Computer Engineering Commons^™

Using Blockchain Technology To Help Secure America's Defense Critical Infrastructure, Vimal Buck, Aerin Krebs, Brynn Hillard, Jakob Gerha, Joseph Lutma, Srikar Maduposu, Ted Allen

Military Cyber Affairs

Critical water infrastructure in the United States faces increasing cybersecurity threats from state-sponsored actors, with potentially devastating consequences for national security, economic stability, and public health. (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, 2025). This infrastructure supports defense critical assets and is actively being targeted by various state-sponsored hacking groups, which poses a major concern for civilians and military alike. K. Herath (personal communication, February 24, 2025) reported being aware of two attacks on Ohio water systems during his tenure as Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Water is essential to everyday life and defense and presents as a high-value …

Network And Multipath Traceroute Visualization, Cameron Makowski

Military Cyber Affairs

TraceCam introduces a new paradigm in network path analysis, leveraging GPU-accelerated WebGL visualization, advanced traceroute integrations, and AI-driven insights to transform complex routing data into actionable intelligence. Early prototypes have demonstrated significant improvements in performance, clarity, and multi-path discovery, overcoming traditional limitations in traceroute analysis. By incorporating retrieval-augmented language models and enriched metadata sources like IPinfo.io, TraceCam enables automated anomaly detection, contextual explanations, and rapid root-cause analysis, enhancing operational efficiency. The platform’s architecture ensures scalability and adaptability, supporting deeper investigations and real-time situational awareness. Future development will focus on clustering-based anomaly detection, expanded geographic visualizations, and enhanced AI-generated analysis to …

Quantifying Adversary Military Forces’ Susceptibility To Cognitive Attacks, Bonnie Rushing, Cole Nelson, Shouhuai Xu, Christofer “Raven” O’Keefe, Olga Karpoyan

Military Cyber Affairs

This paper introduces a method to quantify international populations’ susceptibility to cyber cognitive attacks using press freedom and media trust metrics. We present the Cognitive Influence Calculator, a tool that estimates susceptibility (𝑆) based on Press Freedom Scores (PFS) and media trust levels. Findings show that while authoritarian regimes are harder to reach, successful cognitive attacks have greater impacts due to higher trust in state-controlled narratives. Using U.S. wargaming data and international trust metrics, we compute susceptibility scores for the U.S., Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Results show an inverse relationship between PFS and media susceptibility, with local/allied …

Forward, Amy Hamilton

Military Cyber Affairs

No abstract provided.

Understanding Russia’S Cyber Policies, Strategies, And Doctrines, Bryan Hancock, Hanh Nguyen, Olga Karpoyan, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

This study analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Russia’s cyber policies, strategies, and doctrines through a systematic set of attributes, leading to key insights: (i) Russia has proactively adapted its cyber policies, strategies, and doctrines to its evolving environment; (ii) Russia actively conducts cognitive warfare, but remains equally vulnerable to it; and (iii) Russia’s cyber posture faces significant challenges, including a limited technological base, shortage of skilled personnel, and restrictive approach to information control, all of which undermine the effectiveness of its strategies. These insights offer valuable implications for US Cyber Command and the Department of Defense.

Characterizing Cyberattacks Against Operational Technology Infrastructures Through The Lens Of Attack Flows, Sherman Kettner, Caleb Chang, Ekzhin Ear, Shouhuai Xu

Military Cyber Affairs

Operational Technology (OT) infrastructures play a critical role in modern society and economy. However, their increasing connectivity with public networks such as the Internet has made them vulnerable to cyberattacks, much like traditional Information Technology (IT) systems. In particular, cyberattacks against OT infrastructures remain relatively underexplored and little understood. In this paper, we aim to deepen our understanding of cyberattacks against OT infrastructures. For this purpose, we propose a methodology, including novel cybersecurity metrics to analyze the attack flows of these attacks in an end-to-end fashion, which allows us to draw useful insights. We demonstrate the utility of the methodology …

Tweaking Ml-Kem (Kyber) And Ml-Dsa (Dilithium), Kumar Rahul

Master’s Dissertations

Lattice-based cryptography is the use of conjectured hard problems on point lattices in Rn as the foundation for secure cryptographic systems. Attractive features of lattice cryptography include apparent resistance to quantum attacks (in contrast with most number-theoretic cryptography), high asymptotic efficiency and parallelism, security under worst-case intractability assumptions, and solutions to long-standing open problems in cryptography. This work surveys the structure, security, and optimization potential of two leading lattice-based cryptographic schemes: ML-KEM (Kyber) and ML-DSA (Dilithium). Special attention is given to their applicability in government-oriented post-quantum cryptographic systems, focusing on performance, implementation considerations, and resilience against known quantum threats. In …

Limb Light - Interactive Lighting Control, Joseph Pandit, Matthew Tran

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

The progression of stage lighting in the modern age has significantly influenced the immersive experience of the audience. Through events like Daft Punk’s 2006 Cochella performance, lighting has become more pivotal to performances in every genre. However, interactive, customized lighting remains inaccessible to small and mediumscale performers. The cost of hiring a lighting director or pre-programing each song is simply too much. Current cost effective solutions, like sound-activated effects, lack in both quality and real-time emotional responsiveness.

This thesis presents an interactive lighting control system designed to bridge this gap and create a novel creative tool. Our approach integrates MIDI-triggered …

Harnessing Generative Ai And Large Language Models For Revolutionizing Cybersecurity In The Internet Of Things: Ethical And Privacy Implications, Harsha Sammangi, Aditya Jagatha, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) have in- troduced transformative capabilities in cybersecurity, particularly in securing Internet of Things (IoT) environments. These technologies can synthesize vast datasets, support real-time anomaly detection, and generate predictive insights through simple prompts. However, their deployment also presents ethical and privacy-related concerns, including algorithmic bias, data leakage, and misuse for malicious content creation. This paper conducts a systematic literature review to evaluate how LLMs and generative AI contribute to IoT cybersecurity. We propose an ethical AI-IoT security framework, examine key challenges, and offer recommendations for integrating responsible AI governance. We aim to …

Cst110.1 Analysing Everyday Interfaces Example 2, Sae University College

Exemplars

A Case Study on usability analysis of the Apple iOS fitness app.

Cst110.1 Analysing Everyday Interfaces Example 1, Sae University College

Exemplars

A Case Study on MyTime Interface analysing the usability of it.

Context-Switch Attacks: Understanding And Mitigating The Threat To Llm Applications, Sydney Holder, Bivin Sadler

SMU Data Science Review

Large Language Models (LLMs) are transforming conversational AI, yet their dependence on prompt-supplied context exposes them to context-switch attacks that covertly steer dialogue toward sensitive or malicious ends. A 70 one-sided conversation transcript evaluation set was constructed spanning various fraudulent scenarios. Each transcript embeds adversarial patterns drawn while preserving natural conversational flow. We introduce a hybrid defense that pairs a BERT-based semantic-drift detector (cosine-similarity threshold = 0.70) with a curated keyword and hack-phrase scanner to counter these threats. In aggregate, the system delivered 100 % recall, intercepting every simulated phishing or data-harvesting attempt. The keyword layer achieved perfect precision, generating …

Emt Vision, Logan Calder, Grant Johnson, John Alvarado, Jack Landers

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Augmented Reality (AR) has demonstrated considerable promise for future mobile technologies, offering the ability to overlay crucial information within a user’s vision while they can still maintain awareness of the surrounding environment. Similarly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an increasingly influential technology with significant potential to revolutionize the medical field. Its ability to rapidly learn and adapt to specific tasks makes it particularly promising for supporting paramedics during emergency calls. AI can efficiently analyze real-time data and present it in a concise, actionable format, enhancing decision making in critical situations.

Given the potential of these technologies, we have developed a smart …

Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (Hrl) In Multi-Goal Spatial Navigation With Autonomous Mobile Robots, Brendon Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) is hypothesized to be able to take advantage of the inherent hierarchy in robot learning tasks with sparse reward schemes, in contrast to more traditional reinforcement learning algorithms. In this research, hierarchical reinforcement learning is evaluated and contrasted with standard reinforcement learning in complex navigation tasks. We evaluate unique characteristics of HRL, including their ability to create sub-goals and the termination function. We constructed experiments to test the differences between PPO and HRL, different ways of creating sub-goals, manual vs automatic sub-goal creation, and the effects of the frequency of termination on performance. These experiments highlight …

Finite-Time Robust Anti-Disturbance Control For Steer-By-Wire System, Jingyi Zhang, Xin Chen, Jingang Ding, Jianguo Luo, Shuo Feng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To eliminate the influence of parameter perturbations and external disturbances on the wheel angle tracking control performance of steer-by-wire (SbW) system, a fractional-order integral terminal sliding mode control scheme based on a finite-time disturbance observer is proposed. A sliding modebased second order finite-time disturbance observer (FDO) is designed to precisely estimate the total disturbance of the SbW system, and the estimated total disturbance is compensated into the system control input to reduce the wheel angle tracking error. A fractional-order fast integral terminal sliding mode control (FOFITSMC) scheme is designed to ensure fast convergence of the wheel angle tracking error …

Research On Obstacle Avoidance Of Substation Robot Based On Spatiotemporal Networks, Chong Cheng, Lixia Wang, Songtao Duan, Xiaoguang Xiong, Xianjun Ge

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to improve the visual obstacle avoidance ability of substation robots in complex environments, a robot visual obstacle avoidance method based on spatiotemporal networks is proposed. The method utilizes traditional image processing techniques to enhance road information and designs a lightweight deep convolutional neural network structure to extract road features from a spatial domain perspective; based on the spatial characteristics of the road, a long short-term memory network is introduced to mine the changes in the road from a temporal perspective, and a classification regression prediction structure is used to predict the robot's obstacle avoidance direction and angle; …

Research On Scenario-Driven Virtual Simulation Test Method For Autonomous Escort Function Of Habor Tugs, Shijie Li, Jialin Li, Jialun Liu, Chengqi Xu, Zhilin Dong

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to comprehensively construct the test scenarios and verify the reliability of the tugboat autonomous companionway function, a scenario-driven virtual simulation test method for the tugboat autonomous companionway function is proposed. Based on the relative heading, relative speed and relative position of the target ship and the tugboat, the test cases of the tugboat autonomous companionway scenario are generated, and the complexity of the test cases is evaluated by using the fifthorder Bessel curve. The autonomous companion navigation function of the tug is verified through simulation experiments on the complex typical test scenarios without and with obstacles. The …

Self-Supervised Defect Detection Via Discriminative Enhancement-Based Distillation Learning, Zhiyuan Feng, Ying Chen

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issues of scarce and unknown types of abnormal defect data and the lack of diversity in anomaly representation in conventional knowledge distillation defect detection methods, a self-supervised distillation learning method based on discriminative enhancement is proposed. An attention-based multi-scale feature fusion module is proposed, which enhances the capability of anomaly representation by amplifying the multi-scale feature differences between the student network and the teacher network. A discriminative network composed of a feature reweighting module and a decoder is designed to generate more accurate anomaly score maps by further emphasizing the anomaly features in the teacher network, …

Research On Robot Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance Method Based On Improved A* And Dynamic Window Algorithm, Yan Zhang, Binghua Li, Tao Huo, Rong Liu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problems that the traditional A* algorithm has too many extension nodes and path turning points, and can't deal with dynamic obstacles in complex environment, a robot obstacle avoidance method combining improved A* algorithm and DWA algorithm is proposed. The A* algorithm improves the neighborhood expansion method and effectively avoids the problem of redundant nodes in the classical four-neighborhood expansion and the path through the obstacle in the eight-neighborhood expansion. A quadrant selection method is proposed, which can effectively reduce the number of extended nodes in the path search process. The redundant point elimination strategy is proposed …

Modeling And Simulation Of Hybrid Traffic Flow Considering The Inherent Dynamics Of Cacc Vehicular Platoons, Xiujian Yang, Jingjing Huang, Xi Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To investigate the characteristics of single-lane mixed traffic flow with the presence of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) vehicle platoons, a modeling approach based on cellular automata is proposed. This method distinguishes between the car-following strategies of human-driven vehicles and CACC vehicles, incorporating dynamic inter-vehicle spacing within the platoon and actual control behaviors to construct a mixed traffic flow model with inherent dynamic properties. The model enables an in-depth analysis of the influence of platoon features, such as geometric formation, carfollowing control strategies, and platoon size, on the characteristics of mixed traffic flow. It also allows us to study …

Automatic Multi-Objective Optimization Based On Dynamic Storage Location Allocation Strategy, Juan Chen, Wang Zheng, Qianqian Liu, Bin Lu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Based on the dynamic storage allocation strategy, the two-stage optimization model is constructed with the whole warehouse as the main optimization body, in order to meet the safety and rationality of the storage allocation goals, and to meet the dispatching goals of the shortest operation time and the lowest energy consumption of each stacke. The upper and lower levels of the model are typical multi-objective optimization problems, and the ideal solution of the upper level model will be the initial condition of the lower level model. The multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to solve the ideal solution of the …

Soft Sensor Modeling Based On Adaptive Sparse Broad Learning System⋅, Kangping Du, Lin Sui, Weili Xiong

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the challenges posed by nonlinearity and the coupling of multiple features in complex industrial processes, resulting in increased model complexity and decreased performance, a soft sensor modeling method based on adaptive sparse broad learning system is proposed. Building upon the lateral enhancement transmission of features, the trace least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) is further used to optimize the feature weights of the network, adaptively adjusting the penalty intensity based on the correlation between different variables to enhance the feature extraction capabilities of the model. The Dropout mechanism is introduced in the enhanced part, and the …

Enhanced Artificial Gorilla Algorithm For Mobile Robot Path Planning, Chen Ye, Peng Shao, Shaoping Zhang, Wenting Li, Tengming Zhou

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issues of susceptibility to local optima and slow convergence in mobile robot path planning within complex terrain scenarios, an enhanced artificial gorilla troops optimizer with integration of quadratic interpolation and elite individual genetic strategies (QGGTO) is proposed. The algorithm integrates quadratic interpolation and elite individual genetic strategies to promote information exchange among candidate solutions, thereby accelerating convergence, while maintaining population diversity to avoid local optima. For complex terrains containing both regular and irregular obstacles, a cost function that comprehensively considers walking distance, safety, and turning angles is constructed to uniformly evaluate the path planning performance of …

Multi-Model Based Iterative Method For System-Of-Systems Architecture Design, Xuemeng Zhao, Tianzhu Ren, Zhemei Fang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to solve the problems of difficulties in expressing dynamic characteristics and lack of decision analysis support in developing models of the department of defense architecture framework (DoDAF), an integrated iterative method for combat SoS architecture design is proposed. The DoDAF architecture model integrates and expresses combat-related information from multiple perspectives; the ExtendSim executable model simulates the emergence behavior and dynamic characteristics of combat SoS architecture in multiple scenarios; and the decision model quantitatively analyzes and selects architecture schemes by multi-objective decision rules. Ultimately, a SoS architecture integrated iterative design method of "view-simulate-decide-iterate" is formed. The design process …

A Drl⁃Based Approach For Distributed Equipment Nodes Selection, Ziyi Wang, Kai Zhang, Dianwei Qian, Yuzhen Liu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problem of insufficient solution speed and poor generalization of traditional algorithms in large-scale scenarios, this paper intelligently solves the large-scale distributed equipment system preference problem based on deep reinforcement learning. According to the characteristics of distributed equipment system combat, using the complex network to its graph form modeling, and based on the attention mechanism to the equipment between the connecting edge relationship for the characterization, in order to build a distributed equipment system digital simulation environment. Simulation results show that compared with the genetic evolutionary algorithm, the obtained model has obvious advantages in terms of solution …

Simulation Study On Adaptive Signal Control Of Deformed Intersection Based On Lstm-Gnn, Kun Chen, Liang Chen, Jiming Xie, Fengbo Liu, Taixiong Chen, Lukuan Wei

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the traffic congestion at deformed intersections, an improved adaptive traffic signal control scheme based on deep learning is designed, the scheme integrates the adaptive signal control of LSTM and GNN at deformed intersections. LSTM is used to capture the dependence between time series traffic data, while GNN is used to construct a spatial interaction model between lanes. By integrating the information of time and space dimensions, the model can dynamically adjust the phase duration of signal lights according to real-time traffic conditions. The results indicate that the LSTM-GNN adaptive control scheme improves overall traffic throughput efficiency by …

Modeling And Simulation Of Dual-Podded-Propulsion Ship Motions, Bing Han, Yunhe Lin, Yuhang Chen, Zhouhua Peng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the autonomous navigation control requirements of the Dalian Maritime University's dual-purpose intelligent research and training ship "Xin Hong Zhuan," the design of the motion model for this dual-podded-propulsion ship is carried out. Utilizing an MMG model structure, it calculates the hull's hydrodynamic viscous forces, single/dual-propeller thrust, and hydrodynamic forces acting on the podded propulsion units. Based on data from sea trials and open-water propeller tests, straight-navigation resistance is derived via data fitting, while a method using simulated turning circle tests and PSO algorithms is proposed to determine some hydrodynamic coefficients, refining existing empirical formulas. The model's maneuvering …

Simulation Study On Optimizing Microgrid Scheduling With Electric Vehicle Participation Under V2g Mode, Zhongan Yu, Hongliang Xiao, Qiangwei Xia, Jiawei Liu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the negative impact of source-load uncertainty on the stable operation of the grid, a two-stage optimization scheduling strategy for the microgrid participation of electric vehicles based on the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) mode is proposed. In the first stage, the charging and discharging costs of electric vehicles as well as the load fluctuation target are determined taking into account the battery losses. Through a zero-sum game, we objectively weigh the interests of both vehicle owners and the microgrid, utilizing the mobile energy storage characteristics of electric vehicles to optimize the load curve and integrate renewable energy; in the second …

Construction Method Of Digital Twin System For High-Low Temperature Test Chamber, Qinghua Chen, Zuoyou Liang, Weijuan Guan, Jiadong Ji, Ping Liu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In view of the construction requirements of the digital twin system of the high-low temperature test chamber, the EMQX server with MQTT as the communication protocol is used for data transmission. Driven by real-time data, real-time dynamic interactive mapping between the physical entity and the virtual model is realized. The neural network model and genetic algorithm are used to evaluate and predict the running state of the equipment and provide the system adjustment strategy, so as to realize the whole climate, life and working condition of the staff to understand the running state of the equipment, and effectively ensure …

Cooperative Guidance For Multigroup Flight Vehicles Against Multiple Targets With Separated Impact Time, Guofei Li, Shituo Li, Yilun Huangfu, Yueyang Hua, Yunjie Wu, Zongyu Zuo

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To cope with cooperative guidance against multiple targets, a distributed cooperative guidance for multigroup flight vehicles to strike multiple targets with separated impact time is proposed. The collaborative variables for multigroup flight vehicles with separated impact time are given, and the guidance law in the line of sight (LOS) is proposed. The guidance laws on the normal and lateral directions of the LOS are proposed to make the LOS deflection angle rate and LOS the inclination angle rate converge rapidly, which ensures that each vehicle is able to strike the target. The finite-time convergence of the proposed guidance laws …