Computer Sciences Commons^™

Innovations And Applications Of Virtual Private Networks And Sustainable Security In Society 5.0 Libraries, Stella Chinnaya Nduka Dr., Adeyinka Tella Prof, Petros Dlamini Dr

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

In order to improve digital resilience, privacy, and access equity in contemporary library environments, this study investigates the role of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in fostering sustainable cybersecurity within the framework of Society 5.0 libraries. It does this by looking at the latest developments, applications, difficulties, moral dilemmas, and tactical methods associated with VPN deployment. Using peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, white papers, and policy documents published between 2010 and 2024, a methodical approach to literature review was used. The literature that bridges the fields of cybersecurity, library science, and Society 5.0 concepts was the main focus of the review. …

Enhancing Introductory Cybersecurity Learning: A Design-Based Research Case Study, Manny Niri Dr.

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study employs a design-based research (DBR) framework to examine the impact of a comprehensive curriculum redesign in an introductory Foundations of Security module for undergraduate students in computing and cybersecurity at a UK public university between 2019 and 2025. The redesign aimed to enhance student learning, engagement, and critical thinking through the embodiment of evidence-based pedagogical strategies, including flipped classroom delivery, blended learning, gamified practical exercises, repeated low-stakes mock assessments, and structured problem-solving activities. Student feedback, assessment outcomes, attendance records, and faculty reflections were analysed to evaluate the effectiveness of the redesign. The results indicate substantial improvements in student …

Enhancing Cyber Hygiene Among Communities Through Experiential Cyber-Security Awareness Programs, Dr Atul Bamrara, Partha Roy, Vishwanath Gargote, Khandu Thungon

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Human error remains the most frequently exploited vulnerability in the cyber-security ecosystem. Despite substantial investments in technical safeguards, cybercriminals increasingly rely on social engineering, misinformation, and emotionally manipulative tactics to compromise users. This study examines behavioral changes among participants who underwent structured cyber-security workshops addressing both conventional cyber hygiene practices and emerging digital threats. The training modules covered digital arrest scams, identity theft, sextortion, fake technical support fraud, fake social media profiles, online gaming related risks, and deep fake manipulation. The workshops were designed using interactive simulations, real world case studies, and hands on problem based exercises, with the explicit …

Ai-Guided Binding Mechanisms And Molecular Dynamics For Mers-Cov, Pradyumna Kumar, Lingtao Chen, Rachel Yuanbao Chen, Yin Chen, Seyedamin Pouriyeh, Progyateg Chakma, Abdur Rahman Mohd Abul Basher, Yixin Xie

Faculty Articles

The MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) is a zoonotic virus with a high mortality rate and a lack of antiviral drugs, underscoring the need for effective therapeutic methods. Viral entry depends on interactions between viral surface proteins and human receptors, with Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP4), a transmembrane glycoprotein, acting as the receptor for MERS-CoV. We employed Molecular Dynamics (MD) Simulations to identify critical interface residues under a high-performance computing (HPC) workflow for accelerated results. Target residue pairs were identified through analysis of salt bridge and hydrogen bond occupancy. The stability of these residues was confirmed through three independent MD Simulations …

Cybersecurity In Higher Education Institutions: Awareness, Policy, And Experience On Employee Behaviour, Abdullahi Abiodun Yusuf, Adriana A. Steyn

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The digital transformation of higher education institutions (HEIs) has introduced unprecedented connectivity and operational efficiency, but it has also heightened their exposure to cyber threats. South African HEIs, in particular, face increasing vulnerability due to their reliance on technology, openness, and diverse user communities. This study examines the influence of the institutional cybersecurity environment on employee cybersecurity-compliant behaviour (CCB), emphasising the critical roles of awareness, policy engagement, and experience. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, a conceptual model was developed to explore how cybersecurity awareness, policy familiarity, and prior experience shape employees’ attitudes, subjective norms, …

Cyber Science Education Meets Healthcare Technology, Angela Spencer

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The research investigates how cyber science education combines with healthcare technology during the digital age to resolve a fundamental research gap in these two advancing areas. A combined approach utilizing extensive surveys and detailed interviews evaluates the functionality of learning platforms as well as cybersecurity measures and potential uses of emerging virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools to improve both educational and clinical environments. The research document describes its methodologies thoroughly while. The research documents multiple quantitative and qualitative results before performing its analysis, which leads to strategy development for digit. The researchers worked to find ways that …

Integrating Adversarial Scenarios Into Llm Security Labs: An Experience Report On A Hands-On Approach, Dominic A. Wilson

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This paper presents an exploratory case study detailed as a pedagogical experience report on integrating adversarial Large Language Model (LLM) scenarios into a graduate cybersecurity curriculum. In addition to prompt injection, sophisticated techniques such as jailbreaking and model inversion pose emerging threats that traditional computer security curricula often lack. We present the design and implementation of a structured, hands-on module addressing this gap, utilizing a custom Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) platform with local open-source LLMs. A cohort of 16 graduate students participated in this two-week pilot module, engaging in "red team" activities to actively exploit model alignment and privacy vulnerabilities. The …

A Review Of Routing Attacks In Routing Protocol Over Low-Power And Lossy-Based Iot Networks, Lanka Chris Sejaphala Mr., Vusimuzi Malele Prof, Francis Lugayizi Prof.

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Low-power and Lossy IoT Networks (LLNs) comprise physical sensors, processing capability, power, and other technologies to exchange information between systems and devices over the internet. However, these networks are susceptible to routing attacks affecting resources, traffic flow, and topology formation. In the related work, it has been discovered that many previous studies do not consider algorithms and implementation approaches for routing attacks. This research study provides a comprehensive in-depth synthesis insight into the description, effects, and algorithms & implementation of four routing attacks in LLNs i.e., rank, sinkhole, DIS-flooding, and worst parent attacks. The findings of this research study highlight …

Critical Success Factors For An Effective Security Risk Management Program: An Exploratory Case Study, Jason A. Williams, Humayun Zafar, Saurabh Gupta

Faculty Articles

This paper evaluates the perceived effectiveness of the security risk management (SRM) programs at a Fortune 500 firm. Layers of management and staff participated in the study. Perceived effectiveness of their SRM programs was based on nine critical success factors (CSFs). Interviews confirmed six initial CSFs (Executive Management Support, Organizational Maturity, Open Communication, Risk Management Stakeholders, Team Member Empowerment, and Holistic View of an Organization) that were extracted from the literature. They were confirmed and synthesized with three additional CSFs (Security Maintenance, Corporate Security Strategy, and Human Resource Development). Implications for SRM are discussed.

The Soft Target Curriculum: Using Nigeria's 2026 Cascading Breaches To Teach Foundational Cybersecurity Failures, Chinedum Amaechi, Doris Asogwa, Samuel Alade

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

SourceURL:file:///home/amaechi/Documents/ *Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice (JCERP)*. **Title:** The Soft Target Curriculum: Using Nigeria's 2026 Cascading Breaches to Teach Foundational Cybersecurity Failures.docx

Background: Between March and April 2026, a single threat actor allegedly compromised four Nigerian institutions across banking, payment infrastructure, government registry, and power distribution sectors. The breaches exposed millions of records and disrupted critical services, yet all four exploited elementary vulnerabilities taught in introductory cybersecurity courses. Objective: This pedagogical case study analyzes the four breaches as a unified phenomenon of "normalized negligence" and provides ready-to-use teaching materials for cybersecurity educators. Methods: Using open-source intelligence analysis of …

Advancing Cybersecurity Practice: Explainable Machine Learning For Network Intrusion Detection, Adam Grabowski, Shengjie Xu

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This research investigates explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) integration within machine learning (ML)-based intrusion detection systems (IDS), focusing on distinguishing malicious from benign network activities. We employed Random Forest and XGBoost models evaluated on widely recognized datasets, including NSL-KDD and UNSW-NB15, using both binary and multi-class classification tasks. The objective was to enhance cybersecurity operations through improved model transparency and interpretability. By integrating SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) and LIME (Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations), the study offers comprehensive global and local insights into model decision-making processes. Results demonstrate SHAP's effectiveness in providing a broad, dataset-wide understanding of feature interactions and importance, while …

Cybercamp: An Experience Report On The Transformations Of An Intensive Cybersecurity Summer Camp For High School Students, Jose R. Ortiz Ubarri, Kariluz Dávila Diaz Ph.D., Rafael A. Arce Nazario

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The Cybercamp is a Cybersecurity summer camp for high school students that has been held for the last nine years at a Hispanic Serving Institution. Since its inception in 2016 the Cybercamp has undergone several transformations in response to budget reductions and the COVID pandemic, to finally become its current version: a rich, hands-on learning experience that we believe is easily replicable even in resource-challenged environments.

In this paper, we document the transformations of the Cybercamp and discuss the developed curriculum and materials in hopes that others will reuse, adapt, and improve upon them. In the Cybercamp, we apply active …

Prism (Proxy Recognition And Inclusion Scoring Method), Destiny Raburnel, Crystal Tubbs, Md Abdullah Al Hafiz Khan

Symposium of Student Scholars

AI-driven automated hiring tools are reshaping how companies find talent, but they often reproduce the hidden biases embedded in their training data. Our project, PRISM (Proxy Recognition and Inclusion Scoring Method), investigates how subtle demographic signals, specifically first names associated with gender and race, influence AI resume screening even when candidates have identical qualifications. We built a controlled dataset of resumes that are identical in every way except for the applicant's first name, with each resume using a racially neutral surname to isolate how first names alone affect scoring. We tested these resumes against job postings in technology, healthcare, and …

Enhancing Ad/Adrd Management Through Ihelpcare: A Compliant And Culturally Sensitive Ai-Driven Digital Healthcare Platform, Trisha Bhowmick

Master's Theses

The digital healthcare field is expanding fast, and now it requires platforms that use advanced technology and maintain robust data security and compliance practices. In the present paper, we present the main structure, key methods, and compliance strategies of the digital healthcare system iHelpCare, which, while fully meeting the HIPAA/GDPR requirements, provides health services more accessible, efficient, and inclusive. The proposed platform is powered by AI for personalized care solutions, with the main emphasis on preventive health management and providing tools for people with disabilities.

iHelpCare achieves real-time patient monitoring while securing medical data management and easy communication between patients, …

Exploring The Link Between Emotional States And Coding Task Quality: A Pilot Study, Aquib Reshad, Valentina Nino, Maria Valero, Adriane Randolph, Yang Shi

Faculty Articles

Emotions play a crucial role in shaping cognitive performance, yet their influence on programing remains understudied. This pilot study investigates the relationship between emotional states and coding task quality. Ten participants completed a programing task while their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAI) applied as a neural marker of emotional valence. Emotional self-reports were collected using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), and coding quality was evaluated through a structured rubric. Preliminary findings indicate a potential association between FAI and coding performance, whereas self-reported affect showed weaker or inconsistent patterns. Given the …

Gc-0258 Safecircle:​ Ai And Micro-Radar-Based Remote Monitoring For Patients With Ad/Adrd​, Awan-Ur- Rahman, Soarov Borty, Shakib Quddus

C-Day Computing Showcase

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) is an irreversible and degenerative neurological condition that severely impacts neurons, resulting in cognitive decline and memory loss. This study explores a mHealth system, including a SafeCircle iOS prototype, a novel solution that combines artificial intelligence with cutting-edge micro-radar technology. The platform offers a variety of features, including management of patient and caregiver profiles, real-time alerts in case of emergencies, emergency contact lists, one-touch SOS support, sharing of live locations, and recording of unusual events in video. It is a responsive and reliable care assistant that optimizes patient safety while reducing caregiver burden.

Grm-0267 Learned Heuristics For Efficient A* Search: Improving Pathfinding In Combinatorial Pathfinding Problems, Jamia Jackson

C-Day Computing Showcase

This work proposes a learned heuristic framework designed to improve planning efficiency in deterministic pathfinding tasks. Building on the classic 8-puzzle as an initial test domain, supervised models were trained to approximate heuristic values and guide node ordering during A* search. The proposed approach focuses on modifying and enhancing traditional heuristics such as Manhattan distance by incorporating learned corrections that reduce search depth and node expansions. Experimental results show that the learned heuristic consistently improves search efficiency over standard baselines. Although this evaluation began with the 8-puzzle, the framework establishes a foundation for scaling to significantly larger and more practical …

Grp-0200 Tadps: Thrashing-Aware Dynamic Priority Scheduler For Virtual Memory Systems, Nasim Ahmed

C-Day Computing Showcase

Modern operating systems use multiprogramming and virtual memory to run multiple programs efficiently. When memory demand is high, excessive page swapping causes thrashing, degrading performance. This work introduces a thrashing-aware dynamic priority scheduler (TADPS) that uses page fault frequency to guide CPU scheduling. Processes with high page faults get lower priority, allowing others to progress efficiently. Tests under different memory pressures show that this approach improves CPU use, throughput, and stability compared with baseline schedulers such as FCFS and RR. Specifically, TADPS maintained superior throughput and efficiency, and consistently lower average turnaround time than FCFS and RR.

Grp-0197 Evaluating The Ability Of Llms To Interpret, Optimize And Translate Llvm Ir, Reuven Mueller

C-Day Computing Showcase

This study investigates whether modern state-of-the-art Large Language Models (LLMs) can interpret, optimize, and translate low-level intermediate representations (IR) used in compilers and binary translation software. We evaluate LLM performance on LLVM IR across three tasks: 1) interpreting the underlying algorithmic behavior, 2) identifying missed optimization opportunities, and generating improved IR variants, 3) Translating IR between AArch64 and x86-64 targets. To ensure correctness, all LLM generated IR is checked using a validation pipeline that verifies its syntax, structural correctness, compiles it into machine code, and executes it on randomized test data. Early results show that LLMs can perform non-trivial IR …

Grp-0176 A Comparative Analysis Of Traditional Virtual Machines And Micro Virtual Machines, Tasnim Akter Onisha

C-Day Computing Showcase

Virtualization technologies form the backbone of modern cloud and serverless platforms, but the balance between performance efficiency and strong isolation remains a key research challenge. Using a comparative literature based methodology, benchmark data from empirical studies are synthesized and normalized across four metrics: startup latency, memory footprint, isolation strength, and scalability. The findings show that traditional VMs such as KVM and Xen provide robust, formally verified isolation but incur higher boot times and memory usage, whereas Micro VMs like Firecracker and Kata Containers achieve lower latency (often < 125 ms) and smaller memory footprints (5–30 MB) while preserving VM-level isolation. Overall, Micro VMs deliver near container responsiveness with VM-grade security, making them suited for serverless and edge environments. As a future direction, this study highlights the need for scalable, formally verified Micro VM architectures for next-generation cloud systems.

Grp-0165 Reinforcement Learning For Latency-Aware Priority Boosting In Linux Completely Fair Scheduler, Joseph Natter

C-Day Computing Showcase

Tail latency remains a persistent challenge in Linux’s Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS), particularly when short, latency-sensitive jobs compete with longer ones. Traditional boosting heuristics improve tail latency but require manual tuning and generalize poorly across workloads. This project evaluates whether a reinforcement-learning (RL) controller can dynamically apply priority boosts more effectively than fixed heuristics. Using a discrete-event Python simulator modeled after CFS, this project compares baseline CFS, heuristic boosting, and PPO-based learned boosting under mixed workloads. Results show that while heuristics achieve the lowest absolute latency, RL achieves competitive tail-latency reduction with significantly better fairness and adaptability. A state-space study …

Grp-0161 Predicting The Linux Scheduler’S Next Move With Transformers, Amirmohammad Naddaf Shargh

C-Day Computing Showcase

We study whether deep learning can help the Linux CFS, which makes fair scheduling decisions without using historical behavior and may preempt tasks that are near completion. We adopt a dataset and baseline LSTM from earlier work and introduce a Transformer model to explore predictive scheduling. We train both on real scheduling traces to learn the next selected task and timing trends, and evaluate them using task classification accuracy and direction accuracy. Our results show that the LSTM remains the stronger baseline and captures CFS patterns more effectively than our Transformer model in this comparison under identical conditions for fairness.

Grp-0160 Quantum Anonymous Notification Protocol, Nitin Jha, Prateek Paudel

C-Day Computing Showcase

The scalability of current quantum networks is limited due to noisy quantum components and high implementation costs, thereby limiting the security advantages that quantum networks provide over their classical counterparts. Quantum Augmented Networks (QuANets) address this by integrating quantum components in classical network infrastructure to improve robustness and end-to-end security. To enable such integration, Quantum Anonymous Notification (QAN) is a method to anonymously inform a receiver of an incoming quantum communication. Therefore, several quantum primitives will serve as core tools, namely, quantum voting, quantum anonymous protocols, quantum secret sharing, etc. However, all current quantum protocols can be compromised in the …

Grp-21187 Adaptive Sched_Deadline On Linux For Robotic-Arm Control, Zhiguo Liu

C-Day Computing Showcase

Industrial robot arms often run 500–1000 Hz control loops on general-purpose Linux. Most cycles are on time, but rare long scheduling delays can cause visible end-effector jitter, force spikes, and unstable insertion behavior. Static tuning of priorities and budgets cannot fully remove these long-tail outliers without wasting CPU. This work asks whether a lightweight adaptive layer on top of SCHED_DEADLINE can reduce high-percentile latency while keeping good utilization.

Grp-21186 A Safe Vision-Guided Robotic Injection Control Framework Based On Reinforcement Learning, Zhiguo Liu

C-Day Computing Showcase

This project presents a modular vision-guided robotic framework for safe deltoid intramuscular injection. An external YOLO-based detector localizes the deltoid region and outputs a 3D injection point in the robot base frame. In NVIDIA Isaac Sim, a simulated myCobot 280 arm receives this point, and a deep reinforcement learning policy generates a safe approach pose under kinematic and safety constraints, while a deterministic controller executes the final straight-line insertion and withdrawal. A safety supervisor monitors target validity, joint limits and distance to a simplified arm model, triggering immediate stop and retraction when unsafe conditions arise.

Grp-21156 Detecting Dealer Gamma Hedging Mechanics: How Llms Identify Market Structure Without Context, Christopher Regan

C-Day Computing Showcase

We introduce obfuscation testing, a novel methodology for validating whether large language models detect structural market patterns through causal reasoning rather than temporal association. Testing three dealer hedging constraint patterns (gamma positioning, stock pinning, 0DTE hedging) on 242 trading days (95.6% coverage) of S&P 500 options data, we find LLMs achieve 71.5% detection rate using unbiased prompts that provide only raw gamma exposure values without regime labels or temporal context. The WHO→WHOM→WHAT causal framework forces models to identify the economic actors (dealers), affected parties (directional traders), and structural mechanisms (forced hedging) underlying observed market dynamics. Critically, detection accuracy (91.2%) remains …

Grp-21155 Autotrader-Agentedge, Christopher Regan

C-Day Computing Showcase

This work presents AutoTrader-AgentEdge, a human-in-loop trading system that positions AI agents as collaborative partners rather than autonomous replacements. We demonstrate that multi-indicator consensus voting combined with human approval achieves superior risk-adjusted returns while maintaining interpretability and control. Core Contribution: A production-ready VoterAgent implementing democratic voting between MACD momentum and RSI extremes, generating transparent trading signals for human evaluation. Unlike black-box automation, our interactive CLI augments trader expertise through interpretable consensus logic. The human retains final decision authority at all critical junctures. Validated Performance: Empirical validation demonstrates multi-indicator voting superiority over single-indicator automation: Sharpe ratio 0.856 vs 0.841, max drawdown …

Grp-20236 Zero-Day Host-Based Intrusion Detection Via Hybrid Deep Sequence Modeling Of Systemcalls​ ​, Syeda Umme Salma

C-Day Computing Showcase

Protecting endpoints has become increasingly challenging, as adversaries have been effective in bypassing defenses. Traditional signature-based Host-based IDS performs quite well at recognizing known patterns but often struggles with previously unseen activity. This study incorporates deep neural sequence modeling with classic OS telemetry to flag novel behavior from Linux system-cell traces. This study design is paired with a sequence encoder over syscall streams, incorporating lightweight statistical signals that are derived from process activity. We believe that our hybrid neural network approach will outperform conventional baselines and boost recall on unknown attacks while maintaining low false-positive rates, providing a practical and …

Grp-20219 Continuous Monitoring Of Cardiovascular Risk From Smartwatch Data Using A Knowledge Distillation Framework, Nursat Jahan

C-Day Computing Showcase

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of global health concern, but current risk assessments are limited to episodic clinical visits. Most machine learning (ML) models trained on clinical data offer high accuracy but are not practical for continuous monitoring. Smartwatch-based wearables provide continuous real-time physiological data but lack clinical validation for robust risk prediction outside the clinical setting. To bridge this gap, we proposed a novel teacher-student knowledge distillation framework that transfers knowledge of complex and large EHR datasets to a small Fitbit smartwatch dataset-based prediction model. The student model achieves promising accuracy, identifying all types of …

Grp-20194 Can Mental Health Apps Really Help Caregivers? Usability Findings From Human-In-The-Loop Nlp And Sentiment-Aware Analytics​, Syeda Umme Salma

C-Day Computing Showcase

Caregivers face distinctive emotional and logistical burdens, yet many mental-health apps overlook their needs and show usability issues. We introduce an automated pipeline that analyzes 317K app-store reviews from 9 apps, mapping them to Nielsen’s usability components and heuristics, together with sentiment. To assess reliability, we run a human–AI agreement study (N=50) where a domain expert (A2) and a non- expert (A1) label reviews. For heuristics, the pipeline achieves 66% exact agreement and moderate κ=0.579 with the expert, outperforming human–human agreement; components remain harder, revealing a need to refine the codebook (e.g., learnability vs satisfaction). Complementary clustering and sentiment analyses …