Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Domain Specific Language For Digital Forensics And Incident Response Analysis, Christopher D. Stelly

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

One of the longstanding conceptual problems in digital forensics is the dichotomy between the need for verifiable and reproducible forensic investigations, and the lack of practical mechanisms to accomplish them. With nearly four decades of professional digital forensic practice, investigator notes are still the primary source of reproducibility information, and much of it is tied to the functions of specific, often proprietary, tools.

The lack of a formal means of specification for digital forensic operations results in three major problems. Specifically, there is a critical lack of:

a) standardized and automated means to scientifically verify accuracy of digital forensic tools; …

Benchmarking Applicability Of Cryptographic Wireless Communication Over Arduino Platforms, Carolina Vázquez Torres

University Honors Program Senior Projects

The spaces around us are becoming equipped with devices and appliances that collect data from their surroundings and react accordingly to provide smarter networks where they are interconnected and able to communicate with one another. These smart networks of devices and appliances along with the applications that utilize them build smart spaces known as Internet of Things (IoT). With the on growing popularity of such smart devices (e.g., smart cars, watches, home-security systems) and IoT, the need for securing these environments increases. The smart devices around us can collect private and personal information, and the challenge lies in maintaining the …

Rhetsec_ | Rhetorical Security, Jennifer Mead

Culminating Projects in English

Rhetsec_ examines the rhetorical situation, the rhetorical appeals, and how phishing emails simulate "real" emails in five categories of phishing emails. While the first focus of cybersecurity is security, you must also understand the language of computers to know how to secure them. Phishing is one way to compromise security using computers, and so the computer becomes a tool for malicious language (phishing emails and malware) to be transmitted. Therefore to be concerned with securing computers, then you must also be concerned with language. Language is rhetoric's domain, and the various rhetorical elements which create an identity of the phisher …

Authentication Usability Methodology, Jean-Baptiste Subils

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays many systems require end users to authenticate themselves. Authentication is one of the security activities that end users perform the most. Thus, the usability of this security feature plays a major role in the proper utilization and adoption of a novel authentication method.

This dissertation presents coauthentication, a novel authentication system. Many authentication methods and protocols exist, but passwords remain the predominant authentication method used. Coauthentication is presented here in detail in several possible variations and their associated protocols, with performance comparisons.

This dissertation also presents a framework to evaluate authentication methods in terms of usability.

A large body …

Challenges In Large-Scale Machine Learning Systems: Security And Correctness, Emad Alsuwat

Theses and Dissertations

In this research, we address the impact of data integrity on machine learning algorithms. We study how an adversary could corrupt Bayesian network structure learning algorithms by inserting contaminated data items. We investigate the resilience of two commonly used Bayesian network structure learning algorithms, namely the PC and LCD algorithms, against data poisoning attacks that aim to corrupt the learned Bayesian network model.

Data poisoning attacks are one of the most important emerging security threats against machine learning systems. These attacks aim to corrupt machine learning models by con- taminating datasets in the training phase. The lack of resilience of …

User Syndication Using Speech Rhythm, Faisal Z H Alnahhas

Computer Science and Engineering Theses

In recent years we have seen a variety of approaches to increase security on computers and mobile devices including fingerprint, and facial recognition. Such techniques while effective are very expensive. Voice biometrics, specifically speech rhythm, is a method that has been drawing attention and growing in recent years. Unlike other methods, it requires little to no additional hardware installed on a device for it to work accurately. Speech rhythm utilizes the device's built-in microphone, and analyzes speakers based on features of their speech. In this work we leverage the existing hardware and simply add an efficient layer of software to …

Preventing Browser Fingerprinting By Randomizing Canvas, Rianna Quiogue

Honors Theses

Whether users know it or not, their online behaviors are being tracked and stored by many of the websites they visit regularly through a technique called browser fingerprinting. Just like a person's physical fingerprint can identify them, users' browser fingerprints can identify them on the Internet. This thesis outlines the techniques used in browser fingerprinting and explains how although it can be used for good, it can also be a major threat to people's online privacy and security. Since browser fingerprinting has gained popularity among many websites and advertising companies, researchers have been developing ways to counteract its effectiveness by …

The Performance Cost Of Security, Lucy R. Bowen

Master's Theses

Historically, performance has been the most important feature when optimizing computer hardware. Modern processors are so highly optimized that every cycle of computation time matters. However, this practice of optimizing for performance at all costs has been called into question by new microarchitectural attacks, e.g. Meltdown and Spectre. Microarchitectural attacks exploit the effects of microarchitectural components or optimizations in order to leak data to an attacker. These attacks have caused processor manufacturers to introduce performance impacting mitigations in both software and silicon.

To investigate the performance impact of the various mitigations, a test suite of forty-seven different tests was created. …

After Https: Indicating Risk Instead Of Security, Matthew Wayne Holt

Theses and Dissertations

Browser security indicators show warnings when sites load without HTTPS, but more malicious sites are using HTTPS to appear legitimate in browsers and deceive users. We explore a new approach to browser indicators that overcomes several limitations of existing indicators. First, we develop a high-level risk assessment framework to identify risky interactions and evaluate the utility of this approach through a survey. Next, we evaluate potential designs for a new risk indicator to communicate risk rather than security. Finally, we conduct a within-subjects user study to compare the risk indicator to existing security indicators by observing participant behavior and collecting …

Cyber Security- A New Secured Password Generation Algorithm With Graphical Authentication And Alphanumeric Passwords Along With Encryption, Akash Rao

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Graphical passwords are always considered as an alternative of alphanumeric passwords for their better memorability and usability [1]. Alphanumeric passwords provide an adequate amount of satisfaction, but they do not offer better memorability compared to graphical passwords [1].

On the other hand, graphical passwords are considered less secured and provide better memorability [1]. Therefore many researchers have researched on graphical passwords to overcome the vulnerability. One of the most significant weaknesses of the graphical passwords is "Shoulder Surfing Attack," which means, sneaking into a victim's computer to learn the whole password or part of password or some confidential information. Such …

The Ethics Of Cookies: Exploring The Collection Of Big Data And Its Ramifications, Sarah Biely 19

Honor Scholar Theses

Technology is taking over the world. In every aspect of human life, technology has been able to provide some sort of help or solution. At the forefront of this revolution is the Internet and with it, the activity of day-to-day life that now takes place online. This rapid takeover pushes technological innovations to develop quickly, pushing boundaries and creating a new way of life.

Today in the United States, websites are allowed to track user data. When a user clicks on a website that intends on documenting the user's actions, the website installs a tracker, otherwise known as "cookie." Websites …

Social Engineering In Call Centers And Ways To Reduce It, Maureen York

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

Social engineering is the use of trickery, deception, persuasion, emotional manipulation, impersonation, and abuse of trust to gain information or access through the use of a human interface (Thompson, 2006). Social engineering relies on the human behavior in order to gain information or access. The technique of social engineering can be performed in numerous ways and has been proven to be an effective way for perpetrators to obtain valuable information.

This capstone project, I will focus on social engineering of call centers and the steps organizations can take to reduce it. For most organizations, the call centers or customer support …

An Empirical Study On Deterministic Collusive Attack Using Inter Component Communication In Android Applications, Tanzeer Hossain

Wayne State University Theses

Security threats using intent based inter component communication (ICC) channels in Android are under constant scrutiny of software engineering researchers. Though prior research provides empirical evidence on the existence of collusive communication channels in popular android apps, little is known about developers’willful involvement and motivation to exploit these channels.To shed light on this matter, in this paper we devised a novel methodology to deterministically identify developers’ involvement in establishing collusive inter app communication channels. We incorporate static analysis and relational database technology to discover sensitive collusive channels and domain knowledge of the Android SDK to build a model to identify …

Comprehending The Safety Paradox And Privacy Concerns With Medical Device Remote Patient Monitoring, Marc Doyle

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Medical literature identifies a number of technology-driven improvements in disease management such as implantable medical devices (IMDs) that are a standard treatment for candidates with specific diseases. Among patients using implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD), for example, problems and issues are being discovered faster compared to patients without monitoring, improving safety. What is not known is why patients report not feeling safer, creating a safety paradox, and why patients identify privacy concerns in ICD monitoring.

There is a major gap in the literature regarding the factors that contribute to perceived safety and privacy in remote patient monitoring (RPM). To address this …

Information Systems Security Leadership: An Empirical Study Of Behavioral Influences Of Leaders On Employees’ Security Compliance, Marcus Alan Winkfield

CCE Theses and Dissertations

This empirical study examined the behavioral influences of leaders on employees’ security compliance. Organizations can use leadership concepts in the field of Information Systems (IS) security. Despite the adoption of technical and managerial approaches, organizations still face issues motivating employee IS security compliance. This dissertation argued that organizations need strong leadership to encourage employees. Using the expectancy theory, this paper created a theoretical model to help understand the influence of task and relationship-oriented leadership behaviors on nontechnical controls IS security compliance. The conceptual underpinnings translated into perceived security effort, perceived security performance, and expected security outcomes. The theoretical model was …

Analyzing Small Businesses' Adoption Of Big Data Security Analytics, Henry Mathias

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the increased cost of data breaches due to advanced, persistent threats from malicious sources, the adoption of big data security analytics among U.S. small businesses has been slow. Anchored in a diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine ways to increase the adoption of big data security analytics among small businesses in the United States by examining the relationship between small business leaders' perceptions of big data security analytics and their adoption. The research questions were developed to determine how to increase the adoption of big data security analytics, which can be measured …

Securing Modern Cyberspace Using A Multi-Faceted Approach, Yu Li

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Security has become one of the most significant concerns for our cyberspace. Securing the cyberspace, however, becomes increasingly challenging. This can be attributed to the rapidly growing diversities and complexity of the modern cyberspace. Specifically, it is not any more dominated by connected personal computers (PCs); instead, it is greatly characterized by cyber-physical systems (CPS), embedded systems, dynamic services, and human-computer interactions. Securing modern cyberspace therefore calls for a multi-faceted approach capable of systematically integrating these emerging characteristics. This dissertation presents our novel and significant solutions towards this direction. Specifically, we have devised automated, systematic security solutions to three critical …

The Security Layer, Mark Thomas O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a vital component to the security ecosystem and the most popular security protocol used on the Internet today. Despite the strengths of the protocol, numerous vulnerabilities result from its improper use in practice. Some of these vulnerabilities arise from weaknesses in authentication, from the rigidity of the trusted authority system to the complexities of client certificates. Others result from the misuse of TLS by developers, who misuse complicated TLS libraries, improperly validate server certificates, employ outdated cipher suites, or deploy other features insecurely. To make matters worse, system administrators and users are powerless to fix …

Understanding The Ntru Cryptosystem, Benjamin Clark

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this paper, we will examine the NTRU Public Key Cryptosystem. The NTRU cryptosystem was created by Joseph Silverman, Jeffery Hoffstein, and Jill Pipher in 1996. This system uses truncated polynomial rings to encrypt and decrypt data. It was recently released into the public domain in 2013. This paper will describe how this cryptosystem works and give a basic understanding on how to encrypt and decrypt using this system.