Meet the Faculty

Mathematics

Abdullah Al-Alaj

Abdullah Al-Alaj

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Office Location: 132 Clarke Hall
Phone: 757-233-8742
Email: aalalaj@vwu.edu
Department/s:
- Computer Science and Information Systems

Abdullah Al-Alaj earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) in Virginia Beach, VA, where he has played a crucial role in the development and implementation of new Majors and Minors focused on cybersecurity. He takes on the role of managing the Cyber Lab at VWU, furthering its focus on cutting-edge cybersecurity research and education.

Dr. Al-Alaj has previously worked at leading institutions such as Jordan University of Science & Technology, Al Balqa Applied University, Yarmouk University in Jordan, and Texas A&M University at San Antonio, Texas. His versatile teaching portfolio includes courses like Principles of Cybersecurity, Information Security, Data Structures & Algorithms, and Operating Systems, among others.

His areas of expertise encompass cybersecurity, access control models, Software-Defined Networking (SDNs), and applied machine learning. His research has not only received grants from notable agencies but has also made a substantial impact in the field of cybersecurity. Abdullah serves as a Reviewer and Technical Committee Member for various academic journals and conferences.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Bagagem, D., Al-Alaj, A., Mancino, M., Alomari, H., & Aleroud, A. (2023, June). Target-X: An Efficient Algorithm for Generating Targeted Adversarial Images to Fool Neural Networks. In 2023 IEEE 47th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) (pp. 617-626). IEEE.

Aleroud, A., Shariah, M., Malkawi, R., Khamaiseh, S. Y., & Al-Alaj, A. (2023). A privacy-enhanced human activity recognition using GAN & entropy ranking of microaggregated data. Cluster Computing, 1-16.

Alomari, H. W., Al-Badarneh, A. F., Al-Alaj, A., & Khamaiseh, S. Y. (2023). Enhanced Approach for Agglomerative Clustering Using Topological Relations. IEEE Access, 11, 21945-21967.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Bagagem, D., Al-Alaj, A., Mancino, M., & Alomari, H. W. (2022). Adversarial deep learning: A survey on adversarial attacks and defense mechanisms on image classification. IEEE Access.

Khamaiseh, S., Al-Alaj, A., Adnan, M., & Alomari, H. W. (2022). The Robustness of Detecting Known and Unknown DDoS Saturation Attacks in SDN via the Integration of Supervised and Semi-Supervised Classifiers. Future Internet, 14(6), 164.

Al-Alaj, A., Krishnan, R., & Sandhu, R. (2020, December). ParaSDN: An access control model for SDN applications based on parameterized roles and permissions. In 2020 IEEE 6th International Conference on Collaboration and Internet Computing (CIC) (pp. 107-116). IEEE.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Al-Alaj, A., & Warner, A. (2020, November). FloodDetector: Detecting unknown DoS flooding attacks in SDN. In 2020 International Conference on Internet of Things and Intelligent Applications (ITIA) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Alsmadi, I., & Al-Alaj, A. (2020, November). Deceiving machine learning-based saturation attack detection systems in sdn. In 2020 IEEE Conference on Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networks (NFV-SDN) (pp. 44-50). IEEE.

Al-Alaj, A., Sandhu, R., & Krishnan, R. (2020, October). A Model for the Administration of Access Control in Software Defined Networking using Custom Permissions. In 2020 Second IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications (TPS-ISA) (pp. 169-178). IEEE.

Al-Alaj, A. (2020). Role Based Access Control for Software Defined Networking: Formal Models and Implementation (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at San Antonio).

Al-Alaj, A., Krishnan, R., & Sandhu, R. (2019, October). Sdn-rbac: An access control model for sdn controller applications. In 2019 4th International Conference on Computing, Communications and Security (ICCCS) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

Al-Alaj, A., Sandhu, R., & Krishnan, R. (2019, March). A formal access control model for se-floodlight controller. In Proceedings of the ACM International Workshop on Security in Software Defined Networks & Network Function Virtualization, co-located with CODASPY 2019 (pp. 1-6).

Al-Badarneh, A. F., Al-Alaj, A. S., & Mahafzah, B. A. (2013). Multi Small Index (MSI): A spatial indexing structure. Journal of information science, 39(5), 643-660.

Al-Badarneh, A., & Al-Alaj, A. A spatial index structure using dynamic recursive space partitioning. InInnovations in Information Technology (IIT). In 2011 International Conference on Apr (Vol. 25).

Computer Science

Abdullah Al-Alaj

Abdullah Al-Alaj

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Office Location: 132 Clarke Hall
Phone: 757-233-8742
Email: aalalaj@vwu.edu
Department/s:
- Computer Science and Information Systems

Abdullah Al-Alaj earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) in Virginia Beach, VA, where he has played a crucial role in the development and implementation of new Majors and Minors focused on cybersecurity. He takes on the role of managing the Cyber Lab at VWU, furthering its focus on cutting-edge cybersecurity research and education.

Dr. Al-Alaj has previously worked at leading institutions such as Jordan University of Science & Technology, Al Balqa Applied University, Yarmouk University in Jordan, and Texas A&M University at San Antonio, Texas. His versatile teaching portfolio includes courses like Principles of Cybersecurity, Information Security, Data Structures & Algorithms, and Operating Systems, among others.

His areas of expertise encompass cybersecurity, access control models, Software-Defined Networking (SDNs), and applied machine learning. His research has not only received grants from notable agencies but has also made a substantial impact in the field of cybersecurity. Abdullah serves as a Reviewer and Technical Committee Member for various academic journals and conferences.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Bagagem, D., Al-Alaj, A., Mancino, M., Alomari, H., & Aleroud, A. (2023, June). Target-X: An Efficient Algorithm for Generating Targeted Adversarial Images to Fool Neural Networks. In 2023 IEEE 47th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) (pp. 617-626). IEEE.

Aleroud, A., Shariah, M., Malkawi, R., Khamaiseh, S. Y., & Al-Alaj, A. (2023). A privacy-enhanced human activity recognition using GAN & entropy ranking of microaggregated data. Cluster Computing, 1-16.

Alomari, H. W., Al-Badarneh, A. F., Al-Alaj, A., & Khamaiseh, S. Y. (2023). Enhanced Approach for Agglomerative Clustering Using Topological Relations. IEEE Access, 11, 21945-21967.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Bagagem, D., Al-Alaj, A., Mancino, M., & Alomari, H. W. (2022). Adversarial deep learning: A survey on adversarial attacks and defense mechanisms on image classification. IEEE Access.

Khamaiseh, S., Al-Alaj, A., Adnan, M., & Alomari, H. W. (2022). The Robustness of Detecting Known and Unknown DDoS Saturation Attacks in SDN via the Integration of Supervised and Semi-Supervised Classifiers. Future Internet, 14(6), 164.

Al-Alaj, A., Krishnan, R., & Sandhu, R. (2020, December). ParaSDN: An access control model for SDN applications based on parameterized roles and permissions. In 2020 IEEE 6th International Conference on Collaboration and Internet Computing (CIC) (pp. 107-116). IEEE.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Al-Alaj, A., & Warner, A. (2020, November). FloodDetector: Detecting unknown DoS flooding attacks in SDN. In 2020 International Conference on Internet of Things and Intelligent Applications (ITIA) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.

Khamaiseh, S. Y., Alsmadi, I., & Al-Alaj, A. (2020, November). Deceiving machine learning-based saturation attack detection systems in sdn. In 2020 IEEE Conference on Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networks (NFV-SDN) (pp. 44-50). IEEE.

Al-Alaj, A., Sandhu, R., & Krishnan, R. (2020, October). A Model for the Administration of Access Control in Software Defined Networking using Custom Permissions. In 2020 Second IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications (TPS-ISA) (pp. 169-178). IEEE.

Al-Alaj, A. (2020). Role Based Access Control for Software Defined Networking: Formal Models and Implementation (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at San Antonio).

Al-Alaj, A., Krishnan, R., & Sandhu, R. (2019, October). Sdn-rbac: An access control model for sdn controller applications. In 2019 4th International Conference on Computing, Communications and Security (ICCCS) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

Al-Alaj, A., Sandhu, R., & Krishnan, R. (2019, March). A formal access control model for se-floodlight controller. In Proceedings of the ACM International Workshop on Security in Software Defined Networks & Network Function Virtualization, co-located with CODASPY 2019 (pp. 1-6).

Al-Badarneh, A. F., Al-Alaj, A. S., & Mahafzah, B. A. (2013). Multi Small Index (MSI): A spatial indexing structure. Journal of information science, 39(5), 643-660.

Al-Badarneh, A., & Al-Alaj, A. A spatial index structure using dynamic recursive space partitioning. InInnovations in Information Technology (IIT). In 2011 International Conference on Apr (Vol. 25).