Author: shlomi ben-oz

The attack was part of a student project in the Computer Science Department and has attracted substantial interest in two scientific conferences; the students will be awarded the Technion Amdocs Prize.

Alex Kirshon and Dima Gonikman, students in the Technion Computer Science Department, showed how to hack the OSPF routing protocol, the most common protocol on the internet. The attack was part of a student project in the Laboratory of Computer Communication and Networking. It attracted substantial interest in the two scientific conferences it was presented where it was presented. Alex and Dima, supervised by Dr. Gabi Nakibly and Itai Dabran, will be awarded the Technion Amdocs Prize for Best Project in Computer Science.

Hundreds of thousands of routers work on the internet, linking the different networks. Each router is supposed to “know” all the other routers and to “talk” to them (to obtain information about their neighbors and about networks connected to them). The incessant involvement of the routers in the transmission of this information encumbers them and diminishes their effectiveness. Hence, the internet is in fact split into autonomic systems that “talk” to each other. The routers in each such system “know” each another.

The most popular protocol for the transmission of information between routers in autonomic systems is OSPF. If it malfunctions, many messages will not reach their destination. Moreover, there is concern that these messages will reach the attacker of the protocol. Accordingly, stringent security measures are in place for the protocols of network routers.

One of the important defenses is called “fight-back”. When it is implemented – when a router recognizes that another router has sent data in its name – it immediately issues a correction.

With help from their supervisors, Alex Kirshon and Dima Gonikman “targeted” this correction. They triggered a fight-back from a router on the network, but immediately before it was sent, they sent a fight-back with false data that was received by some of the other routers. When these routers received the fight-back of the compromised router, they rejected it.

The “attacking” students also identified in advance which fight-back the attacked router will send, so that the other routers received it “without doubts or questions”.  From the moment they received the “fake” fight-back,  routers on the network have incorrect routing tables.

Such an attack can disrupt the entire operation of the autonomic system, prevent messages from reaching their destination and unnecessarily create substantial traffic on the network.

The building’s cornerstone was laid in 1912. The building’s construction was delayed during the First World War. The partially completed building was used, then, as a military hospital. In 1925 it became the home of Israel’s first institute of higher education – The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. Until 1953, all the Technion Faculties were located there. By 1965, most of them have moved to the Technion new campus in Haifa’s Nave Shaanan. The Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning stayed in the historic Technion building until 1985. 

Across the Universe – Rocket Engine Innovation

It takes energy to keep a satellite positioned in space, or to move a spacecraft to it’s destination. It also takes ASRI brainpower from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Testing the Camila at ASRI’s Rocket Propulsion Lab.

When the iron curtain came down, a scientific opportunity emerged. World-class scientists were among the millions of Russians that were free to find America. Empowered by cultural diversity and open to newcomers, Technion’s Asher Space Research Institute (ASRI) seized the moment and recruited Prof. Alexander Kapulkin. Today, he is the mastermind of the world’s most efficient, fast and effective rocket engine, the CAMILA.

Downstairs at ASRI, the future of earth and space science is being born. In the new Rocket Propulsion Lab, suspended within a huge stainless steel vacuum cylinder, the hand-sized electric-propulsion hall thruster CAMILLA is undergoing tests. The lab took form through the combined skills of three immigrants from the former USSR. Kapulkin, his student from the University of Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine Maxim Rubinovitch, and mechanical designer Dr. Vladimir Balabanov, who came to Israel 20 years ago from Omsk.CAMILA includes a revolutionary fuel-delivery design and an innovative magnetic field configuration that propels the engine faster. This innovation consumes less fuel, thus increasing engine efficiency. The impact will be less size, weight, and cost of small satellites. The new lab is set to be the only plasma process monitoring facility in Israel. CAMILA? The three scientists hope to experience her Sputnik moment within the next two years, when she will take her maiden voyage to propel her first microsatellite through space.

Patent Details: patents@tx.technion.ac.il

Highly efficient spacecraft thruster – CAMILA Ref. MAE-0877 Background: Hall Thrusters (HTs) are used in spacecraft to generate thrust by emitting particles at high velocities. Their low propellant consumption per unit of force allows them to be used for much longer times than rocket thrusters, which are short-lived. HTs work by ionizing gas particles in an anode cavity. The newly created ions exit the cavity and are drawn towards the opposite end of an acceleration channel by a strong electric field. When particles exit the channel at high speed into space, net thrust is induced on the channel. But, HTs suffer from relatively high power requirements. This is mainly due to the fact that some ‘slow’ ions collide with the anode walls, and do not exit the anode cavity into the acceleration channel. Method: Our technology increases Hall Thruster efficiency by significantly reducing the number of ‘slow ions’. Two major modifications contribute to the effect – unique geometry and an additional magnetic field. The acceleration channel is shaped like a cylinder, which has a low surface-to-volume ratio. This way, ions have higher chances of escaping the channel without colliding with the anode surface. The second modification is the addition of a longitudinal magnetic field inside the anode. This field lowers the electrical potential on the central cylindrical surface in respect to that of the anode, practically drawing ions away from the anode. As a result, the phenomenon of ‘slow ion waste’ is nearly eliminated. The added magnetic field can be generated by permanent magnets, which do not require additional power to operate. Advantages: • More than 100% increase in thrust without increase in propellant consumption • Minute design and manufacturing modifications required  • No additional power requirements in permanent magnet implementation Applications: Satellite and other spacecraft propulsion Technological Keywords: Plasma, ion, thruster, hall, effect, electrons, electric, magnetic, field, xenon, gas, anode, cathode, accelerator, coil, pole, impulse Market Keywords: space, satellite, rocket

Mathematician Prof. Daoud Bshouty has pioneered geometric function theory of one complex variable, mathematical statistics and analytic probability theory. He has also innovated a Technion vision of multicultural harmony and continuously strives to improve life at Technion City on all levels. Meet Technion’s new Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Technion’s new Dean of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Daoud Bshouty.

Q: As Dean of Undergraduate Studies, what is your vision for the evolution of the
Technion student body over the next 10 years?

A: The centennial of the cornerstone of the Technion; The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research professor Dan Shechtman; and the research center with Cornell in New York City; all mark a new era in Technion history, an international recognition of Technion researchers, teachers and students. Our excellent students represent the pioneers in in human knowledge in sciences and Technology and we look forward for more. In ten years from today I expect to see our campus in Haifa serving local and international students alike, and our graduates as embassadors of the technion worldwide.

Q: How would you describe morale among Technion students in 2012?

A: The year just started and our aim is to increase students morale throughout this year.  The Technion is known to impose on its students high load of study which affects students ‘ morale. We aim at making the studies a joyful experience without compromising the standarts of studies, this by rebuilding our curricula  to be less stressful, making the Technion  a village of students, faculty and administration a harmonious environment in which each group support the other.

Q: Can you give some keywords that distinguish Technion students from other students around the globe?

A: Hard workers, ambitious in a stubborn way, always unsatisfied from their lecturers yet they wouldn’t choose another place.

Q: Could you talk a little about Technion as a multicultural and increasingly international place to study?

A: In ten years from now i wont need to talk about that, the world will. But for now, since the 1990’s our society has become more and more  multicultural, yet  we still have a long way to accept it. Haifa itself is different in that respect and so is the Technion as part of the city. The technion also hosts many international students and researchers for long periods and  that is an extra experience that we add to the experience of our students.

Q: Why is recognition of difference an important part of a successful learning environment?

A: Learning is the experience of transferring knowledge and most productive in group discussions. Recognizing the different is simply to benefit from the experiences of other traditions and cultures.

Formation flying mini satellites under development at the Asher Space Research Institute.

Technion researchers are planning to launch three nano-satellites of up to 6kg each into
space. The project was unveiled to global space agency representatives and space
researchers on January 30, 2012 at the Ilan Ramon International Space Conference of the
Israel Ministry of Science and Technology and the Fisher Institute.

“For the first time ever, an attempt will be made to launch three satellites that will fly
together in a controlled formation. To date, such a launch was not possible due to the size
and weight of the satellites, and because of the problems associated with the launch of
satellites in a uniform formation and their prolonged stay in space”, says Prof. Pini Gurfil of
the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and the Asher Space Research Institute.

The Technion researchers aim the launch the experimental trio in 2015. The satellites will
attempt to receive signals from Earth at given frequencies, and to calculate the location of
the transmission’s origin. The receiving of signals transmitted from Earth to space using
several nano-satellites flying in formation is an experiment that no man has ventured before.
If it succeeds, formation flying nano satellites can be developed further for applications such
as locating survivors in disaster zones.

Another aim of the experiment is to prove that a uniform, controlled formation of satellites
can be held for one year in a 600 km orbit above Earth. For this purpose, researchers are
planning to install on each of the satellites a propulsion system that will assist in maintaining
the formation in space longer.

The satellites are planned to be built based on a CubeSat standard structure, whose parts will
be assembled by the researchers with the assistance of students. The satellite formation
comprises of six cubes, each 10x10x10 cm, such that each satellite will have a 10x20x30 cm
box. These boxes will carry measuring instruments, antennae, computer systems, control
systems, and navigation instruments. The software and the algorithms that will manage the
flight are developed in the Distributed Space Systems Laboratory at the Technion’s Asher
Space Research Institute and the UAV cluster of the Autonomous Systems Program at the
Technion. The nano-satellite formation will be launched as a supplementary payload on an
existing launch, through Europe, Russia or India.

The ambitious project is based on a prototype that was designed by Prof. Gurfil thanks to a
1.5 million euro grant he received from the European Union. The Technion hopes to get
additional support that will enable the actual development of the micro-satellites and their
launch.

“If we manage to prove in the experiment that the formation flight is possible, this will
provide a momentum to the development of small satellites and technologies related to the
miniaturization of electronic components, to efficient processing in space and to space
propulsion systems. These technologies could contribute to a variety of civil applications and
to the advancement of the Israeli space industry”, says Prof. Gurfil and adds: “another goal
of the project is to contribute to the practical training of space engineers, which is why
undergraduate and graduate students will fill practical roles in the examination of various
aspects related to the mission and in the development of the system. The designated training
and practical experience of space engineers are essential to Israel’s future in this field”.

In July 1998, researchers and students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the
Technion launched the satellite Gurwin TechSAT 2. The satellite, one of the smallest satellites
of its kind in the world, succeeded in remaining in space and completing all its tasks for
about 12 years.


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“Someone is investing in me, and I will try my hardest to succeed.”

Photo: Atidim.

The award of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Prof. Dan Schechtman, following the 2009 win by Prof. Ada Yonath, put the world of chemistry and Israel’s contributions to science that laypeople can barely understand in the limelight. Schechtman and Yonath have not yet turned their discoveries, of quasi-crystals and the mechanism of the ribosome, respectively, into commercial products, but their two Israeli predecessors, Prof. Aaron Ciechanover and Prof. Avram Hershko, the 2004 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, have succeeded in doing so (or at least trying). They contributed their know-how and reputations to Proteologics Ltd. (TASE: PRTL).

Ubiquitin – the new buzzword

To understand what Proteologics is doing, it is necessary to go back to high school chemistry and the stubborn teacher who tried to explain what a protein is. The company is developing targeted therapeutics for the ubiquitin system, which regulates almost all aspects of eukaryotic cellular function, including cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, signal transduction, immune response, protein quality control and metabolism. The system comprises about 1,000 protiens.
Hershko and Ciechanover discovered the ubiquitin system in 1978, and jointly won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 for the discovery. They are both members of Proteologics’ science advisory board.
Targeted medications are not regular drugs; as their name implies, they have just one specific target, and are consequently more effective, (improving a patient’s quality of life by reducing the side effects of treatment) and are more efficient for health funds by cutting costs. These drugs discover the proteins that play an important role in a disease, neutralizing which leads to improvement, even a cure, for the disease in question.
A ubiquitin is a small regulatory protein that can be attached to proteins and label them for destruction for the proper function of the cell. Ubiquitin tags can also direct proteins to other locations in the cell, where they control other protein and cell mechanisms. Disruption of the ubiquitin system is therefore liable to cause a wide range of diseases, including cancers, diseases of the nervous system such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, and viral diseases.
Drug development is complicated, and the difficulties are compounded in the case of the ubiquitin system. It is a hierarchal cascade system with three levels: The E1 enzyme is a single protein, which can bind with the subordinate level, E2 enzymes (of which there are about 40), which in turn influence the more than 600 E3 enzymes.
This hierarchal cascade and the multiple E2-E3 connections complicates the drug development task. E3 enzymes directly transfer the signal to the protein, and this is where Proteologics finds the proteins that are the basis for its therapeutics. Any intervention higher up in the hierarchy is liable to cause harm rather than help.
Business model: spread the risk
Proteologics’ business model may prove in future to be much more effective than the models of other R&D companies. The drug development and approval process has three main stages. First is identification of the target and development of a suitable molecule, which is followed by preclinical and human clinical trials.
Proteologics only operates at the first and second stages, while the final stage, which requires more time and financial investment, is handled by the company’s big pharma partners – Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE; LSE: GSK).
In this way, Proteologics reduces its financial risk, as the clinical trial and most expensive stage is carried out by big pharma companies which bear the financial risk. Proteologics even receives advances for R&D costs, which are partly covered by its partners. The company also has an option for receiving milestone payments, and will receive generous royalties from sales, assuming that the drug is approved for marketing.
Until that day comes, if it ever does, Proteologics can use the milestone payments to pursue additional projects on the basis of the platform it developed for working with E3 enzymes with different tags. This enables the company to survive, in theory, for a long time as it expands its knowledge and its platform to create a large enough product base that will increase its chances of turning at least one of its drug candidates into a commercial product.
Proteologics CEO Joshua Levin says that it has been able to lower its risk profile by choosing two partners that complements each other, in both character and terms of the agreements signed with them. GlaxoSmithKline, a UK giant with a market cap of $117 billion, is developing with Proteologics six programs for the treatment of various cancers (each program is based on a different E3 enzyme). Teva is jointly developing three programs. Proteologics is also developing two programs independently, and will either continue to do so or find a partner.
“GlaxoSmithKline and Teva complement each other,” says Levin. “Teva is not an innovative company, which is why it chose to invest a little in us now, and give us a larger share of revenue from drug sales. GlaxoSmithKline, in contrast, chose to invest much more in us at the first and second stages, and took a greater share for itself when the drug reaches market.”
In the case of GlaxoSmithKline, which is the more important partner for Levin, each program could generate up to $176 million in royalties, or up to $1 billion altogether, but Levin is realistic about these numbers. “This isn’t a real number. There’s no chance that all six drugs will be commercialized,” he says.

2012 is the critical year

Under Proteologics’ timetable, 2012 will be a critical year. Teva, which has undergone quite a few changes, mainly as a result of its acquisition of Cephalon, is scheduled to receive its first molecule from Proteologics within months, and will have to decide whether it wants to pursue development. If it chooses not to do so, Proteologics can continue development (a Phase I clinical trial) independently, or find another partner, without the need to start the development process from scratch.
Levin is not worried that either Teva or GlaxoSmithKline will return molecules to the company, but he is nonetheless doing everything to make sure that does not happen. In the case of GlaxoSmithKline, each program has a three-year timeframe, which means that in early 2013, Proteologics will have to hand over the first molecule to it and wait for a response.
Read full article at Globes

High-tech Giant Apple to set up Israel development center

With Technion graduates heading R&D centers for Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and Intel to name a view, Apple has until now been noticeable by it absence. Now, news is surfacing that Technion graduate (first and second degrees) Aharon Aharon will head Apple’s first ever development center outside of its California headquarters.
Apple Inc. has decided to open a development center in Israel focusing on semiconductors, the first R&D venture for the company outside the United States, the Israeli Business news service Globes Wednesday. The decision was apparently made even before the company entered into talks to acquire Herzliya-based flash storage solutions provider Anobit Ltd.

Apple has hired Aharon Aharon, Technion graduate and a veteran player in Israel’s high tech industry, to lead the new development center. The planned Israel center will be the company’s first such center outside of its California headquarters.

Aharon Aharon comes to Apple with a rich background. His most high-tech venture was Camero Tech Ltd., which develops Radio Frequency (RF) based imaging systems, and which he founded in 2004 with Amir Beeri. Before that, he was chairman of embedded security solutions developer Discretix Inc. and managed their Israel development center. He was also VP operations at Zoran Corp.(Nasdaq: ZRAN), having begun his career at IBM’s Haifa development center where he reached the post of deputy director.

Apple is cultivating it;s new orchard for future growth fast. Aharon will be spending some months at Apple HQ in Cupertino before launching the Israel enterprise and harvesting the local skills and ingenuity. It is one ground breaking decision that is sure to support Apple in maintaining its competitive edge in the next, even smarter generation.

The patented breakthrough in the super resolution promises to breaks the “glass ceiling” of existing technology, says the company, whose team includes world-experts from Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science, which is ranked #15 in the world. While conventional methods use conversion techniques to “blow up” or stretch the SD video onto an HD display, BetterVirw increases optical resolution of a video stream, generating an HD stream that looks as authentic as it gets.


BETTERview technology is based on a novel family of SR algorithms, proposed by a world-leader in this field, Prof. Michael Elad (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology). Elad and his collaborator, Dr. Matan Protter devised the first method that overcomes the requirement for very accurate and explicit motion estimation in previous SR technologies. The new family of SR techniques avoids the exact motion estimation and replaces it by a probabilistic estimate. This enables handling successfully general content scenes containing extremely complex motion patterns. 


The results are impressive, with no visual artifacts, and the process is completely robust. Based on this core technology, BETTERview developed the first cutting-edge industrial-grade robust system that perform SD to True HD resolution conversion. Its solution strengthens the above-mentioned core technology by handling various video artifacts, interlaced content, synchronization issues and run-time efficiency.


The innovative research of Prof. Michael Elad was listed in 2010 by Thomson Reuters Science Watch. You can read their interview with him here.

It has been known for the past 20 years that, in principle, one could take several low-quality images and fuse them into a single, higher-resolution outcome. This has been demonstrated by scientists, adopting various techniques and algorithms. The process is known as Super-Resolution (SR), which  became a hot field in image processing, with thousands of academic papers published during the past two decades on the problem and ways to handle it. The classical approach to fuse the low-quality images requires finding an exact correspondence between their pixels, a process known as “motion estimation”. Several years ago this field experienced a revolution, due to a breakthrough in the way to handle (or better yet, bypass altogether) the motion estimation.