Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Understanding The Non-Traditional Security Dimensions: Cyber Threat Landscape In Pakistan, Minhas Majeed Khan

CBER Conference

The research analyzes the vulnerabilities and consequences of cyber-attacks on essential infrastructure sectors such as energy, telecommunications, and finance, which are vital for the country’s stability and development. It also evaluates the economic, political, and social effects of cyber incidents on the country’s governance and society. Moreover, the research assesses the current cyber security measures and frameworks in Pakistan and identifies the gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Smart Homes And You: Iot Device Data Risks In An Ever-Changing World, Autumn Person

Theses and Dissertations

Social media applications are increasingly seen as a national security threat and a cause for concern because they can be used to create user profiles on government personnel and on US citizens. These profiles could be used for big data and artificial intelligence purposes of interest to foreign governments. With the rise of big data and AI being used, foreign governments could use this data for a variety of purposes that can affect normal everyday citizens, not just high value personnel. IoT (Internet of Things) devices that the population uses everyday can also pose the same threat. These devices can …

What Senior U.S. Leaders Say We Should Know About Cyber, Dr. Joseph H. Schafer

Military Cyber Affairs

On April 6, 2023, the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative hosted a panel discussion on the new National Cybersecurity Strategy. The panel featured four senior officials from the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), the Department of State (DoS), the Department of Justice (DoJ), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The author attended and asked each official to identify the most important elements that policymakers and strategists must understand about cyber. This article highlights historical and recent struggles to express cyber policy, the responses from these officials, and the author’s ongoing research to improve national security cyber policy.

Using Game Theory To Model Tripolar Deterrence And Escalation Dynamics, Grace Farson

Honors Theses

The study investigated how game theory can been utilized to model multipolar escalation dynamics between Russia, China, and the United States. In addition, the study focused on analyzing various parameters that affected potential conflict outcomes to further new deterrence thought in a tripolar environment.

A preliminary game theoretic model was created to model and analyze escalation dynamics. The model was built upon framework presented by Zagare and Kilgour in their work ‘Perfect Deterrence’. The model is based on assumptions and rules set prior to game play. The model was then analyzed based upon these assumptions using a form of mathematical …

Acknowledging The Impact Of Climate Change On National Security: A Long And Winding Road, Linda A. Malone

Linda A. Malone

No abstract provided.

Water Privatization Trends In The United States: Human Rights, National Security, And Public Stewardship, Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold

Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold

No abstract provided.

Understanding And Combatting Terrorist Networks: Coupling Social Media Mining With Social Network Analysis, Benn Van Den Ende

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Throughout the past decade the methods employed by terrorist organisations have changed drastically. One of these key changes has been associated with the rise of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogging in general. Terrorist organisations appear to be using the wide reach and vast network capabilities created by social media to disseminate propaganda, radicalise susceptible individuals, recruit potential fighters and communicate strategic and operational objectives. However, this growing terrorist presence on Social Media can also offer invaluable insights into the social networks of terrorist organisations through the use of Social Media Mining and Social Network Analysis. By …

Guaranteed Access To Space, Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral, And Climate Change, John Lanicci, J.E. Thropp

John M Lanicci

Guaranteed access to space is a major tenet of U.S. national security policy. Over the last 10 years, over two-thirds of U.S. space launches have originated from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. During the transition of the U.S. manned space program from a public-sector operation to a mixture of public and private sector responsibilities, continued access to space from the CCAFS/KSC complex is necessary to maintain U.S. leadership in space and the continuation of Space Situational Awareness, defined as understanding and maintaining awareness of the population of objects orbiting the earth. The CCAFS/KSC …

Workshop | Body Worn Video Recorders: The Socio-Technical Implications Of Gathering Direct Evidence, Katina Michael, Alexander Hayes

Alexander Hayes Mr.

- From in-car video recording to body-worn video recording

- Exploring available technologies: how do they work, pros and cons

- Storing direct evidence in secure storage: factors to consider

- Citizens “shooting” back with POV tech – what are their rights?

- Crowdsourced sousveillance- harnessing public data for forensic profiling

- Police force policies and practices on the application of new media

Developing And Verifying A Set Of Principles For The Cyber Security Of The Critical Infrastructures Of Turkey, Bilge Karabacak

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Critical infrastructures are vital assets for countries as a harm given to critical infrastructures may affect public order, economic welfare and/or national security. Today, cyber systems are extensively used to control and monitor critical infrastructures. Therefore, cyber threats have the potential to adversely affect the order of societies and countries. In this PhD study, the root causes of the susceptibility of the critical infrastructures of Turkey to the cyber threats are identified by analyzing the qualitative data with the grounded theory method. The extracted root causes are verified by two experts. The set of principles for the cyber security of …

National Security: A Propositional Study To Develop Resilience Indicators As An Aid To Personnel Vetting, David Brooks, Jeff Corkill, Julie-Ann Pooley, Lynne Cohen, Cath Ferguson, Craig Harmes

David J Brooks Dr.

Within the National Security domain there is a convergence of security responsibility across the national security agencies, law enforcement and private security sectors. The sensitivity of this environment requires individuals operating in the domain to be honest, trustworthy and loyal. Personnel vetting is a formal process used to determine an individual’s suitability for access to this domain. Notwithstanding this process, significant breaches of trust, security, and corruption still occur. In psychology, resilience is a well researched phenomenon that is considered a multidimensional construct where individual attributes, family aspects and social environment interact in aiding individuals to deal with vulnerability. There …

Forum Proceedings From “Uavs: Pros Vs Cons Symposium” In Toronto, Canada, June 2013, Katina Michael

Associate Professor Katina Michael

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), widely referred to as drones, are becoming increasingly relevant in civilian as well as military applications. UAS have been used by emergency services to help respond to and map environmental crises, to find missing people, to fight fires, and respond to traffic accidents. Their use in policing and border patrol functions is being trialled in many Western countries. Like other recent technologies (mobile phones etc), as they become cheaper and easier to use, they are likely to become much more prevalent in civilian life across a range of applications.

This conference will examine the current state …

Cyber Beyond Computers - The Environmental Aspect, Jan Kallberg

Jan Kallberg

A forgotten aspect on cyber and cyber conflicts impact on our society is the fact that tampering with our control systems can lead to industrial processes running amok - and lead to environmental damages. Threats to our environment is taken very serious by the population and pollution and contamination of our living space trigger drastic reactions.

A Visualization And Simulation Tool That Will Generate Effective Patrolling Strategies To Protect The U.S. Borders From Illegal Intrusion Using Game Theoretic Methods And Models, Eric Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the recent decade, the United States Border Patrol has increased the presence of border security officers at points of entry along the U.S.- Mexico border. In response to this increased presence of border security officials at ports of entries, illegal intruders have rerouted their intrusions in between ports of entry, in harsher terrain areas of the U.S. (e.g., the Arizona desert). The U.S. Border Patrol could benefit from a tool that plans effective border patrolling routes, and helps border security officials to make risk-based decisions for resource allocation. We are currently developing a tool called Genetic Algorithm for a …

Cyber In Waffle House Land, Jan Kallberg

Jan Kallberg

The epicenter of cyber is Washington, D.C., and the discourse radiates from the national capital outward. The question is how far from the Beltway it reaches. Does the rest of this nation care about the national security threat that is embedded in future adversarial cyber operations?

The Social Implications Of Covert Policing, Simon Bronitt, Clive Harfield, K. Michael

Clive Harfield

Police agencies have been accused of suffering from an acute form of technophilia. Rather than representing some dreadful disorder, this assessment reflects the strong imperative, both in police agencies and the wider community, that police must have access to the latest technologies of surveillance and crime detection.

The last decade has witnessed the proliferation of low-cost surveillance technologies, some developed specifically for law enforcement purposes. Technology once the preserve of the military or secret intelligence agencies is now within the reach of ordinary general duties police officers. The new generation of police recruits is highly adept at using new technologies. …

Natural Disasters And Early Warning Systems In Australia, Emma Papaemanuel, Katina Michael, Peter Johnston

Professor Katina Michael

Australia's national emergency warning system alerts. Radio program in Greek.

Are Disaster Early Warnings Effective?, Kerri Worthington, Katina Michael, Peter Johnson, Paul Barnes

Professor Katina Michael

Australia's summer is traditionally a time of heightened preparation for natural disasters, with cyclones and floods menacing the north and bushfires a constant threat in the south. And the prospect of more frequent, and more intense, disasters thanks to climate change has brought the need for an effective early warning system to the forefront of policy-making. Technological advances and improved telecommunication systems have raised expectations that warning of disasters will come early enough to keep people safe. But are those expectations too high? Kerri Worthington reports. Increasingly, the world's governments -- and their citizens -- rely on technology-based early warning …

Towards A Conceptual Model Of User Acceptance Of Location-Based Emergency Services, Anas Aloudat, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

This paper investigates the introduction of location-based services by government as part of an all-hazards approach to modern emergency management solutions. Its main contribution is in exploring the determinants of an individual’s acceptance or rejection of location services. The authors put forward a conceptual model to better predict why an individual would accept or reject such services, especially with respect to emergencies. While it may be posited by government agencies that individuals would unanimously wish to accept life-saving and life-sustaining location services for their well-being, this view remains untested. The theorised determinants include: visibility of the service solution, perceived service …

Boko Haram: Terrorist Organization, Freedom Fighters Or Religious Fanatics? An Analysis Of Boko Haram Within Nigeria, An Australian Perspective And The Need For Counter Terrorism Responses That Involves Prescribing Them As A Terrorist Organization., Gabrielle Blanquart

Australian Counter Terrorism Conference

The adoption of Sharia law and the creation of an Islamic government are prominent motivations for religious terrorism within the current climate. Throughout history, Nigeria has been exposed to ethno religious violence and political discontent and has recently seen an escalation in associated violence threatening its sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and stability. This paper explores Boko Haram, a Nigerian Islamist sect, responsible for numerous attacks in northern and central Nigeria on infrastructure and people. The origins and ideological motivations of this group are examined and compared to the current wave of religious terrorism in relation to tactics, leadership and objectives. …

Book Review: Handbook On Securing Cyber-Physical Critical Infrastructure: Foundations And Challenges (Written By Sajal K. Das, Krishna Kant, Nan Zhang), Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

This 800+ page handbook is divided into eight parts and contains thirty chapters, ideal for either an advanced undergraduate or graduate course in security. At the heart of this handbook is how we might go about managing both physical and cyber infrastructures, as they continue to become embedded and enmeshed, through advanced control systems, and new computing and communications paradigms.

The Value Of Government Mandated Location-Based Services In Emergencies In Australia, Anas Aloudat, Katina Michael, Roba Abbas, Mutaz Al-Debei

Associate Professor Katina Michael

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian Bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications, which are becoming increasingly accurate with the evolution of positioning techniques, have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility …

Human Rights, Regulation, And National Security, Katina Michael, Simon Bronitt

Professor Katina Michael

Law disciplines technology, though it does so in a partial and incomplete way as reflected in the old adage that technology outstrips the capacity of law to regulate it. The rise of new technologies poses a significant threat to human rights – the pervasive use of CCTV (and now mobile CCTV), telecommunications interception, and low-cost audio-visual recording and tracking devices (some of these discreetly wearable), extend the power of the state and corporations significantly to intrude into the lives of citizens.

Sousveillance And The Social Implications Of Point Of View Technologies In The Law Enforcement Sector, Katina Michael, M.G. Michael

Associate Professor Katina Michael

Policing today has become a high-tech affair; especially in the provision of incident event tracking and reporting systems increasingly being used to provide evidence in a court of law. These in-car video (ICV) and body worn recording systems are said to increase convictions and eliminate false claims made by defendants, providing documentary support to police officers and their associated actions in an incident. But today, new technologies such as smart phones equipped with cameras and global positioning system chipsets can also be found in the hands of the everyday citizen, used to capture everyday happenings and distributed to social networks …

Location Privacy Under Dire Threat As Uberveillance Stalks The Streets, Katina Michael, Roger Clarke

Associate Professor Katina Michael

Location tracking and monitoring applications have proliferated with the arrival of smart phones that are equipped with onboard global positioning system (GPS) chipsets. It is now possible to locate a smart phone user down to 10 metres of accuracy on average. Innovators have been quick to capitalise on this emerging market by introducing novel pedestrian tracking technologies which can denote the geographic path of a mobile user. At the same time there is contention by law enforcement personnel over the need for a warrant process to track an individual in a public space. This paper considers the future of location …

Implementing Namebers Using Microchip Implants: The Black Box Beneath The Skin, Katina Michael, M.G. Michael

Associate Professor Katina Michael

The use of electronic-based physical access cards to secure premises such as government buildings and large corporate offices has been in operation since the inception of bar code and magnetic-stripe cards in the 1970s. Over time, for secure access control, these first generation card technologies based on optical character recognition (OCR) and magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) were replaced by more sophisticated technologies such as smart cards and biometrics, containing encrypted data and techniques which were more difficult to dupe or to replicate \cite{michael2003a}.

An employee today wanting to gain access to their place of work, typically carries a photo …

The Value Of Government Mandated Location-Based Services In Emergencies In Australia, Anas Aloudat, Katina Michael, Roba Abbas, Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian Bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications, which are becoming increasingly accurate with the evolution of positioning techniques, have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility …

Recommendations For Australia’S Implementation Of The National Emergency Warning System Using Location-Based Services, Anas Aloudat, Katina Michael, Roba Abbas

Professor Katina Michael

Mobile alerts, notifications and location-based emergency warning systems are now an established part of mobile government strategies in an increasing number of countries worldwide. In Australia the national emergency warning system (NEWS) was instituted after the tragic Black Saturday Victorian Bushfires of February 2009. In the first phase, NEWS has enabled the provision of public information from the government to the citizen during emergencies anywhere and any time. Moving on from traditional short message service (SMS) notifications and cell broadcasting to more advanced location-based services, this paper provides executive-level recommendations about the viability of location-based mobile phone services in NEWS …

The Application Of Location Based Services In National Emergency Warning Systems: Sms, Cell Broadcast Services And Beyond, Anas Aloudat, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Location-based services can be broadly defined as any service that provides information pertinent to the current location of an active mobile handset at a specific window of time, regardless of the underlying delivery technology used to convey its information. To date, the short message service and cell broadcast service have been utilised by several countries during emergencies, however the future indicates that these services while cost-effective today, will almost certainly be superseded in the next five to ten years by newer more powerful capabilities. The path forward in location-based emergency services in Australia is given against a backdrop of the …

An Interview With Mr Peter Mahy Of Howells Llp Who Represented S And Marper At The European Court Of Human Rights, Katina Michael, Peter Mahy

Associate Professor Katina Michael

Mr Peter Mahy, Partner at Howells LLP and the lawyer who represented S & Marper in front of the Grand Chamber at the European Court of Human Rights was interviewed by Katina Michael on the 10th of October 2009 while she was studying towards a Masters of Transnational Crime Prevention in the Faculty of Law at the University of Wollongong. In 2010 Peter Mahy received the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award for his contribution to the field. Mahy received his honours law degree from Sheffield University and a Masters in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. He did …