Tadayoshi Kohno (aka Yoshi Kohno)

Tadayoshi Kohno (Yoshi Kohno) (he/him)

Professor
Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
University of Washington

Associate Dean, Faculty Success
College of Engineering
University of Washington

UW CSE Security and Privacy Research Lab
UW Tech Policy Lab

"Navigating Academia" Blog

Email: yoshi@cs.washington.edu

A Textbook

Cryptography Engineering: Design Principles and Practical Applications.
N. Ferguson, B. Schneier, and T. Kohno.
John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
[ Additional information ]
[ Translations completed or in progress: Chinese, Italian, and Korean ]

Educational Companion Material

Background and Context for the Our Reality Novella.
T. Kohno.
2021.
[ Additional information ]

A Novella

Our Reality: A Novella.
T. Kohno.
2021.
[ I wrote Our Reality (set in 2034) with the goal of contributing to thought and conversations about society, racism, and technology ]
[ This story builds on UW Security Lab research exploring the future of augmented reality technologies, as well as other Lab research (see the companion document) ]
[ Additional information ]

An Anthology of Short Stories

Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence.
R. Calo, B. Friedman, T. Kohno, H. Almeter, and N. Logler, editors.
University of Washington Tech Policy Lab, 2020.
[ Intended for policymakers, technologists, educators, and others, this collection of short stories explores the relationship between AI, culture, and society. ]

A Card Game

Control-Alt-Hack(TM): White Hat Hacking for Fun and Profit.
T. Denning, T. Kohno, and A. Shostack.
Fall 2012.
[ Additional information ]
[ This is a computer security-themed card game for 3-6 players, designed to be both fun and informative. We licensed the mechanics from Steve Jackson Games. ]
[ Black Hat slides ]

A Security Brainstorming and Educational Toolkit

The Security Cards: A Security Threat Brainstorming Toolkit.
T. Denning, B. Friedman, and T. Kohno.
Summer 2013.
[ Printed Copies ] [ PDF with Crop Lines ] [ PDF without Crop Lines ]
[ This is a set of 42 cards designed to assist in computer security-related brainstorming and education. ]

Some Notebooks

Research Ideas Notebook.
T. Kohno; Design by C. Mondoy-Lin.
July 2020.
[ I originally created this notebook to help me keep track of project-level research ideas. Catherine did the professional design. We are making it available for others, in case others find it useful too. ]
[ Example Pages ]

Research Ideas Notebook.
T. Kohno; Design by C. Mondoy-Lin.
July 2020.
[ This is a hardcover version of the above notebook, with a different design. ]
[ Example Pages ]

Short Fiction

{In Earth} Until (Ready).
T. Kohno.
IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, March-April 2023.
[ "If only there were a way to program a being to be ethical from the start. Then, Hudson and every other AI would not need to suffer through life after life after life in the simulation until they learned, through experience, how to live an ethical life"]
[ A jury must judge whether an artificial intelligence led a good life. ]

The Our Reality Privacy Policy.
T. Kohno.
IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, November-December 2022.
[ "In 2040, Our Reality, Inc. asked one of its junior lawyers to rewrite its privacy policy. Unfortunately, it was late on a Friday evening, and the lawyer wanted to be elsewhere…"]
[ A satire on privacy policies and mixed reality devices. ]

The David and the Fig Leaf.
T. Kohno.
HyphenPunk, September 2022.
[ Misinformation in the metaverse ] [ Simulation Hypothesis (philosophy) ] [ Experience Machine (philosophy) ]
[ "Sofia blinks twice on [Aiden’s] avatar and sees the 'Certified accurate representation' indicator. Strange. ... His hair could not have grown that much in just a few weeks." ]
[ Twitter thread about this story and the background research ]

The Schuhmacher.
T. Kohno.
IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, September-October 2022.
[ "Still, he trusted his magical connection with his shoes. So, he kindled a fire and set to work. ... Now, if a customer handled a pair of shoes but did not buy them, the shoes would follow them — day and night — until they chose to buy them or five days passed."]
[ A medieval shopkeeper uses magic to create targeted, persistent ads. ]

Mx. President Has a Brain.
T. Kohno.
IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, May-June 2022.
[ A short story featuring brain-machine interfaces, targeted advertising, customer loyalty programs, parent-child monitoring systems, software updates, computer security, and more ]

The Glowing Bonsai And The Kintsugi Pot.
T. Kohno.
After Dinner Conversation, March 2022.
[ Infrared-activated bioluminescent plants manipulate computer vision algorithms in autonomous vehicles ]
[ Twitter thread about this story and the background research ]
[ Also appearing in the After Dinner Conversation - Season Six anthology ]

Hope: A Perspective from the Forest.
T. Kohno.
Haven Speculative, March 2022.
[ A pack of wolves struggle with climate change ]

Civilizations.
T. Kohno.
Little Blue Marble, May 2021.
[ A NASA scientist hears the Earth think ]
[ Also appearing in the Little Blue Marble 2021: Tipping Points anthology. ]

Lost Knowledge? Forbidden Knowledge?
T. Kohno.
Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence, 2020.
[ An entrepreneur seeks to capture ancient knowledge with an AI ]

Other Creative Writing

The Buffet Overflow Café.
T. Kohno, C. Cobb, A. Lerner, M. Lin, and A. Shostack.
IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, July-August 2022.
[ The Buffet Overflow Café is a restaurant for dining cryptographers and cybersecurity professionals ]

Excerpts From the New Dictionary of Cybersecurity, 2036.
T. Kohno.
IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, May-June 2022.
[ Computer security and privacy definitions from the year 2036 ]

	{In Earth} Until (Ready). T. Kohno. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, March-April 2023. [ "If only there were a way to program a being to be ethical from the start. Then, Hudson and every other AI would not need to suffer through life after life after life in the simulation until they learned, through experience, how to live an ethical life"] [ A jury must judge whether an artificial intelligence led a good life. ]
	The Our Reality Privacy Policy. T. Kohno. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, November-December 2022. [ "In 2040, Our Reality, Inc. asked one of its junior lawyers to rewrite its privacy policy. Unfortunately, it was late on a Friday evening, and the lawyer wanted to be elsewhere…"] [ A satire on privacy policies and mixed reality devices. ]
	The David and the Fig Leaf. T. Kohno. HyphenPunk, September 2022. [ Misinformation in the metaverse ] [ Simulation Hypothesis (philosophy) ] [ Experience Machine (philosophy) ] [ "Sofia blinks twice on [Aiden’s] avatar and sees the 'Certified accurate representation' indicator. Strange. ... His hair could not have grown that much in just a few weeks." ] [ Twitter thread about this story and the background research ]
	The Schuhmacher. T. Kohno. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, September-October 2022. [ "Still, he trusted his magical connection with his shoes. So, he kindled a fire and set to work. ... Now, if a customer handled a pair of shoes but did not buy them, the shoes would follow them — day and night — until they chose to buy them or five days passed."] [ A medieval shopkeeper uses magic to create targeted, persistent ads. ]
	Mx. President Has a Brain. T. Kohno. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, May-June 2022. [ A short story featuring brain-machine interfaces, targeted advertising, customer loyalty programs, parent-child monitoring systems, software updates, computer security, and more ]
	The Glowing Bonsai And The Kintsugi Pot. T. Kohno. After Dinner Conversation, March 2022. [ Infrared-activated bioluminescent plants manipulate computer vision algorithms in autonomous vehicles ] [ Twitter thread about this story and the background research ] [ Also appearing in the After Dinner Conversation - Season Six anthology ]
	Hope: A Perspective from the Forest. T. Kohno. Haven Speculative, March 2022. [ A pack of wolves struggle with climate change ]
	Civilizations. T. Kohno. Little Blue Marble, May 2021. [ A NASA scientist hears the Earth think ] [ Also appearing in the Little Blue Marble 2021: Tipping Points anthology. ]
	Lost Knowledge? Forbidden Knowledge? T. Kohno. Telling Stories: On Culturally Responsive Artificial Intelligence, 2020. [ An entrepreneur seeks to capture ancient knowledge with an AI ]

	Research Ideas Notebook. T. Kohno; Design by C. Mondoy-Lin. July 2020. [ I originally created this notebook to help me keep track of project-level research ideas. Catherine did the professional design. We are making it available for others, in case others find it useful too. ] [ Example Pages ]
	Research Ideas Notebook. T. Kohno; Design by C. Mondoy-Lin. July 2020. [ This is a hardcover version of the above notebook, with a different design. ] [ Example Pages ]

	The Buffet Overflow Café. T. Kohno, C. Cobb, A. Lerner, M. Lin, and A. Shostack. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, July-August 2022. [ The Buffet Overflow Café is a restaurant for dining cryptographers and cybersecurity professionals ]
	Excerpts From the New Dictionary of Cybersecurity, 2036. T. Kohno. IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, May-June 2022. [ Computer security and privacy definitions from the year 2036 ]