Dedy Hendro

PhD Student
School of Engineering and Computer Science

• address
• MARU103

Thesis Info

Introduction

My work focuses on using various Machine Learning (ML) techniques to detect cyber attacks, and I apply Explainable AI (XAI) methods to make the model’s predictions more transparent and understandable. Additionally, I aim to develop explanations that are accessible and valuable to both technical and non-technical users within the cybersecurity field.

Research Group

I’m part of Te Roopu Owhiti, a laid-back and inclusive research group that meets weekly to dive into all things cybersecurity. We're a chill bunch who love good discussions over shared snacks. Our conversations cover everything from Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), malware and phishing to cryptography, honeypots, privacy issues, and even the deep web. If this sounds like your vibe, you can find more about us on the Te Roopu Owhiti website.

I am a member of the Security Working Group at the Privacy Foundation NZ. The team examines privacy issues through security lens, specifically investigating the effects and regulations surrounding deepfakes. Our focus extends to the evolving security vulnerabilities inherent in generative AI and connected IoT or "Smart" devices, while broadly exploring other security implications that impact privacy.

Together with Dr. Charles Lim from Swiss German University and Mr. Kumar Pudashine, we completed a workshop on Building Leadership for Digital Transformation: Strengthening Cyber Resilience, Privacy and Trust.

Tutoring

My primary responsibility is facilitating the weekly lab/tutorial sessions for CYBR 371: System and Network Security. Students gain hands-on experience with secure design, access control, and TCP/IP protocol security. The lab sessions I tutor emphasise the practical application of theory, including:

• Linux access control lists (ACLs) and shell scripting for security automation
• Configuring and testing network defence mechanisms like firewall and IDS
• Analysing TCP/IP protocol vulnerabilities in controlled environment (ethical hacking)

Publication

Our paper An Investigation of Feature-Grouping for Robust SHAP Explanations in IoT Intrusion Detection participated and was presented in IEEE 35th International Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (ITNAC) on November 2025 at beautiful Christchurch city. Thanks to the massive support from Victoria University of Wellington and fellow researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Japan, our paper was awarded "Best Student Paper".

This paper was based on the wonderful paper Does Ordinality in Encoding Matter for XAI? A Case Study on Explainable IDS by Harry Chandra Tanuwidjaja, Tao Ban, Takeshi Takahashi, Tsung-Nan Lin, Boyi Lee and Muhamad Erza Aminanto.

Favourite Places

• The Lab F&B @ The Hub (HB) or Pipitea Campus - Friendly people
• Check out my brother (or everybody's brother) - Louis' Takeaway @ Rankine Brown (RB)
• Swimsuit Coffee @ Alan MacDiarmid (AM) - Very good coffee, popular with lecturers
• Krishna Food @ Kirk Building (KK) - Yummy vegan food, good to clear the mind
• Cotton Plaza - Look out for some bees above Te Toki a Rata (TTR) taken care by the best people of School of Biological Sciences
• Library - Kelburn, Pipitea or Te Aro - 3 unique places accessible by foot from Wellington city
• Ramsey House @ 8 Kelburn Parade has $2 coffee

These spots aren’t just places—they're part of the experience that makes Vic Uni special!