Biblio

To keep up with the continuous modernization of web applications and to facilitate their development, a large number of new features are introduced to the web platform every year. Although new web features typically undergo a security review, issues affecting the privacy and security of users could still surface at a later stage, requiring the deprecation and removal of affected APIs. Furthermore, as the web evolves, so do the expectations in terms of security and privacy, and legacy features might need to be replaced with improved alternatives. Currently, this process of deprecating and removing features is an ad-hoc effort that is largely uncoordinated between the different browser vendors. This causes a discrepancy in terms of compatibility and could eventually lead to the deterrence of the removal of an API, prolonging potential security threats. In this paper we propose a progressive security mechanism that aims to facilitate and standardize the deprecation and removal of features that pose a risk to users’ security, and the introduction of features that aim to provide additional security guarantees.

Proactive security reviews and test efforts are a necessary component of the software development lifecycle. Resource limitations often preclude reviewing the entire code
base. Making informed decisions on what code to review can improve a team’s ability to find and remove vulnerabilities. Risk-based attack surface approximation (RASA) is a technique that uses crash dump stack traces to predict what code may contain exploitable vulnerabilities. The goal of this research is to help software development teams prioritize security efforts by the efficient development of a risk-based attack surface approximation. We explore the use of RASA using Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Windows stack traces from crash dumps. We create RASA at the file level for Firefox, in which the 15.8% of the files that were part of the approximation contained 73.6% of the vulnerabilities seen for the product. We also explore the effect of random sampling of crashes on the approximation, as it may be impractical for organizations to store and process every crash received. We find that 10-fold random sampling of crashes at a rate of 10% resulted in 3% less vulnerabilities identified than using the entire set of stack traces for Mozilla Firefox. Sampling crashes in Windows 8.1 at a rate of 40% resulted in insignificant differences in vulnerability and file coverage as compared to a rate of 100%.

Due to the extensive use of network services and emerging security threats, enterprise networks deploy varieties of security devices for controlling resource access based on organizational security requirements. These requirements need fine-grained access control rules based on heterogeneous isolation patterns like access denial, trusted communication, and payload inspection. Organizations are also seeking for usable and optimal security configurations that can harden the network security within enterprise budget constraints. In order to design a security architecture, i.e., the distribution of security devices along with their security policies, that satisfies the organizational security requirements as well as the business constraints, it is required to analyze various alternative security architectures considering placements of network security devices in the network and the corresponding access controls. In this paper, we present an automated formal framework for synthesizing network security configurations. The main design alternatives include different kinds of isolation patterns for network traffic flows. The framework takes security requirements and business constraints along with the network topology as inputs. Then, it synthesizes cost-effective security configurations satisfying the constraints and provides placements of different security devices, optimally distributed in the network, according to the given network topology. In addition, we provide a hypothesis testing-based security architecture refinement mechanism that explores various security design alternatives using ConfigSynth and improves the security architecture by systematically increasing the security requirements. We demonstrate the execution of ConfigSynth and the refinement mechanism using case studies. Finally, we evaluate their scalability using simulated experiments.
 

Extracting knowledge from unstructured data silos, a legacy of old applications, is mandatory for improving the governance of today's cities and fostering the creation of smart cities. Texts in natural language often compose such data. Nevertheless, the inference of useful information from a linguistic-computational analysis of natural language data is an open challenge. In this paper, we propose a clustering method to analyze textual data employing the unsupervised machine learning algorithms k-means and hierarchical clustering. We assess different vector representation methods for text, similarity metrics, and the number of clusters that best matches the data. We evaluate the methods using a real database of a public record service of security occurrences. The results show that the k-means algorithm using Euclidean distance extracts non-trivial knowledge, reaching up to 93% accuracy in a set of test samples while identifying the 12 most prevalent occurrence patterns.

Blockchain has revolutionized supply chain system security, especially with Internet of Things integration. Deploying blockchain in the supply chain incorporates immutability, transparency, and traceability mechanisms that promote secure data sharing and interactions between stakeholders in trustless environments. A blockchain-based supply chain as a layered architecture consists of three main layers: supply chain, blockchain, and IoT. This type of system is safer and more transparent, with better traceability than traditional supply chain; however, the system faces several security issues. This paper briefly discusses the primary security challenges related to blockchain-based supply chain systems.

Digital communication platforms, such as Gmail and Yahoo, are become essential in our professional and personal lives. In addition to the low cost of e-mails, they are fast. Despite the advantages of these tools, spammers try to send unsolicited e-mail, known as spam, daily. Recently, image spam, a new type of spam e-mail, is developed by spammers in order to avoid detection based on text-based spam filtering systems. Image spam contains more complex information as compared to text spam. For this reason, the detection of image spam is still a challenging task for researchers. Most of the developed image spam filtering systems are based on hand-crafted features and machine learning techniques, which are time-consuming and less efficient. In addition, these systems do not focus on the important features, which can have an impact on the detection process. In this paper, we apply the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) model in order to address the problem of image spam. The experiments are conducted on the available dataset, called image spam hunter (ISH). The results obtained are then compared, using the CBAM model, to other existing state-of-the-art methods. The results obtained have demonstrated that the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) is efficient for image spam detection.

In this work we explore how different cognitive processes af- fected typing patterns through a computer game we call The Typing Game. By manipulating the players’ familiarity with the words in our game through their similarity to dictionary words, and by allowing some players to replay rounds, we found that typing speed improves with familiarity with words, and also with practice, but that these are independent of the number of mistakes that are made when typing. We also found that users who had the opportunity to replay rounds exhibited different typing patterns even before replaying the rounds. 

Phishing is an act of technology-based deception that targets individuals to obtain information. To minimize the number of phishing attacks, factors that influence the ability to identify phishing attempts must be examined. The present study aimed to determine how individual differences relate to performance on a phishing task. Undergraduate students completed a questionnaire designed to assess impulsivity, trust, personality characteristics, and Internet/security habits. Participants performed an email task where they had to discriminate between legitimate emails and phishing attempts. Researchers assessed performance in terms of correctly identifying all email types (overall accuracy) as well as accuracy in identifying phishing emails (phishing accuracy). Results indicated that overall and phishing accuracy each possessed unique trust, personality, and impulsivity predictors, but shared one significant behavioral predictor. These results present distinct predictors of phishing susceptibility that should be incorporated in the development of anti-phishing technology and training.

Although 6LoWPAN has brought about a revolutionary leap in networking for Low-power Lossy Networks, challenges still exist, including security concerns that are yet to answer. The most common type of attack on 6LoWPANs is the network layer, especially routing attacks, since the very members of a 6LoWPAN network have to carry out packet forwarding for the whole network. According to the initial purpose of IoT, these nodes are expected to be resource-deficient electronic devices with an utterly stochastic time pattern of attachment or detachment from a network. This issue makes preserving their authenticity or identifying their malignity hard, if not impossible. Since 6LoWPAN is a successor and a hybrid of previously developed wireless technologies, it is inherently prone to cyber-attacks shared with its predecessors, especially Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and WPANs. On the other hand, multiple attacks have been uniquely developed for 6LoWPANs due to the unique design of the network layer protocol of 6LoWPANs known as RPL. While there exist publications about attacks on 6LoWPANs, a comprehensive survey exclusively on RPL-specific attacks is felt missing to bold the discrimination between the RPL-specific and non-specific attacks. Hence, the urge behind this paper is to gather all known attacks unique to RPL in a single volume.

Due to the widespread use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in recent years, the need for IoT technologies to handle communications with the rest of the globe has grown dramatically. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) play a vital role in the operation of the IoT. The creation of Internet of Things operating systems (OS), which can handle the newly constructed IoT hardware, as well as new protocols and procedures for all communication levels, all of which are now in development, will pave the way for the future. When compared to other devices, these gadgets require a comparatively little amount of electricity, memory, and other resources. This has caused the scientific community to become more aware of the relevance of IoT device operating systems as a result of their findings. These devices may be made more versatile and powerful by including an operating system that contains real-time capabilities, kernel, networking, and other features, among other things. IEEE 802.15.4 networks are linked together using IPv6, which has a wide address space and so enables more devices to connect to the internet using the 6LoWPAN protocol. It is necessary to address some privacy and security issues that have arisen as a result of the widespread use of the Internet, notwithstanding the great benefits that have resulted. For the Internet of Things operating systems, this research has provided a network security architecture that ensures secure communication by utilizing the Cooja network simulator in combination with the Contiki operating system and demonstrate and explained how the nodes can protect from the network layer and physical layer attacks. Also, this research has depicted the energy consumption results of each designated node type during the authentication and communication process. Finally, proposed a few further improvements for the architecture which will enhance the network layer protection.

IoT has been an efficient technology for interconnecting different physical objects with the internet. Several cyber-attacks have resulted in compromise in security. Blockchain distributed ledger provide immutability that can answer IoT security concerns. The paper aims at highlighting the challenges & problems currently associated with IoT implementation in real world and how these problems can be minimized by implementing Blockchain based solutions and smart contracts. Blockchain helps in creation of new highly robust IoT known as Blockchain of Things(BCoT). We will also examine presently employed projects working with integrating Blockchain & IoT together for creating desired solutions. We will also try to understand challenges & roadblocks preventing the further implementation of both technologies merger.

Many smartphones are lost every year, with a meager percentage recovered. In many cases, users with malicious intent access these phones and use them to acquire sensitive data. There is a need for continuous monitoring and surveillance in smartphones, and keystroke dynamics play an essential role in identifying whether a phone is being used by its owner or an impersonator. Also, there is a growing need to replace expensive 2-tier authentication methods like One-time passwords (OTP) with cheaper and more robust methods. The methods proposed in this paper are applied to existing data and are proven to train more robust classifiers. A novel feature extraction method by wavelet transformation is demonstrated to convert keystroke data into features. The comparative study of classifiers trained on the extracted features vs. features extracted by existing methods shows that the processes proposed perform better than the state-of-art feature extraction methods.

Using the methods of literature and interview, this paper analyzes the current situation of performance evaluation of volunteers in large-scale games based on mobile Internet, By analyzing the popularity of mobile Internet, the convenience of performance evaluation, the security and privacy of performance evaluation, this paper demonstrates the necessity of performance evaluation of volunteers in large-scale games based on mobile Internet, This paper puts forward the Countermeasures of performance evaluation of volunteers in large-scale games based on mobile Internet.

The topological structure of the network relationship is described by the network diagram, and the formation and evolution process of the network is analyzed by using the cost-benefit method. Assuming that the self-interested network member nodes can connect or break the connection, the network topology model is established based on the dynamic random pairing evolution network model. The static structure of the network is studied. Respecting the psychological cognition law of college students and innovating the core value cultivation model can reverse the youth's identification dilemma with the core values, and then create a good political environment for the normal, healthy, civilized and orderly network participation of the youth. In recognition of the atmosphere, an automatic learning algorithm of Bayesian network structure that effectively integrates expert knowledge and data-driven methods is realized.

The current face recognition technology has rapidly come into the public life, from unlocking cell phone face to mobile payment, which has brought a lot of convenience to life. However, it is undeniable that it also brings security challenges. Based on this paper, we will discuss the risks of face recognition in the mobile payment and put forward relevant suggestions.

The FAA proposes Safety Continuum that recognizes the public expectation for safety outcomes vary with aviation sectors that have different missions, aircraft, and environments. The purpose is to align the rigor of oversight to the public expectations. An aircraft, its variants or derivatives may be used in operations with different expectations. The differences in mission might bring immutable risks for some applications that reuse or revise the original aircraft type design. The continuum enables a more agile design approval process for innovations in the context of a dynamic ecosystems, addressing the creation of variants for different sectors and needs. Since an aircraft type design can be reused in various operations under part 91 or 135 with different mission risks the assurance case will have many branches reflecting the variants and derivatives.This paper proposes a model for the holistic, performance-based, through-life safety assurance case that focuses applicant and oversight alike on achieving the safety outcomes. This paper describes the application of goal-based, technology-neutral features of performance-based assurance cases extending the philosophy of UL 4600, to the Safety Continuum. This paper specifically addresses component reuse including third-party vehicle modifications and changes to operational concept or eco-system. The performance-based assurance argument offers a way to combine the design approval more seamlessly with the oversight functions by focusing all aspects of the argument and practice together to manage the safety outcomes. The model provides the context to assure mitigated risk are consistent with an operation’s place on the safety continuum, while allowing the applicant to reuse parts of the assurance argument to innovate variants or derivatives. The focus on monitoring performance to constantly verify the safety argument complements compliance checking as a way to assure products are "fit-for-use". The paper explains how continued operational safety becomes a natural part of monitoring the assurance case for growing variety in a product line by accounting for the ecosystem changes. Such a model could be used with the Safety Continuum to promote applicant and operator accountability delivering the expected safety outcomes.

Forming a secure autonomous vehicle group is extremely challenging since we have to consider threats and vulnerability of autonomous vehicles. Existing studies focus on communications among risk-free autonomous vehicles, which lack metrics to measure passenger security and cargo values. This work proposes a novel autonomous vehicle group formation method. We introduce risk assessment scoring to assess passenger security and cargo values, and propose an autonomous vehicle group formation method based on it. Our vehicle group is composed of a master node, and a number of core and border ones. Finally, the extensive simulation results show that our method is better than a Connectivity Prediction-based Dynamic Clustering model and a Low-InDependently clustering architecture in terms of node survival time, average change count of master nodes, and average risk assessment scoring.

Controller Area Network with Flexible Data-rate(CAN FD) has the advantages of high bandwidth and data field length to meet the higher communication requirements of parallel in-vehicle applications. If the CAN FD lacking the authentication security mechanism is used, it is easy to make it suffer from masquerade attack. Therefore, a two-stage method based on message authentication is proposed to enhance the security of it. In the first stage, an anti-exhaustive message exchange and comparison algorithm is proposed. After exchanging the message comparison sequence, the lower bound of the vehicle application and redundant message space is obtained. In the second stage, an enhanced round accumulation algorithm is proposed to enhance security, which adds Message Authentication Codes(MACs) to the redundant message space in a way of fewer accumulation rounds. Experimental examples show that the proposed two-stage approach enables both small-scale and large-scale parallel in-vehicle applications security to be enhanced. Among them, in the Adaptive Cruise Control Application(ACCA), when the laxity interval is 1300μs, the total increased MACs is as high as 388Bit, and the accumulation rounds is as low as 40 rounds.

A considerable portion of computing power is always required to perform symbolic calculations. The reliability and effectiveness of algorithms are two of the most significant challenges observed in the field of scientific computing. The terms “feasible calculations” and “feasible computations” refer to the same idea: the algorithms that are reliable and effective despite practical constraints. This research study intends to investigate different types of computing and modelling challenges, as well as the development of efficient integration methods by considering the challenges before generating the accurate results. Further, this study investigates various forms of errors that occur in the process of data integration. The proposed framework is based on automata, which provides the ability to investigate a wide-variety of distinct distance-bounding protocols. The proposed framework is not only possible to produce computational (in)security proofs, but also includes an extensive investigation on different issues such as optimal space complexity trade-offs. The proposed framework in embedded with the already established symbolic framework in order to get a deeper understanding of distance-bound security. It is now possible to guarantee a certain level of physical proximity without having to continually mimic either time or distance.

Machine learning-based DDoS attack detection methods are mostly implemented at the packet level with expensive computational time costs, and the space cost of those sketch-based detection methods is uncertain. This paper proposes a two-stage DDoS attack detection algorithm combining time series-based multi-dimensional sketch and machine learning technologies. Besides packet numbers, total lengths, and protocols, we construct the time series-based multi-dimensional sketch with limited space cost by storing elephant flow information with the Boyer-Moore voting algorithm and hash index. For the first stage of detection, we adopt CNN to generate sketch-level DDoS attack detection results from the time series-based multi-dimensional sketch. For the sketch with potential DDoS attacks, we use RNN with flow information extracted from the sketch to implement flow-level DDoS attack detection in the second stage. Experimental results show that not only is the detection accuracy of our proposed method much close to that of packet-level DDoS attack detection methods based on machine learning, but also the computational time cost of our method is much smaller with regard to the number of machine learning operations.