Computer Sciences Commons^™

Cyber Black Box: Network Intrusion Forensics System For Collecting And Preserving Evidence Of Attack, Jong-Hyun Kim, Joo-Young Lee, Yangseo Choi, Sunoh Choi, Ik-Kyun Kim

Australian Digital Forensics Conference

Once the system is compromised, the forensics and investigation are always executed after the attacks and the loss of some useful instant evidence. Since there is no log information necessary for analyzing an attack cause after the cyber incident occurs, it is difficult to analyze the cause of an intrusion even after an intrusion event is recognized. Moreover, in an advanced cyber incident such as advanced persistent threats, several months or more are expended in only analyzing a cause, and it is difficult to find the cause with conventional security equipment. In this paper, we introduce a network intrusion forensics …

Security Of Eprescription: Security Of Data At Rest In Prescription Exchange Services Vs On Mobile Devices, Kyaw Kyaw Htat, Patricia A. H. Williams, Vincent Mccauley

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

One area of healthcare that has moved more quickly than others in adopting electronic transfer of information is prescribing in the primary care environment. Several Acts and Regulations have been repealed and amended at Commonwealth and State levels to enable this progress over the past decade, as medication provision is a strictly controlled area of healthcare. Further, numerous standards and specifications have been developed and adopted to support and safeguard the regulatory changes and facilitate the electronic transfer of prescriptions. However, the current model of electronic prescription transfer comes with a substantial price tag for ongoing use. With the Nation’s …

A Secure Sharing Design For Multi-Tag Rfid Authentication Protocol, Ayad Al-Adhami, Marcel Ambroze, Colin Cristopher, Ingo Stengel, Martin Tomlinson

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

No abstract provided.

Urdu Text Steganography: Utilizing Isolated Letters, Aliya Tabassum Abbasi, Nuzhat Naqvi, Aihab Khan, Basheer Ahmad

Australian Information Security Management Conference

This paper presents an imperceptible and high capacity feature based approach which hides a secret message into Urdu text cover media by utilising all isolated letters. Existing techniques are less imperceptible and also not robust against steganalysis attacks and some of these schemes are failed to provide the better capacity rates. Previous lexical based and syntax based schemes are ineffective to provide the better capacity rate and image based approaches are not robust against format attacks. Moreover, Feature based approaches are more perceptible and thus, cannot resist against visual attacks. This paper proposes an improved algorithm that encompasses all isolated …

The Cyber Simulation Terrain: Towards An Open Source Cyber Effects Simulation Ontology, Kent O'Sullivan, Benjamin Turnbull

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

Cyber resilience is characterised by an ability to understand and adapt to changing network conditions, including cyber attacks. Cyber resilience may be characterised by an effects-based approach to missions or processes. One of the fundamental preconditions underpinning cyber resilience is an accurate representation of current network and machine states and what missions they are supporting. This research outlines the need for an ontological network representation, drawing on existing literature and implementations in the domain. This work then introduces an open-source ontological representation for modelling cyber assets for the purposes of Computer Network Defence. This representation encompasses computers, network connectivity, users, …

Towards A Standardised Strategy To Collect And Distribute Application Software Artifacts, Thomas Laurenson, Stephen Macdonell, Hank Wolfe

Australian Digital Forensics Conference

Reference sets contain known content that are used to identify relevant or filter irrelevant content. Application profiles are a type of reference set that contain digital artifacts associated with application software. An application profile can be compared against a target data set to identify relevant evidence of application usage in a variety of investigation scenarios. The research objective is to design and implement a standardised strategy to collect and distribute application software artifacts using application profiles. An advanced technique for creating application profiles was designed using a formalised differential analysis strategy. The design was implemented in a live differential forensic …

Towards Dynamic Adaption Of User's Organisational Information Security Behaviour, Mutlaq Alotaibi, Steven Furnell, Nathan Clarke

Australian Information Security Management Conference

The weakest link in the field of information security that has been identified in the literature is the organisation’s employees. Information security policy compliance is one of the main challenges facing organisations today. Although implementing technical and procedural measures clearly helps to improve an organisation's information security, the human factor or the employees' compliance with these measures is the key to success. However, organisations are now having some issues regarding the extent of employee adherence to policy. The problem of employees being unaware or ignorant of their responsibilities in relation to information security is still an open issue. The proposed …

Timing Attack Detection On Bacnet Via A Machine Learning Approach, Michael N. Johnstone, Matthew Peacock, J I. Den Hartog

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Building Automation Systems (BAS), alternatively known as Building Management Systems (BMS), which centralise the management of building services, are often connected to corporate networks and are routinely accessed remotely for operational management and emergency purposes. The protocols used in BAS, in particular BACnet, were not designed with security as a primary requirement, thus the majority of systems operate with sub-standard or non-existent security implementations. As intrusion is thus likely easy to achieve, intrusion detection systems should be put in place to ensure they can be detected and mitigated. Existing intrusion detection systems typically deal only with known threats (signature-based approaches) …

Selection Of Penetration Testing Methodologies: A Comparison And Evaluation, Aleatha Shanley, Michael N. Johnstone

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Cyber security is fast becoming a strategic priority across both governments and private organisations. With technology abundantly available, and the unbridled growth in the size and complexity of information systems, cyber criminals have a multitude of targets. Therefore, cyber security assessments are becoming common practice as concerns about information security grow. Penetration testing is one strategy used to mitigate the risk of cyber-attack. Penetration testers attempt to compromise systems using the same tools and techniques as malicious attackers thus attempting to identify vulnerabilities before an attack occurs. This research details a gap analysis of the theoretical vs. the practical classification …

Evaluating Policy Layer Security Controls For Value Realisation In Secure Systems, Brian Cusack, Maher Al-Khazrajy

Australian Information Security Management Conference

A strategic question for any business is: What value do control frameworks give? The question concerns the costs associated with implementing and maintaining control frameworks compared with the benefits gained. Each control framework contains many controls that may or may not benefit a situation and this research is aimed at testing different selections and combinations of controls to forecast probable impacts on business outcomes. The scope of the research is limited to a representative set of security controls and the lesser question: What are the criteria for selecting the most effective and efficient security control configurations for best business value? …

Loyalty Cards And The Problem Of Captcha: 2nd Tier Security And Usability Issues For Senior Citizens, David M. Cook, Apoorv Kumar, Charwina Unmar-Satiah

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Information Security often works in antipathy to access and useability in communities of older citizens. Whilst security features are required to prevent the disclosure of information, some security tools have a deleterious effect upon users, resulting in insecure practices. Security becomes unfit for purpose where users prefer to abandon applications and online benefits in favour of non-digital authentication and verification requirements. For some, the ability to read letters and symbols from a distorted image is a decidedly more difficult task than for others, and the resulting level of security from CAPTCHA tests is not consistent from person to person. This …

A Hybrid Feature Selection For Network Intrusion Detection Systems: Central Points, Nour Moustafa, Jill Slay

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

Network intrusion detection systems are an active area of research to identify threats that face computer networks. Network packets comprise of high dimensions which require huge effort to be examined effectively. As these dimensions contain some irrelevant features, they cause a high False Alarm Rate (FAR). In this paper, we propose a hybrid method as a feature selection, based on the central points of attribute values and an Association Rule Mining algorithm to decrease the FAR. This algorithm is designed to be implemented in a short processing time, due to its dependency on the central points of feature values with …

Is The Internet The Main Medium Of Transmitting Terrorism?, Hatem El Zein

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

The influx of virtual media platforms has allowed extremists and terrorists to transmit their messages to wider audiences without passing through a gatekeeper or being a subject to editorial policies existed in traditional media outlets. Thus, extremists and terrorists exploit virtual media platforms to report their actions; propagate their ideologies and ultimately to boost their objectives, because these mediums enabled them to have control over time and space. As a result, some governments work to deprive extremists and terrorists from this 'oxygen' through monitoring the cyberspace to block the suspected virtual media platforms. The reactions of some governments to face …

The Hare And The Hortoise [Sic]: The Potential Versus The Reality Of Etp Implementation, Kyaw Kyaw Htat, Patricia A. H Williams, Vincent Mccauley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In a health system increasingly driven by cost constraints, there is a focus on improved electronic transfer of information to support healthcare delivery. One area of healthcare that has moved more quickly than others to achieve this is prescribing in the primary care environment. Whilst the move to electronic transfer of prescriptions has reduced transcription errors, the regulatory environment persists with handwritten signatures. This constraint, whilst addressed slowly with technology solutions, needs support from legislative change. The ultimate step is to have a secure mobile model, which would support the move to a fully-electronic, paperless transaction model.

The Use Of Ontologies In Forensic Analysis Of Smartphone Content, Mohammed Alzaabi, Thomas Anthony Martin, Kamal Taha, Andy Jones

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Digital forensics investigators face a constant challenge in keeping track with evolving technologies such as smartphones. Analyzing the contents of these devices to infer useful information is becoming more time consuming as the volume and complexity of data are increasing. Typically, such analysis is undertaken by a human, which makes it dependent on the experience of the investigator. To overcome such impediments, an automated technique can be utilized in order to aid the investigator to quickly and efficiently analyze the data. In this paper, we propose F-DOS; a set of ontologies that models the smartphone content for the purpose of …

A Neuronal Classification System For Plant Leaves Using Genetic Image Segmentation, Oluleye Babatunde, Leisa Armstrong, Dean Diepeveen, Jinsong Leng

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper demonstrates the use of radial basis networks (RBF), cellular neural networks (CNN) and genetic algorithm (GA) for automatic classication of plant leaves. A genetic neuronal system herein attempted to solve some of the inherent challenges facing current software being employed for plant leaf classication. The image segmentation module in this work was genetically optimized to bring salient features in the images of plants leaves used in this work. The combination of GA-based CNN with RBF in this work proved more ecient than the existing systems that use conventional edge operators such as Canny, LoG, Prewitt, and Sobel operators. …

A Profile Of Prolonged, Persistent Ssh Attack On A Kippo Based Honeynet, Craig Valli, Priya N. Rabadia, Andrew Woodward

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper is an investigation focusing on activities detected by SSH honeypots that utilised kippo honeypot software. The honeypots were located across a variety of geographical locations and operational platforms. The honeynet has suffered prolonged, persistent and attack from a /24 network which appears to be of Chinese geographical origin. In addition to these attacks, other attackers have been successful in compromising real hosts in a wide range of other countries that were subsequently involved in attacking the honeypot machines in the honeynet.

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities In Medical Devices: A Complex Environment And Multifaceted Problem, Patricia A.H. Williams, Andrew J. Woodward

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This …

Blurring And Deblurring Digital Images Using The Dihedral Group, Husein Hadi Abbas Jassim, Zahir M. Hussain, Hind R.M. Shaaban, Kawther B.R. Al-Dbag

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A new method of blurring and deblurring digital images is presented. The approach is based on using new filters generating from average filter and H-filters using the action of the dihedral group. These filters are called HB-filters; used to cause a motion blur and then deblurring affected images. Also, enhancing images using HB-filters is presented as compared to other methods like Average, Gaussian, and Motion. Results and analysis show that the HB-filters are better in peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and RMSE.

Forensic Analysis Of A Sony Playstation 4: A First Look, Matthew Davies, Huw Read, Konstantinos Xynos, Iain Sutherland

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The primary function of a games console is that of an entertainment system. However the latest iteration of these consoles has added a number of new interactive features that may prove of value to the digital investigator. This paper highlights the value of these consoles, in particular Sony's latest version of their PlayStation. This console provides a number of features including web browsing, downloading of material and chat functionality; all communication features that will be of interest to forensic investigators. In this paper we undertake an initial investigation of the PlayStation 4 games console. This paper identifies potential information sources …

Judging Dread: A Quantitative Investigation Of Affect, Psychometric Dread And Risk Consequence, Melvyn Griffiths

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Risk is generally understood as a product of the likelihood and consequence of an event. However, the way in which estimations of consequences are formed is unclear due to the complexities of human perception. In particular, the influence of Affect, defined as positive or negative qualities subjectively assigned to stimuli, may skew risk consequence judgements. Thus a clearer understanding of the role of Affect in risk consequence estimations has significant implications for risk management, risk communication and policy formulation.

In the Psychometric tradition of risk perception, Affect has become almost synonymous with the concept of Dread, despite Dread being measured …

Secure Portable Execution And Storage Environments: A Capability To Improve Security For Remote Working, Peter James

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Remote working is a practice that provides economic benefits to both the employing organisation and the individual. However, evidence suggests that organisations implementing remote working have limited appreciation of the security risks, particularly those impacting upon the confidentiality and integrity of information and also on the integrity and availability of the remote worker’s computing environment. Other research suggests that an organisation that does appreciate these risks may veto remote working, resulting in a loss of economic benefits. With the implementation of high speed broadband, remote working is forecast to grow and therefore it is appropriate that improved approaches to managing …

Accessibility Of Thai University Websites: Awareness, Barriers And Drivers For Accessible Practice, Rattanavalee Maisak

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Governments and organizations have to respond to a range of legislative and policy initiatives intended to promote equal opportunity for all. The Thai government has passed a number of laws which aim to protect its citizens from discrimination and from breaches of their human rights by government departments and agencies. The Persons with Disabilities Education Act B.E. 2551 (2008) and the Thailand Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Framework (2011-2020) required government agencies to delivery equal education and access to online information for all Thais. Most Thai universities receive government subsidies, and therefore have an obligation to contribute to national …

Improving Energy Efficiency And Quality Of Service In An Integrated Wireless-Optical Broadband Access Network, Maha Shihab Ahmed

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Exponential growth in the volume of wireless data, boosted by the growing popularity of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, is forcing telecommunication industries to rethink network design, and focus on developing high capacity mobile broadband networks. Accordingly, researchers have undertaken developmental work for an integrated wireless-optical broadband access network (WOBAN). Passive optical networks (PONs) and fourth generation (4G) wireless networks are two major candidate technologies for the WOBAN. PON is a wired access technology, well-known for its high capacity, whereas 4G is a wireless broadband access technology, popular for its ease of deployment and ability to offer …

Customising Doctor-Nurse Communications, Brian Cusack, Dave Parry

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

Doctor-Nurse communications are critical for patient safety and workflow effectiveness. Our research question was: What further improvements can be made to current communication systems? A variety of mobile and land based communication systems have been used and experimented with. In the study, the pager was found to be most common and more recent attempts to provide broadband capability with systems such as the iBeep. We built an alternative information system using Android phones and a software application that was customised by feedback from the medical professionals. The trial in five wards with 22 doctors and 170 nurses over one month …

Security Of Electronic Health Records In A Resource Limited Setting: The Case Of Smart-Care Electronic Health Record In Zambia, Keith Mweebo

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

This paper presents a case study of security issues related to the operationalization of smart-care, an electronic medical record (EMR) used to manage Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) health information in Zambia. The aim of the smart-care program is to link up services and improve access to health information, by providing a reliable way to collect, store, retrieve and analyse health data in a secure way. As health professionals gain improved access to patient health information electronically, there is need to ensure this information is secured, and that patient privacy and confidentiality is maintained. During the initial stages of the program …

The Potentials And Challenges Of Big Data In Public Health, Rena N. Vithiatharan

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

The potential to use big data sources for public health increases with the broadening availability of data and improved methods of analysis. Whilst there are some well-known examples of the opportunistic use of big data, such as GoogleFlu, public health has not yet realised the full potential of such data sources. A literature review was undertaken to identify the potential of such data collections to impact public health, and to identify what challenges are currently limiting this potential. The potential include improved real-time analysis, research and development and genome studies. However, challenges listed are poor universal standardisation and classification, privacy …

Byod In Ehealth: Herding Cats And Stable Doors, Or A Catastrophe Waiting To Happen?, Krishnun Sansurooh, Patricia A H Williams

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

The use of personal devices in the work environment has crossed the boundaries of work and socially related tasks. With cyber criminals seriously targeting healthcare for medical identity theft, the lack of control of new technologies within healthcare networks becomes an increasing vulnerability. The prolific adoption of personal mobile devices in the healthcare environment requires a proactive approach to the management of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). This paper analysed the current state of the problem and the challenges that this creates in an environment that has stringent privacy and security requirements. The discourse demonstrates that the issue is not …

3rd Australian Ehealth Informatics And Security Conference, 2014, Edith Cowan University: Conference Details, Security Research Institute, Edith Cowan University

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

No abstract provided.

Big Data In Healthcare: What Is It Used For?, Rebecca Hermon, Patricia A H Williams

Australian eHealth Informatics and Security Conference

Big data analytics is a growth area with the potential to provide useful insight in healthcare. Whilst many dimensions of big data still present issues in its use and adoption, such as managing the volume, variety, velocity, veracity, and value, the accuracy, integrity, and semantic interpretation are of greater concern in clinical application. However, such challenges have not deterred the use and exploration of big data as an evidence source in healthcare. This drives the need to investigate healthcare information to control and reduce the burgeoning cost of healthcare, as well as to seek evidence to improve patient outcomes. Whilst …