FEDERICO CERNERA

PhD Graduate

PhD program:: XXXVIII

Thesis title: Detecting and Characterizing Malicious Operations and Tracking Mechanisms in Blockchain and Email Ecosystems

The increasing adoption of decentralized and digital communication systems has created unprecedented opportunities for innovation, but also new avenues for malicious behavior, market manipulation, and privacy violations. This thesis examines emerging threats in two critical digital ecosystems: blockchain decentralized finance (DeFi) and email communications. On the blockchain side, it examines manipulative schemes such as rug pulls, Pump-and-Dump operations, and automated sniper bots that exploit the permissionless nature of DeFi platforms. By analyzing billions of on-chain transactions from Ethereum and the BNB Smart Chain, it quantifies their economic impact and proposes detection and mitigation strategies to enhance ecosystem security. In parallel, the thesis examines the widespread use of tracking pixels in email communications, revealing how commercial tracking infrastructures compromise user privacy and circumvent existing defenses.

Research products

11573/1741964 - 2025 - The Blockchain Warfare: Investigating the Ecosystem of Sniper Bots on Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain

Cernera, Federico; La Morgia, Massimo; Mei, Alessandro; Mongardini, Alberto; Sassi, Francesco - 01a Articolo in rivista

paper: ACM TRANSACTIONS ON INTERNET TECHNOLOGY (ACM Association for computer machinery) pp. - - issn: 1533-5399 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1710657 - 2023 - Hard Rock TBMs—The Experience of Brenner Basis Tunnel, Construction Lot Mules 2-3, for the Evaluation of Risk Prediction Tools

Amadini, F.; Flor, A.; Baliani, D.; Cernera, F.; La Morgia, M.; Mei, A.; Sassi, F. - 04b Atto di convegno in volume

conference: Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (Boston)

book: Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference - ()

11573/1682165 - 2023 - BBT, Lot Mules 2–3. Application of machine learning on TBM parameters for risk prediction tools

Amadini, F.; Flor, A.; Secondulfo, M.; Baliani, D.; Cernera, F.; La Morgia, M.; Mei, A.; Sassi, F. - 04b Atto di convegno in volume

conference: World Tunnel Congress 2023 (Athens, Greece)

book: Expanding underground-knowledge and passion to make a positive impact on the world - (9781003348030)

11573/1682148 - 2023 - Ready, Aim, Snipe! Analysis of Sniper Bots and their Impact on the DeFi Ecosystem

Cernera, Federico; La Morgia, Massimo; Mei, Alessandro; Mongardini, Alberto Maria; Sassi, Francesco - 04b Atto di convegno in volume

conference: ACM Web Conference 2023 (Austin, Texas, USA)

book: ACM Web Conference 2023 - Companion of the World Wide Web Conference, WWW 2023 - (9781450394192)

11573/1684329 - 2023 - Token Spammers, Rug Pulls, and SniperBots: An Analysis of the Ecosystem of Tokens in Ethereum and in the Binance Smart Chain (BNB)

Cernera, Federico; La Morgia, Massimo; Mei, Alessandro; Sassi, Francesco - 04b Atto di convegno in volume

conference: USENIX Security Symposium (Anaheim, CA, USA)

book: Proceedings of the USENIX Security Symposium - (9781713879497; 978-1-939133-37-3)

11573/1685831 - 2023 - Artificial intelligence for tunnel boring machine penetration rate prediction

Flor, A.; Sassi, F.; La Morgia, M.; Cernera, F.; Amadini, F.; Mei, A.; Danzi, A. - 01a Articolo in rivista

paper: TUNNELLING AND UNDERGROUND SPACE TECHNOLOGY (Elsevier Science Limited:Oxford Fulfillment Center, PO Box 800, Kidlington Oxford OX5 1DX United Kingdom:011 44 1865 843000, 011 44 1865 843699, EMAIL: asianfo@elsevier.com, tcb@elsevier.co.UK, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.com, http://www.elsevier.com/locate/shpsa/, Fax: 011 44 1865 843010) pp. 105249- - issn: 0886-7798 - wos: WOS:001039934200001 (26) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85164237725 (31)