Biblio

Cyber-physical Systems can be defined as a complex networked control system, which normally develop by combining several physical components with the cyber space. Cyber Physical System are already a part of our daily life. As its already being a part of everyone life, CPS also have great potential security threats and can be vulnerable to various cyber-attacks without showing any sign directly to component failure. To protect user security and privacy is a fundamental concern of any kind of system; either it’s a simple web application or supplicated professional system. Digital Multifactor authentication is one of the best ways to make secure authentication. It covers many different areas of a Cyber-connected world, including online payments, communications, access right management, etc. Most of the time, Multifactor authentication is little complex as it requires extra step from users. This paper will discuss the evolution from single authentication to Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) starting from Single-Factor Authentication (SFA) and through Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). This paper seeks to analyze and evaluate the most prominent authentication techniques based on accuracy, cost, and feasibility of implementation. We also suggest several authentication schemes which incorporate with Multifactor authentication for CPS.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a widely adopted architecture that uses web services, which have become increasingly important in the development and integration of applications. Its purpose is to allow information system technologies to interact by exchanging messages between sender and recipient using the simple object access protocol (SOAP), an XML document, or the HTTP protocol. We will attempt to provide an overview and analysis of standards in the field of web service security, specifically SOAP messages, using Kerberos authentication, which is a computer network security protocol that provides users with high security for requests between two or more hosts located in an unreliable location such as the internet.Everything that has to do with Kerberos has to deal with systems that rely on data authentication.

As the traditional grids are transitioning to the smart grid, they are getting more prone to cyber-attacks. Among all the cyber-attack one of the most dangerous attack is false data injection attack. When this attack is performed with historical information of the data packet the attack goes undetected. As the false data is included for training and testing the model, the accuracy is decreased, and decision making is affected. In this paper we analyzed the impact of the false data injection attack(FDIA) on AI based smart grid. These analyses were performed using two different multi-layer perceptron architectures with one of the independent variables being compared and modified by the attacker. The root-mean squared values were compared with different models.

Privacy preserving scheme for face verification is a biometric system embedded with template protection to protect the data in ensuring data integrity. This paper proposes a new method called Histogram of Oriented Gradient Random Template Protection (HOGRTP). The proposed method utilizes Histogram of Oriented Gradient approach as a feature extraction technique and is combined with Random Template Protection method. The proposed method acts as a multi-factor authentication technique and adds a layer of data protection to avoid the compromising biometric issue because biometric is irreplaceable. The performance accuracy of HOGRTP is tested on the unconstrained face images using the benchmarked dataset, Labeled Face in the Wild (LFW). A promising result is obtained to prove that HOGRTP achieves a higher verification rate in percentage than the pure biometric scheme.

With the rapid growth of online services, the number of online accounts proliferates. The security of a single user account no longer depends merely on its own service provider but also the accounts on other service platforms (We refer to this online account environment as Online Account Ecosystem). In this paper, we first uncover the vulnerability of Online Account Ecosystem, which stems from the defective multi-factor authentication (MFA), specifically the ones with SMS-based verification, and dependencies among accounts on different platforms. We propose Chain Reaction Attack that exploits the weakest point in Online Account Ecosystem and can ultimately compromise the most secure platform. Furthermore, we design and implement ActFort, a systematic approach to detect the vulnerability of Online Account Ecosystem by analyzing the authentication credential factors and sensitive personal information as well as evaluating the dependency relationships among online accounts. We evaluate our system on hundreds of representative online services listed in Alexa in diversified fields. Based on the analysis from ActFort, we provide several pragmatic insights into the current Online Account Ecosystem and propose several feasible countermeasures including the online account exposed information protection mechanism and the built-in authentication to fortify the security of Online Account Ecosystem.

SMS (Short Message Service)-based authentication is widely used as a simple and secure multi-factor authentication, where OTP (One Time Password) is sent to user’s mobile phone via SMS. However, SMS authentication is vulnerable to Password Reset Man in the Middle Attack (PRMitM). In this attack, the attacker makes a victim perform password reset OTP for sign-up verification OTP. If the victim enters OTP to a malicious man-in-the-middle site, the attacker can overtake the victim’s account.We find new smartphone useful functions may increase PR-MitM attack risks. SMS push notification informs us an arrival of message by showing only beginning of the message. Hence, those who received SMS OTP do not notice the cautionary notes and the name of the sender that are supposed to show below the code, which may lead to be compromised. Auto-fill function, which allow us to input authentication code with one touch, is also vulnerable for the same reason.In this study, we conduct a user study to investigate the effect of new smartphone functions incurring PRMitM attack.

In the growth of financial industries, the electronic payments system is a newest topic, which is to be replaced in the near future by electronic or online transaction. With the advancement of the technology, there is a strong need to build and enforce safe authentication schemes to protect user sensitive information against security threats. Protection is becoming increasingly important for companies today, and so the need for authentication is more essential than before. In single-factor authentication, there are many security problems such as password schemes. Additionally, invaders will try various ways of stealing passwords including, dictionary attacks, brute force attack, password divination, shoulder surfing, etc. This paper provides a multi-authentication system for electronic payments to address the problem. The proposed technique here combines password, biometric and OTP verification for a more reliable user authentication using a multi-factor authentication. The proposed system has three phases, namely: registration phase, an authentication phase, and transaction phase. Our proposed approach has been found to boost security efficacy for various forms of assault and authentication layers dependent on password based attacks.

Various methods for face validation-based authentication systems have been applied in a number of access control applications. However, using only one biometric factor such as facial data may limit accuracy and use, and is not practical in a real environment. This paper presents the implementation of a face time attendance system with an additional factor, a QR code to improve accuracy. This two- factor authentication system was developed in the form of a kiosk with a contactless process, which emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiment was conducted at a well- known training event in Thailand. The proposed two-factor system was evaluated in terms of accuracy and satisfaction. Additionally, it was compared to a traditional single-factor system using only face recognition. The results confirm that the proposed two-factor scheme is more effective and did not incorrectly identify any users.

Zero- Knowledge Proof is a cryptographic protocol exercised to render privacy and data security by securing the identity of users and using services anonymously. It finds numerous applications; authentication is one of them. A Zero-Knowledge Proof-based authentication system is discussed in this paper. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol have been used to design and build the ZKP based authentication system. SRP is a broadly used Password Authenticated Key Exchange (PAKE) protocol. The proposed method overcomes several drawbacks of traditional and commonly used authentication systems such as a simple username and plaintext password-based system, multi-factor authentication system and others.

Multi-Factor Authentication is an electronic authentication method in which a computer user is granted access to an application or a website only after successfully presenting two or more factors, or pieces of evidence. It is the first step to protect systems against intruders since the traditional log-in methods (username and password) are not completely protected from hackers, since they can guess them easily using tools. Current Systems use additional methods to increase security, such as using two-factor authentication based on a one-time password via mobile or email, or authentication based on biometrics (fingerprint, eye iris or retina, and face recognition) or via token devices. However, these methods require additional hardware equipment with high cost at the level of small and medium companies. This paper proposes a multi-factor authentication system that combines ease of use and low-cost factors. The system does not need any special settings or infrastructure. It relies on graphical passwords, so the user, in registration phase, chooses three images and memorizes them. In the login phase, the user needs only to choose the correct images that he considered during the registration process in a specific order. The proposed system overcomes many different security threats, such as key-loggers, screen capture attack or shoulder surfing. The proposed method was applied to 170 participants, 75% of them are males and 25% are females, classified according to their age, education level, web experience. One-third of them did not have sufficient knowledge about various security threats.

Today, authentication and non-repudiation of actions are essential requirements for almost all mobile services. In this respect, various common identity systems (such as Facebook Login, Google Sign-In, Apple ID and many other) based on OpenID Connect protocol have been introduced that support easier password management for users, and reduce potential risks by securing the service provider and the user. With the widespread use of the Internet, smartphones can offer many services with rich content. The use of common identity systems on mobile devices with a high security level is becoming a more important requirement. At this point, MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) have a significant potential and capability for providing common identity services. The existing solutions based on Mobile Connect standard provide generally low level of assurance. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for a common identity system that provide higher level of assurance and security for service providers. This study presents a multi-factor authentication mechanism called TrustedID system that is based on Mobile Connect and OpenID Connect standards, and ensures higher level of assurance. The proposed system aims to use three identity factors of the user in order to access sensitive mobile services on the smartphone. The proposed authentication system will support improvement of new value-added services and also support the development of mobile ecosystem.

Attacks targeting several millions of non-internet based application users are on the rise. These applications such as SMS and USSD typically do not benefit from existing multi-factor authentication methods due to the nature of their interaction interfaces and mode of operations. To address this problem, we propose an approach that augments blockchain with multi-factor authentication based on evidence from blockchain transactions combined with risk analysis. A profile of how a user performs transactions is built overtime and is used to analyse the risk level of each new transaction. If a transaction is flagged as high risk, we generate n-factor layers of authentication using past endorsed blockchain transactions. A demonstration of how we used the proposed approach to authenticate critical financial transactions in a blockchain-based asset financing platform is also discussed.

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) are liable to malicious attacks due to limited bandwidth, limited power, high propagation delay, path loss, and variable speed. The major differences between UWSNs and Terrestrial Wireless Sensor Networks (TWSNs) necessitate a new mechanism to secure UWSNs. The existing Media Access Control (MAC) and routing protocols have addressed the network performance of UWSNs, but are vulnerable to several attacks. The secure MAC and routing protocols must exist to detect Sybil, Blackhole, Wormhole, Hello Flooding, Acknowledgment Spoofing, Selective Forwarding, Sinkhole, and Exhaustion attacks. These attacks can disrupt or disable the network connection. Hence, these attacks can degrade the network performance and total loss can be catastrophic in some applications, like monitoring oil/gas spills. Several researchers have studied the security of UWSNs, but most of the works detect malicious attacks solely based on a certain predefined threshold. It is not optimal to detect malicious attacks after the threshold value is met. In this paper, we propose a multi-factor authentication model that is based on zero-knowledge proof to detect malicious activities and secure UWSNs from several attacks.

User identity and personal information remain to be hot targets for attackers. From recent surveys, we can categorize that 65.5% of all cyberattacks in 2018 target user information. Sadly, most of the time, the system's security depends on how secure it is the implementation from the provider-side. One defense technique that the user can take part in is applying a two-factor authentication (2FA) system for their account. However, we observe that state-of-the-art 2FAs have several weaknesses and limitations. In this paper, we propose TwoChain, a blockchain-based 2FA system for web services to overcome those issues. Our implementation facilitates an alternative 2FA system that is more secure, disposable, and decentralized. Finally, we release TwoChain for public use.

Security plays an important role in many authentication applications. Modern era information sharing is boundless and becoming much easier to access with the introduction of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Although this can be considered as a good point, issues such as privacy and data integrity arise due to the lack of control and authority. For this reason, the concept of data security was introduced. Data security can be categorized into two which are secrecy and authentication. In particular, this research was focused on the authentication of data security. There have been substantial research which discusses on multi-factor authentication scheme but most of those research do not entirely protect data against all types of attacks. Most current research only focuses on improving the security part of authentication while neglecting other important parts such as the accuracy and efficiency of the system. Current multifactor authentication schemes were simply not designed to have security, accuracy, and efficiency as their main focus. To overcome the above issue, this research will propose a new multi-factor authentication scheme which is capable to withstand external attacks which are known security vulnerabilities and attacks which are based on user behavior. On the other hand, the proposed scheme still needs to maintain an optimum level of accuracy and efficiency. From the result of the experiments, the proposed scheme was proven to be able to withstand the attacks. This is due to the implementation of the attack recognition and key generator technique together with the use of multi-factor in the proposed scheme.

We are living in a society where technology is present everywhere we go. We are striving towards smart homes, smart cities, Internet of Things, Internet of Everything. Not so long ago, a password was all you needed for secure authentication. Nowadays, even the most complicated passwords are not considered enough. Multi-factor authentication is gaining more and more terrain. Complex system may also require more than one solution for real, strong security. The present paper proposes a framework based with MFA as a basis for access control and data analytics. Events within a cyber-physical system are processed and analyzed in an attempt to detect, prevent and mitigate possible attacks.

Nowadays, some workplaces have adopted the policy of BYOD (bring your own device) that permits employees to bring personally owned devices, and to use those devices to access company information and applications. Especially, small devices like smartphones are widely used due to the greater mobility and connectivity. A majority of organizations provide the wireless local area network which is necessary for small devices and business data transmission. The resources access through Wi-Fi network of the organization needs intense restriction. WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1X standard is typically introduced to handle user authentication on the network using the EAP framework. However, credentials management for all users is a hassle for administrators. Strong authentication provides higher security whereas the difficulty of deployment is still open issues. This research proposes the utility of Near Field Communication to securely transmit certificate data that rely on the hybrid cryptosystem. The approach supports enterprise Wi-Fi hotspot authentication based on WPA2-802.1X model with the EAP-TLS method. It also applies multi-factor authentication for enhancing the security of networks and users. The security analysis and experiment on establishing connection time were conducted to evaluate the presented approach.

Whenever one accesses a computer system there are three essential security issues involved: identification, authentication and authorization. The identification process enables recognition of an entity, which may be either a human, a machine, or another asset - e.g. software program. Two complementary mechanisms are used for determining who can access those systems: authentication and authorization. To address the authentication process, various solutions have been proposed in the literature, from a simple password to newer technologies based on biometrics or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). This paper presents a novel scalable multi-factor authentication method, applicable to computer systems with no need of any hardware/software changes.

Digital Multifactor authentication is one of the best ways to make secure authentication. It covers many different areas of a Cyber-connected world, including online payments, communications, access right management, etc. Most of the time, Multifactor authentication is little complex as it require extra step from users. With two-factor authentication, along with the user-ID and password, user also needs to enter a special code which they normally receive by short message service or some special code which they got in advance. This paper will discuss the evolution from single authentication to Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) starting from Single-Factor Authentication (SFA) and through Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). In addition, this paper presents five high-level categories of features of user authentication in the gadget-free world including security, privacy, and usability aspects. These are adapted and extended from earlier research on web authentication methods. In conclusion, this paper gives future research directions and open problems that stem from our observations.

As the number of Internet users increases, their usage also diversifies, and it is important to prevent Identity on the Internet (Digital Identity) from being violated. Unauthorized authentication is one of the methods to infringe Digital Identity. Multi-factor authentication has been proposed as a method for preventing unauthorized authentication. However, the cryptographic authenticator required for multi-factor authentication is expensive both financially and UX-wise for the user. In this paper, we design, implement and evaluate multi-factor authentication using My Number Card provided by public personal identification service and WebUSB, which is being standardized.

Federated authentication can drastically reduce the overhead of basic account maintenance while simultaneously improving overall system security. Integrating with the user's more frequently used account at their primary organization both provides a better experience to the end user and makes account compromise or changes in affiliation more likely to be noticed and acted upon. Additionally, with many organizations transitioning to multi-factor authentication for all account access, the ability to leverage external federated identity management systems provides the benefit of their efforts without the additional overhead of separately implementing a distinct multi-factor authentication process. This paper describes our experiences and the lessons we learned by enabling federated authentication with the U.S. Government PKI and In Common Federation, scaling it up to the user base of a production HPC system, and the motivations behind those choices. We have received only positive feedback from our users.

Biometrics are widely used for authentication in several domains, services and applications. However, only very few systems succeed in effectively combining highly secure user authentication with an adequate privacy protection of the biometric templates, due to the difficulty associated with jointly providing good authentication performance, unlinkability and irreversibility to biometric templates. This thwarts the use of biometrics in remote authentication scenarios, despite the advantages that this kind of architectures provides. We propose a user-specific approach for decoupling the biometrics from their binary representation before using biometric protection schemes based on fuzzy extractors. This allows for more reliable, flexible, irreversible and unlinkable protected biometric templates. With the proposed biometrics decoupling procedures, biometric metadata, that does not allow to recover the original biometric template, is generated. However, different biometric metadata that are generated starting from the same biometric template remain statistically linkable, therefore we propose to additionally protect these using a second authentication factor (e.g., knowledge or possession based). We demonstrate the potential of this approach within a two-factor authentication protocol for remote biometric authentication in mobile scenarios.

Embedded and mobile devices forming part of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) need new authentication technologies and techniques. This requirement is due to the increase in effort and time attackers will use to compromise a device, often remote, based on the possibility of a significant monetary return. This paper proposes exploiting a device's accelerometers in-built functionality to implement multi-factor authentication. An experimental embedded system designed to emulate a typical mobile device is used to implement the ideas and investigated as proof-of-concept.

Authentication is one of the key aspects of securing applications and systems alike. While in most existing systems this is achieved using usernames and passwords it has been continuously shown that this authentication method is not secure. Studies that have been conducted have shown that these systems have vulnerabilities which lead to cases of impersonation and identity theft thus there is need to improve such systems to protect sensitive data. In this research, we explore the combination of the user's location together with traditional usernames and passwords as a multi factor authentication system to make authentication more secure. The idea involves comparing a user's mobile device location with that of the browser and comparing the device's Bluetooth key with the key used during registration. We believe by leveraging existing technologies such as Bluetooth and GPS we can reduce implementation costs whilst improving security.