Computer Sciences Commons^™

Non-Repudiation In Pure Mobile Ad Hoc Network, Yi-Chi Lin, Jill Slay

Research outputs pre 2011

Within the last decade, the use of wireless technologies has become more prevalent. Wireless networks have flexible architectures with data transferred via radio waves and can be divided into two categories; infrastructure-based wireless networks and mobile ad hoc network.

The mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is an autonomous system which can be dynamically built without pre-existing infrastructure or a trusted third party (TTP). Due to these infrastructure-less and self-organized characteristics, MANET encounters different problems from infrastructure-based wired network, such as key management, power shortage, and security issues. This paper will further divide MANETs into pure ad hoc networks which do …

Benchmarking E-Business Security: A Model And Framework, Graeme Pye, Matthew J. Warren

Research outputs pre 2011

The dynamic nature of threats and vulnerabilities within the E-business environment can impede online functionality, compromise organisational or customer information, contravene security implementations and thereby undermine online customer confidence. To negate these problems, E-business security has to become proactive, by reviewing and continuously improving security to strengthen E-business security measures and policies. This can be achieved through benchmarking the security measures and policies utilised within the E-business, against recognised information technology (IT) and information security (IS) security standards.

An Investigation Into The Paradox Of Organisational Flexibility Versus Security: A Research Project, Rosanna Fanciulli

Research outputs pre 2011

The trend towards utilising geographically and temporally dispersed personnel has grown quickly over the past decade; enabled by swift advances in computing, telecommunications, and networking technologies. The impact of these developments on corporate strategies and forms has manifested itself in a move to de-legitimise the rigid structure of a traditional bureaucracy and move towards one that is more flexible. These new technologies and organisational structures, however, also bring with them Information Security threats and risks. It is critical that managers become informed and equipped to deal with these issues. This paper presents an ongoing study designed to determine the major …

Architecture For Self-Estimation Of Security Level In Ad Hoc Network Nodes, Reijo Savola

Research outputs pre 2011

Inherent freedom due to a lack of central authority of self-organised mobile ad hoc networks introduces challenges to security and trust management. In these kinds of scenarios, the nodes themselves are naturally responsible for their own security – or they could trust certain known nodes, called “micro-operators”. We propose an architecture for security management in self-organising mobile ad hoc networks that is based on the nodes’ own responsibility and node-level security monitoring. The aim is to predict, as well as to monitor the security level concentrating on the principal effects contributing to it.

My Problem Or Our Problem? Exploring The Use Of Information Sharing As A Component Of A Holistic Approach To E-Security In Response To The Growth Of ‘Malicious Targeted Attacks’, Aaron Olding, Paul Turner

Research outputs pre 2011

There is now a growing recognition amongst e-security specialists that the e-security environment faced by organisations is changing rapidly. This environment now sees a situation where maliciously targeted attacks are conducted by ‘guns for hire’ (hackers) and/or criminal organisations (Illett 2005; Keiser 2005). As a consequence, conventional organisational approaches to e-security are becoming increasingly problematic and inadequate. There is a need to raise awareness of these issues amongst organisations and to contribute to the generation of effective integrated solutions that address this emerging e-security environment without sacrificing user privacy and/or breaching user trust. This paper considers the potential role of …

Detecting Rogue Access Points That Endanger The Maginot Line Of Wireless Authentication, Zhiqi Tao, A. B. Ruighaver

Research outputs pre 2011

The rapid growth in deployment of wireless networks in recent years may be an indication that many organizations believe that their system will be adequately secured by the implementation of enhanced encryption and authentication. However, in our view, the emphasis on cryptographic solutions in wireless security is repeating the history of the “Maginot Line”. Potential attackers of wireless networks currently will find many ways to get access to wireless networks to compromise the confidentiality of information without the need to crack the encryption. In this paper we analyze how rogue access points threaten the security of an organization’s wireless network …

End User Preference Of Customisable Features Within A Course Management System, Diana Taylor

Theses : Honours

Customisation is the means by which people alter and change various elements of their environment with the purpose of making it more suited to their immediate needs. This aids in creating a more personalised experience. People are extremely diverse in terms of age, gender, nationality, and with the dominant presence of technology people also have various levels of computer skills and experience. In the context of computer environments, customisation provides the ability to cater for a diverse user group, providing tools and options that assist with specific tasks, improve accessibility and achieve greater user satisfaction. Carter, MacLean, Lovstard & Moran …

Towards Persistent Resource Identification With The Uniform Resource Name, Luke Brown

Theses : Honours

The exponential growth of the Internet, and the subsequent reliance on the resources it connects, has exposed a clear need for an Internet identifier which remains accessible over time. Such identifiers have been dubbed persistent identifiers owing to the promise of reliability they imply. Persistent naming systems exist at present, however it is the resolution of these systems into what Kunze, (2003) calls "persistent actionable identifiers" which is the focus of this work. Actionable identifiers can be thought of as identifiers which are accessible in a simple fashion such as through a web browser or through a specific application. This …

Using Process Modelling To Capture Requirements For A Digital Library, Michael Johnstone

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper describes the results of an action research study which explored how IT professionals used process modelling to capture requirements and design artefacts concerning a digital library system. The intention was to produce a web-based, non-relational (XML) database system to store publications of various types and to allow public domain access to the system. Traditionally, such systems are constructed with a data-oriented design, with little attention being paid to process concerns. In this study, process, described by business rules, was defined first which provides advantages as many business systems (including library systems) are often process-oriented. The team involved in …

An Ant Colony Optimization Approach To Test Sequence Generation For State-Based Software Testing, Huaizhong Li, Chiou Peng Lam

Research outputs pre 2011

Properly generated test suites may not only locate the defects in software systems, but also help in reducing the high cost associated with software testing, ft is often desired that test sequences in a test suite can be automatically generated to achieve required test coverage. However, automatic test sequence generation remains a major problem in software testing. This paper proposes an ant colony optimization approach to automatic test sequence generation for state-based software testing. The proposed approach can directly use UML artifacts to automatically generate test sequences to achieve required test coverage.

Using Adaptive Agents To Automatically Generate Test Scenarios From The Uml Activity Diagrams, Dong Xu, Huaizhong Li, Chiou Peng Lam

Research outputs pre 2011

Test case generation is one of the most important issues in software testing research and industrial practice. Test scenarios are frequently used to derive test cases for scenario-based software testing. However, the generation of the test scenarios is usually a manual and labor-intensive task. It is desired that test scenarios can be automatically generated. In this paper, we propose an automated approach using adaptive agents to directly generate test scenarios from the UML activity diagrams.

Seeking Information Superiority: Strategies For Business In The Commercial Application Of Information Operations, Martin Dart

Research outputs pre 2011

Information superiority is a condition that many businesses attempt to attain without truly understanding what it is, or how to get there. This paper presents an overview to help businesspeople recognize the road to information superiority, and some of the essential strategies to implement along the way. Information operations is a concept described to enable information superiority, when used with a network form of organization (as opposed to simply being networked). This paper describes information operations across their fundamental structure of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); and suggests a separation between industrial espionage and legitimate business information gathering. A model …

Storybook: Extending A Personalised Interactive Learning Environment To Children With Severe Learning Disabilities, Michael Collins, Sundrakanthi Singh

Research outputs pre 2011

Not all recipients of eLearning map well for measurement by such as the Kirkpatrick model, especially young students with severe learning disabilities. StoryBook is a tool specifically designed to aid teachers to create and include a simple, enjoyable, tailored interactive computer-based audio/visual learning environment as part of a custom curriculum for such students. In it, stories are currently gathered into libraries suitable for unique individuals or more common content, on a local, classroom basis. We describe prototype software for eLearning for such students, already trialled in a special educational unit in Perth, Western Australia. We then outline plans for a …

Issues Relating To The Forensic Analysis Of Pda And Telephony (Pdat) Enabled Devices, Craig Valli

Research outputs pre 2011

An emergent technology is the PDAT (Personal Digital Assistant & Telecommunicator) a hybrid of a mobile phone and coupled with a PDA's computing and storage abilities. Potentially every mobile phone is now an alternate or possibly primary computing and data repository for individuals. This paper explores current issues relating to its merger with mobile phone technology.

Multinomial Representation Of Majority Logic Coding, John B. Moore, Keng T. Tan

Research outputs pre 2011

Multinomial representations are derived for majority logic operations on bipolar binary data. The coefficients are given simply in terms of the readily computed lower Cholesky factor of Pascal matrices of order n for codes of block length n

A Uk And Australian Study Of Hard Disk Disposal, Craig Valli, Andrew Jones

Research outputs pre 2011

Recent studies in Australia and the United Kingdom indicate that a broad cross-section of organisations are failing to adequately protect or erase confidential data stored on hard disk drives before subsequent disposal. Over 90% of hard disks that were examined as a result of the two Independent studies were in an easily recoverable state with some drives simply requiring a boot. This paper will give an overview and comparison of the two studies conducted. Then an examination of possible factors responsible for the inadequate erasure of hard disk devices will be undertaken. Furthermore, possible future research directions will also be …

Integrating Open Source Protections Into Scada Networks, Craig Valli

Research outputs pre 2011

SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) networks control much of the industrialised nations production and supply complexes. Various government reports and investigations have highlighted the vulnerability of these systems. Many of these systems are on private networks which are increasingly being connected to systems that are accessible from other networks such as the Internet. There are a range of open source tools that now offer fonctionality that can be used to secure SCADA networks from intrusion or compromise. This paper explores some of the issues with current SCADA deployment trends from a network security perspective and then examines open source …

An Investigation Into The Efficiency Of Forensic Erasure Tools For Hard Disk Mechanisms, Craig Valli, Paul Patak

Research outputs pre 2011

One of the common anecdotal complaints used when defending the insecure erasure of hard disks is the length of time taken to affect a secure erasure. This paper discusses results of experiments conducted with Unix/Linux based hard disk wiping software when run on various machines and hard disk mechanisms in terms of size, speed and interface. The initial research has uncovered a range of issues and factors that affect the speed of erasure of hard disk mechanisms. Some of these factors included memory configuration and CPU but not in ways that were expected. This paper includes results from contemporary ATA …

After Conversation - A Forensic Icq Logfile Extraction Tool, Kim Morfitt, Craig Valli

Research outputs pre 2011

Instant messenger programs such as ICQ are often used by hackers and criminals for illicit purposes and consequently the logfiles from such programs are of forensic interest. This paper outlines research in progress that has resulted in the development of a tool for the extraction of ICQ logfile entries. Detailed reconstruction of data from logfiles was achieved with a number of different ICQ software, with other programs still to be tested. There are several limitations including timestamp information not adjusted for the time zone, data could be altered, and conversations must be manually reconstructed. Future research will aim to address …

Honeypot Technologies And Their Applicability As An Internal Countermeasure, Craig Valli

Research outputs pre 2011

Honeypots or honeynets are a technology that is rapidly maturing and establishing this archetype of countermeasure as viable and useful in modern network defence. Honeypot technology is now at a point of development where near real-time monitoring and forensic analysis of security events can occur. This paper explores the hurdles to be overcome for the internal deployment of honeypot technologies.

An Investigation Into Long Range Detection Of Passive Uhf Rfid Tags, Craig Valli, Andrew Woodward, Ken Wild, Reino Karvinen

Research outputs pre 2011

Radio frequency identification tags (RFID) have been in use for a number of years, in a variety of applications. They are a small computer chip like device that can range in size from a thumbnail to a credit card size device. They consist of a small silicon chip, and an antenna used to receive and transmit data. When a tag receives a signal from a valid reader it sends a response, typically a tag ID and any other requested/available data back to the reader device. The newer range of RFID chips that are coming into use now use higher frequencies …

Diversity In Information And Communication Technologies: The Cost Of Lost Opportunities, Susan Gail Webb

Research outputs pre 2011

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry develops products that are used by many people regardless of gender, age, social status, ethnicity, or religion. Technology has had a significant impact on the way that information is produced, stored and communicated, especially in the fields that have traditionally been heavy producers of information such as libraries and education institutions. Though all types of people use technology, not all types of people are involved in the design and development of technology. Women represent just twenty percent of Australian ICT professionals. They often receive less pay than their male colleagues and are greatly …

The Underestimation Of Threats To Patients Data In Clinical Practice, Patricia Williams

Research outputs pre 2011

Issues in the security of medical data present a greater challenge than in other data security environments. The complexity of the threats and ethics involved, coupled with the poor management of these threats makes the protection of data in clinical practice problematic. This paper discusses the security threats to medical data in terms of confidentiality, privacy, integrity, misuse and availability, and reviews the issue of responsibility with reference to clinical governance. Finally. the paper uncovers some of the underlying reasons for the underestimation of the threats to medical data by the medical profession.

Physician Secure Thyself, Patricia Williams

Research outputs pre 2011

Whilst discussion rages on the issues relating to security of medical data and the reason why it is important, there is little published information on how to tackle even basic security challenges for medical practice in Australia. Research suggests an underestimation of the threats to medical data by medical practitioners, hence there is sufficient reason to promote development of tools to assist medical practice with technical issues they are unfamiliar with. This paper provides an initial dialogue on how these security issues should be addressed. Included is a framework for risk assessment and elaboration of the implementation process to make …

Analysis Of Channel Estimation Error Of Ofdm Systems In Rayleigh Fading, Bin Jiao, Jitian Xiao, Jinlin Wang

Research outputs pre 2011

In wireless OFDM applications, since the radio channel is frequency selective and time-varying, a dynamic estimation of channel must be achieved before the demodulation of the transmitted OFDM signals. As an effective approach for solving the channel estimation problems, the pilot-assisted channel estimation technique has received considerable attention in recent years. In this paper, we investigate the channel estimation error in the existing pilot-assisted channel estimation approaches in detail, a new effective channel estimation approach with lower estimation error is proposed as well.

Recommendations For Wireless Network Security Policy: An Analysis And Classification Of Current And Emerging Threats And Solutions For Different Organisations, Andrew Woodward

Research outputs pre 2011

Since their inception, 802.11 wireless networks have been plagued by a wide range of security problems. These problems relate to both data security and denial of service attacks, and there have been many solutions created by different vendors address these problems. However, the number of different types of attack, and the many possible solutions, makes it a difficult task to put in place an appropriate wireless network security policy. Such a policy must address both the size and nature of the enterprise, and the resources available to it. Measures such as WEP and MAC filtering are only appropriate for home …

Similarity-Aware Web Content Management And Document Pre-Fetching, Jitian Xiao, Michael Collins

Research outputs pre 2011

Web caching is intended to reduce network traffic, server load and user-perceived retrieval latency. Web pre-fetching, which can be considered as "active" caching, builds on regular Web caching, minimizing further a Web user's access delay. To be effective, however, the pre-fetching techniques must be able to predict subsequent Web access with minimum computational overheads. This paper presents a similarity-based mechanism to support similarity-aware Web document pre-fetching between proxy caches and browsing clients. We first define a set of measures to assess similarities between Web documents, and then propose a multi-cache architecture to cache Web documents based on those similarities. A …

A Bipartite Graph Approach To Generate Optimal Test Sequences For Protocol Conformance Testing Using The Wp-Method, Jun Wang, Jitian Xiao, Chiou Peng Lam, Huaizhong Li

Research outputs pre 2011

Conformance testing using test sequences is used to ensure that a protocol implementation conforms to its specification. A commonly used technique to generate test sequences for specifications described by the finite state machines is the Wp-method with the Reset technique, which frequently results in long test sequences. In this paper, we propose a bipartite graph approach to generate optimal test sequences for protocol conformance testing. Our approach significantly reduces the length of the test sequences required for conformance testing while maintaining the same fault detection capability.

Blackhat Fingerprinting Of The Wired And Wireless Honeynet, Suen Yek

Research outputs pre 2011

TCP/IP fingerprinting is a common technique used to detect unique network stack characteristics of an Operating System (OS) . Its usage for network compromise is renowned for performing host discovery and in aiding the blackhat to determine a tailored exploit of detected OSs. The honeyd honeynet is able to countermeasure blackhats utilising TCP/IP fingerprinting via host device emulation on a virtual network. Honeyd allows the creation of host personalities that respond to network stack fingerprinting as a real network would. The nature of this technique however, has shown to provide inconsistent and unreliable results when performed over wired and wireless …

How To Build A Faraday On The Cheap For Wireless Security Testing, Suen Yek

Research outputs pre 2011

The commonly known security weaknesses associated with the 802.11b wireless standard have introduced a variety of security measures to countermeasure attacks. Using a wireless honeypot, a fake wireless network may be configured through emulation of devices and the TCP/IP fingerprinting of OS network stacks. TCP/IP fingerprinting is one of the most popular methods employed to determine the type of OS running on a target and this information can then be used to determine the type of vulnerabilities to target on the host. Testing the effectiveness of this technique to ensure that a wireless honeypot using honeyd may deceive an attacker …