating the breadth of topics covered and the impact of technological advancements on web security.
During his visit to the University of California, San Diego, Marco participated in the Mozilla Security Research Summit 2025, which was hosted in San Diego as part of Mozilla’s Security Engineering University Relationship Framework (SURF) initiative. This initiative aims to enhance collaboration between Mozilla and the academic community by leveraging academic talent to tackle Mozilla-specific security and privacy engineering research challenges and to strengthen Mozilla’s connections with academia. The summit attracted a diverse audience, including Mozilla engineers, academics, and PhD students. It was structured to encourage Mozilla engineers to present research challenges to the academic community, fostering potential collaborations. The engineers and researchers delivered talks on a variety of topics, including tracking protection, language-based security, cryptography, web measurement, and machine learning.