Collins Munyendo

a Kenyan male with black hair and a black and grey shirt
CV

CS PhD Candidate at GW
Pronouns: He/Him

Email: cmunyendo[at]gwu.edu

Research Interests: Computer Security, Usable Security and Privacy, Human-Computer Interaction

Home

Publications

About Me

I am a fourth year Computer Science PhD Candidate in the Usable Security and Privacy Lab at the George Washington University where I am fortunate to be advised by Adam Aviv. I am closely working with Yixin Zou and Elissa Redmiles for the final chapter of my PhD. My research focuses on human factors in digital security and privacy. I investigate how users, especially understudied groups, interact with, use, and/or misuse security and privacy tools, then design more usable and secure solutions. I received my Masters from Carnegie Mellon University and Bachelors from Strathmore University.

Recent News

  • April 2024: Our proposal to study security and privacy needs in the majority world was accepted by the Stanford Internet Observatory!
  • February 2024: Successfully defended my dissertation proposal! I am now a PhD Candidate, and a step closer to finishing my PhD.
  • November 2023: Survived the brutal Denmark winter to present our work on Password Managers at CCS in Copenhagen, Denmark.

    • Selected Publications

    "In Eighty Percent of the Cases, I Select the Password for Them": Security and Privacy Challenges, Advice, and Opportunities at Cybercafes in Kenya
    Collins W. Munyendo, Yasemin Acar, and Adam J. Aviv
    IEEE S&P 2023
    Distinguished Paper Award

    "The Same PIN, Just Longer": On the (In)Security of Upgrading PINs from 4 to 6 digits
    Collins W. Munyendo, Philipp Markert, Alexandra Nisenoff, Miles Grant, Elena Korkes, Blase Ur, and Adam J. Aviv
    USENIX Security 2022

    "Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures": User Concerns with Mobile Loan Apps in Kenya
    Collins W. Munyendo, Yasemin Acar, and Adam J. Aviv
    IEEE S&P 2022