Stefan Saroiu (original) (raw)
Introduction
I’m a researcher with Microsoft Research, where I work on designing secure and trustworthy systems. My broader research interests span all aspects of systems and networking research.
My research is driven by practical impact. Throughout the years, my colleagues and I:
- designed, implemented, verified, and tested a state-of-the-art Rowhammer mitigation in a DDR5 memory controller for first-party Microsoft silicon (details to come after official announcement);
- designed Panopticon, a Rowhammer defense adopted by the DRAM industry under the name of PRAC;
- designed, deployed, and operated Microsoft Embedded Social, a cloud service aimed at user engagement in mobile apps, which had 20 million users;
- created the reference implementation of a firmware-based Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) used in hundreds of millions of smartphones and tablets;
- designed and operated Zero-Effort Payments (ZEP), one of the first face recognition-based payment systems in the world.
Prior to joining Microsoft, I served as a faculty member in the Computer Science Department at theUniversity of Toronto. I earned my Ph.D. from the Computer Science & Engineering department at the University of Washington, and I am an ACM Fellow.
Microsoft Research has featured me in a podcast on Rowhammer and published a blog post detailing my background and research. I also maintain a page with brief articles on various topics related to Rowhammer.
News
Aug '25
The good folks at MSR helped me record my talk on "Six Years of Rowhammer". This talk is very close to my heart. Over the past six years, my colleagues and I have had front-row seats to the efforts, both in industry and academia, to address Rowhammer. This talk offers a unique perspective on that journey.
Recent Publications
Recent Service
- ISCA 2026 (Industry Track): Program Committee member.
- uASC 2026: Program Committee member.
- NSDI 2026: Program Committee member.
- DRAMSec 2025: Program Committee member.
- ASPLOS 2025: Program Committee member.