Digital Commons Network^™

Rising Threat - Deepfakes And National Security In The Age Of Digital Deception, Dougo Kone-Sow

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This paper delves into the intricate landscape of deepfakes, exploring their genesis, capabilities, and far-reaching implications. The rise of deepfake technology presents an unprecedented threat to American national security, propagating disinformation and manipulation across various media formats. Notably, deepfakes have evolved from a historical backdrop of disinformation campaigns, merging with the advancements of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to craft convincing but false multimedia content.

Examining the capabilities of deepfakes reveals their potential for misuse, evidenced by instances targeting individuals, companies, and even influencing political events like the 2020 U.S. elections. The paper highlights the direct threats posed by …

How Chatgpt Can Be Used As A Defense Mechanism For Cyber Attacks, Michelle Ayaim

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The powers of OpenAI's groundbreaking AI language model, ChatGPT, startled millions of users when it was released in November. But for many, the tool's ability to further accomplish the goals of evil actors swiftly replaced their initial excitement with significant concerns. ChatGPT gives malicious actors additional ways to possibly compromise sophisticated cybersecurity software. Leaders in a sector that is currently suffering from a 38% global spike in data breaches in 2022 must acknowledge the rising influence of AI and take appropriate action. Cybercriminals are writing more complex and focused business email compromise (BEC) and other phishing emails with the assistance …

Federated Active Learning For Network Intrusion Detection, Matthew D. R. Sauer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses challenges with detecting attacks on computer networks within a Federated Learning (FL) framework, when labeled instances are few. We explore the integration of active learning (AL) and semi-supervised learning (SSL). AL efficiently uses data that would otherwise be wasted or require substantial time for labeling. SSL provides capacity to train models that have a limited amount of labeled data, by utilizing additional unlabeled data that is available. We show how FL combined with AL or SSL can realize a detection system that adapts and trains quickly to new networks, reducing the total amount of data labeling needed. …

Enhanced Content-Based Fake News Detection Methods With Context-Labeled News Sources, Duncan Arnfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work examined the relative effectiveness of multilayer perceptron, random forest, and multinomial naïve Bayes classifiers, trained using bag of words and term frequency-inverse dense frequency transformations of documents in the Fake News Corpus and Fake and Real News Dataset. The goal of this work was to help meet the formidable challenges posed by proliferation of fake news to society, including the erosion of public trust, disruption of social harmony, and endangerment of lives. This training included the use of context-categorized fake news in an effort to enhance the tools’ effectiveness. It was found that term frequency-inverse dense frequency provided …

Ur-409 Enhancing Aircraft Electronic Warfare Testing With Automated Rf Spectrum Analysis, Anthony De Santiago, Matthew T. Morgan, Geonhyeong Kim, Jalon L. Bailey, Camille Reaves

C-Day Computing Showcase

Military test ranges utilize a variety of Radio Frequency (RF) threat systems, to assess the effectiveness of Electronic Warfare (EW) systems during flight tests. A component of this process involves monitoring RF transmissions. Traditionally, system engineers at Robins Airforce Base have manually analyzed video from spectrum analyzers to confirm properties of specific threat systems. To streamline this analysis, our team's aim was to develop an automated solution for RF spectrum analysis. We employed a custom YOLO V8 model to isolate the analyzer screen and used a novel combination of frame differencing, summing, and agglomerative clustering techniques to extract relevant properties …

The Propagation And Execution Of Malware In Images, Piper Hall

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Malware has become increasingly prolific and severe in its consequences as information systems mature and users become more reliant on computing in their daily lives. As cybercrime becomes more complex in its strategies, an often-overlooked manner of propagation is through images. In recent years, several high-profile vulnerabilities in image libraries have opened the door for threat actors to steal money and information from unsuspecting users. This paper will explore the mechanisms by which these exploits function and how they can be avoided.

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.

Building A Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce: A Study On Attracting Learners With Varied Educational Backgrounds, Mubashrah Saddiqa, Kristian Helmer Kjær Larsen1 Helmer Kjær Larsen, Robert Nedergaard Nielsen, Jens Myrup Pedersen

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cybersecurity has traditionally been perceived as a highly technical field, centered around hacking, programming, and network defense. However, this article contends that the scope of cybersecurity must transcend its technical confines to embrace a more inclusive approach. By incorporating various concepts such as privacy, data sharing, and ethics, cybersecurity can foster diversity among audiences with varying educational backgrounds, thereby cultivating a richer and more resilient security landscape. A more diverse cybersecurity workforce can provide a broader range of perspectives, experiences, and skills to address the complex and ever-evolving threats of the digital age. The research focuses on enhancing cybersecurity education …

Agency Theory And Audit Quality, Burim Isa Berisha Bb

International Journal of Business and Technology

Auditing plays a vital role in reducing both: information asymmetry by empirically confi rming the validity of fi nancial statements and agency problems. The principal- agent confl ict illustrated in agency theory, where principal (owner) lack reasons to believe their agents (managers) because of information asymmetries and contradictory motives. Information asymmetry deals with the study of decisions in transactions where one party has more or superior information than other. Agents (either directors or auditors) may be trustworthy without further incentives to align interest or monitoring strategies such as audit or increased regulation. However, the simple agency model would recommend that …

All Quiet On The Digital Front: The Unseen Psychological Impacts On Cybersecurity First Responders, Tammie R. Hollis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Driven by the increasing frequency of cyberattacks and the existing talent gap between industry needs and skilled professionals, this research study focused on the crucial human element in the domain of cybersecurity incident response. The objective of this dissertation was to offer a meaningful exploration of the lived experiences encountered by cybersecurity incident responders and an assessment of the subsequent impacts on their well-being. Additionally, this study sought to draw comparisons between the experiences of cybersecurity incident responders and their counterparts in traditional emergency response roles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cohort of 22 individuals with first-hand experience working …

Design And Simulation Of A Location Privacy Protection Scheme Based On Zero-Knowledge Proof For Military Iot, Mingjie Shi, Chengyu Xie, Chuanfu Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In the military Internet of Things (IoT) combat environment, the location privacy issue becomes a key challenge. An innovative location privacy protection scheme based on zero-knowledge proof is proposed to ensure that in unreliable communication channels, the location information of combat units can be verified without revealing their specific coordinates, so as to achieve the goal of protecting sensitive location information. Based on the idea of cryptography, by using zero-knowledge proof, through algebraic circuit, rank-1 constraint system(R1CS), quadratic arithmetic programs(QAP), and other steps, the position coordinate information proof problem is transformed into a point verification problem on a polynomial …

A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Cyber Ranges And Educator Motivation, Cheryl Beauchamp, Holly M. Matusovich

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

A growing number of academic institutions have invested resources to integrate cyber ranges for applying and developing cybersecurity-related knowledge and skills. Cyber range developers and administrators provided much of what is known about cyber range resources and possible educational applications; however, the educator provides valuable understanding of the cyber range resources they use, how they use them, what they value, and what they do not value. This study provides the cyber range user perspective of cyber ranges in cybersecurity education by describing how K-12 educators are motivated using cyber ranges. Using mixed methods, this study explored educator motivation associated with …

Like Treating The Symptom Rather Than The Cause - The Omission Of Courses Over Terrorism In Nsa Designated Institutions, Ida L. Oesteraas

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The National Security Agency (NSA) awards Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals who will work in careers that reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure. A review of the curricula in the 327 institutions and their degree programs reveal that only two programs offer a required course about terrorism. Given the fluid nature of terrorism and its threat to national infrastructure, the omission is concerning. It is recommended that NSA-certified cybersecurity programs begin implementing educational content that aim to teach about this emerging crime and justice issue. One suggestion is to embrace the …

Malfe—Malware Feature Engineering Generation Platform, Avinash Singh, Richard Adeyemi Ikuesan, Hein Venter

All Works

The growing sophistication of malware has resulted in diverse challenges, especially among security researchers who are expected to develop mechanisms to thwart these malicious attacks. While security researchers have turned to machine learning to combat this surge in malware attacks and enhance detection and prevention methods, they often encounter limitations when it comes to sourcing malware binaries. This limitation places the burden on malware researchers to create context-specific datasets and detection mechanisms, a time-consuming and intricate process that involves a series of experiments. The lack of accessible analysis reports and a centralized platform for sharing and verifying findings has resulted …

Faster, Cheaper, And Better Cfd: A Case For Machine Learning To Augment Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes, John Peter Romano Ii

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, the field of machine learning (ML) has made significant advances, particularly through applying deep learning (DL) algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI). The literature shows several ways that ML may enhance the power of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to improve its solution accuracy, reduce the needed computational resources and reduce overall simulation cost. ML techniques have also expanded the understanding of underlying flow physics and improved data capture from experimental fluid dynamics.

This dissertation presents an in-depth literature review and discusses ways the field of fluid dynamics has leveraged ML modeling to date. The author selects and describes …

Deep-Learning-Based Classification Of Digitally Modulated Signals, John A. Snoap

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents several novel deep-learning (DL)-based approaches for classifying digitally modulated signals, one method of which involves the use of capsule networks (CAPs) together with cyclic cumulant (CC) features of the signals. These were blindly estimated using cyclostationary signal processing (CSP) and were then input into the CAP for training and classification. The classification performance and the generalization abilities of the proposed approach were tested using two distinct datasets that contained the same types of digitally modulated signals but had distinct generation parameters. The results showed that the classification of digitally modulated signals using CAPs and CCs proposed in …

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 …

Research On Support Effectiveness Evaluation Method Of Equipment Systems Based On Pert And Abms, Shanzhi Ma, Hongliang Wang, Hua He, Weicheng Lun

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The support of an equipment system directly affects its combat effectiveness, and the support effectiveness evaluation of equipment systems has the characteristics of large scope, multiple levels, complete elements, and long process. According to the systematic combat requirements of aircraft equipment, the difficulties in evaluating the support effectiveness of aircraft equipment systems are analyzed. The PERT-based modeling method of airfield support is proposed, and the PERT-based process model of equipment system support activity is established according to the modeling requirements and sequential characteristics of aircraft equipment support tasks. The operational model framework of combinable equipment systems based on ABMS …

Mechanisms To Reduce Cyber Threats And Risks, Saad Alsuwaileh

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

Addressing the mechanisms of reducing cyber threats and risks Research Because cyberspace is an important arena for various international interactions, especially in recent times in light of the increase in cyber-attacks between some countries, which affects their national security. In this context, many countries are trying to make an effort to develop their capabilities to be used in any cyber-attack, or to take adequate preventive measures to protect them from any possible cyberattacks, especially in light of the impact of these attacks on vital places and institutions such as banks and ministries or on important facilities such as water and …

Sociocultural Barriers For Female Participation In Stem: A Case Of Saudi Women In Cybersecurity, Alanoud Aljuaid, Xiang Michelle Liu

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforces is overwhelmingly low as compared to their male counterparts. The low uptake of cybersecurity careers has been documented in the previous studies conducted in the contexts of the West and Eastern worlds. However, most of the past studies mainly covered the Western world leaving more knowledge gaps in the context of Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia. Thus, to fill the existing knowledge gaps, the current study focused on women in Saudi Arabia. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors behind the underrepresentation of …

Flying By Ml Or Cnn Inversion Of Affine Transforms, Lloyd Van Warren

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes how to automate the reading of dials, gauges, and instruments using machine learning (ML) methods. This process can be described as analog to digital conversion through an air gap without any direct electronic connection. The goal is to convert the values of existing instruments into digital values for control and monitoring without requiring any intrusion, changes, or upgrades to the instruments being observed. Images of instrument faces can be distorted by various kinds of noise, but this can be overcome using a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) approach similar to handwriting recognition. One advantage of this …

An Investigation Into Machine Learning Techniques For Designing Dynamic Difficulty Agents In Real-Time Games, Ryan Adare Dunagan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video games are an incredibly popular pastime enjoyed by people of all ages world wide. Many different kinds of games exist, but most games feature some elements of the player overcoming some challenge, usually through gameplay. These challenges are insurmountable for some people and may turn them off to video games as a pastime. Games can be made more accessible to players of little skill and/or experience through the use of Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) systems that adjust the difficulty of the game in response to the player’s performance. This research seeks to establish the effectiveness of machine learning techniques …

A System Dynamics Approach To Evaluate Advanced Persistent Threat Vectors, Mathew Nicho, Christopher D. Mcdermott, Hussein Fakhry, Shini Girija

All Works

Cyber-attacks targeting high-profile entities are focused, persistent, and employ common vectors with varying levels of sophistication to exploit social-technical vulnerabilities. Advanced persistent threats (APTs) deploy zero-day malware against such targets to gain entry through multiple security layers, exploiting the dynamic interplay of vulnerabilities in the target network. System dynamics (SD) offers an alternative approach to analyze non-linear, complex, and dynamic social-technical systems. This research applied SD to three high-profile APT attacks - Equifax, Carphone, and Zomato - to identify and simulate socio-technical variables leading to breaches. By modeling APTs using SD, managers can evaluate threats, predict attacks, and reduce damage …

Hacker, Influencer, Counter-Culture Spy: Cyberspace Actors’ Models Of Misinformation And Counter-Operations, Benjamin Kessell

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

As misinformation continues to spread on social media, its residents have begun to fight back, independent of any platform. This organic resistance to the diffusion of misinformation is a clearly observable phenomenon with roots in Anonymous’ distributed campaigns from the 2010s outwards. Hacker and information security communities are acting in defense of some of their favorite spaces, most notably, Twitter. Security researchers of all stripes use it for sharing indicators of compromise but, as the diffusion of misinformation becomes more problematic it becomes more difficult to find signals in the noise.

These actors’ response to the issues at hand is …

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.

Iot Health Devices: Exploring Security Risks In The Connected Landscape, Abasi-Amefon Obot Affia, Hilary Finch, Woosub Jung, Issah Abubakari Samori, Lucas Potter, Xavier-Lewis Palmer

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) spans decades, and the same can be said for its inclusion in healthcare. The IoT is an attractive target in medicine; it offers considerable potential in expanding care. However, the application of the IoT in healthcare is fraught with an array of challenges, and also, through it, numerous vulnerabilities that translate to wider attack surfaces and deeper degrees of damage possible to both consumers and their confidence within health systems, as a result of patient-specific data being available to access. Further, when IoT health devices (IoTHDs) are developed, a diverse range of …

Open Source Intelligence For Cybersecurity Events Via Twitter Data, Dakota Dale

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is largely regarded as a necessary component for cybersecurity intelligence gathering to secure network systems. With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and increasing usage of social media, like Twitter, we have a unique opportunity to obtain and aggregate information from social media. In this study, we propose an AI-based scheme capable of automatically pulling information from Twitter, filtering out security-irrelevant tweets, performing natural language analysis to correlate the tweets about each cybersecurity event (e.g., a malware campaign), and validating the information. This scheme has many applications, such as providing a means for security operators to gain …

The Effect Of Cybersecurity Training On Government Employee’S Knowledge Of Cybersecurity Issues And Practices, Juan Jaime Saldana Ii

Theses and Dissertations

There is an ever-pressing need for cybersecurity awareness and implementation of learning strategies in the workplace to mitigate the increased threat posed by cyber-attacks and exacerbated by an untrained workforce. The lack of cybersecurity knowledge amongst government employees has increased to critical levels due to the amount of sensitive information their agencies are responsible for. The digital compromise of a government entity often leads to a compromise of constituent data along with the disruption of public services (Axelrod, 2019; Yazdanpanahi, 2021). The need for awareness is further complicated by agencies looking to cater to a digital culture looking for a …

Anomaly Detection Using Graph Neural Network, Bishal Lakha

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Detecting malicious behavior is becoming increasingly crucial as the internet becomes more prevalent. This problem can be formulated as an anomaly detection task on provenance data, where attacks are detectable as anomalies in the behavior of the system. The availability of system-level data in comparison to network data is quite limited and so is the research carried out on system-level logs. However, monitoring the operating system's processes during program execution and identifying anomalous behavior in system calls can be beneficial since it can provide broad coverage and generality, as a variety of malicious applications could be identified. Furthermore, logs like …

Cyber Security In Cyber Space, James D. Lee Jr.

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

For almost twenty years, the Internet has been a driving force in global communication and an integral part of people's everyday lives. As a result of technical developments and declining prices, over 3 billion people worldwide now utilize the Internet. The Internet has created a global infrastructure, and it is worth billions of dollars annually to the global economy (Judge et al.). Today's economic, commercial, cultural, social, and governmental activities and exchanges occur in Cyberspace, involving individuals, enterprises, non-profit organizations, and government and governmental agencies (Aghajani and Ghadimi 220). Cyberspace is the birthplace of much of the world's most essential …