Computer Sciences Commons^™

Discovering The Traces Of Disinformation On Instagram, Haley Bragg, Michele C. Weigle (Mentor)

Computer & Information Science: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Disinformation Detection and Analytics

Disinformation, which is fabricated, misleading content spread with the intent to deceive others, is accumulating substantial engagements and reaching a vast audience on Instagram. However, the temporary nature of the platform and the security guidelines that remove malicious content make studying this disinformation a challenge. The only way to access removed content and banned accounts that are no longer on the live web is by searching the web archives. In this study, we set out to quantify the replayability and quality of past captures of Instagram accounts, specifically focusing on a group of of anti-vax content creators known as the …

Introduction To The Course, Michael Mcshane, C. Ariel Pinto, Hesamoddin Tahami, Hengameh Fakhravar

Developing Technology Foresight: Case Study of AI in InsurTech

This PDF document describes the course, Developing Technology Foresight: Case Study of AI in InsurTech, and includes learning outcomes and a course outline.

Insurtech And Underwriting, Michael Mcshane, C. Ariel Pinto, Hesamoddin Tahami, Hengameh Fakhravar

Developing Technology Foresight: Case Study of AI in InsurTech

Questions regarding InsurTech and underwriting work.

Insurtech And Claims, Michael Mcshane, C. Ariel Pinto, Hesamoddin Tahami, Hengameh Fakhravar

Developing Technology Foresight: Case Study of AI in InsurTech

Questions related to InsurTech and claims.

Estimating Efforts For Various Activities In Agile Software Development: An Empirical Study, Lan Cao

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Effort estimation is an important practice in agile software development. The agile community believes that developers’ estimates get more accurate over time due to the cumulative effect of learning from short and frequent feedback. However, there is no empirical evidence of an improvement in estimation accuracy over time, nor have prior studies examined effort estimation in different development activities, which are associated with substantial costs. This study fills the knowledge gap in the field of software estimation in agile software development by investigating estimations across time and different development activities based on data collected from a large agile project. This …

Machine Learning In Requirements Elicitation: A Literature Review, Cheligeer Cheligeer, Jingwei Huang, Guosong Wu, Nadia Bhuiyan, Yuan Xu, Yong Zeng

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

A growing trend in requirements elicitation is the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to automate the cumbersome requirement handling process. This literature review summarizes and analyzes studies that incorporate ML and natural language processing (NLP) into demand elicitation. We answer the following research questions: (1) What requirement elicitation activities are supported by ML? (2) What data sources are used to build ML-based requirement solutions? (3) What technologies, algorithms, and tools are used to build ML-based requirement elicitation? (4) How to construct an ML-based requirements elicitation method? (5) What are the available tools to support ML-based requirements elicitation methodology? Keywords …

A Probabilistic Perspective Of Human-Machine Interaction, Mustafa Canan, Mustafa Demir, Samuel Kovacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Human-machine interaction (HMI) has become an essential part of the daily routine in organizations. Although the machines are designed with state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence applications, they are limited in their ability to mimic human behavior. The human-human interaction occurs between two or more humans; when a machine replaces a human, the interaction dynamics are not the same. The results indicate that a machine that interacts with a human can increase the mental uncertainty that a human experiences. Developments in decision sciences indicate that using quantum probability theory (QPT) improves the understanding of human decision-making than merely using classical probability theory (CPT). …

Cybersecurity In Fintech Companies, Efstratios Zouros

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Have you recently accessed your bank account online? Have you accessed any financial instrument through your computer or your mobile device? If you are reading this, chances are you have. Every time you utilize those services, you ultimately put your trust in the financial institutions that offer them. You trust that they can securely keep your private information, while also keeping your savings safe. Ultimately, there is a certain dependability and trust in financial institutions that have been present on earth before most of us.

Digital Forensic Investigation, Dejuan Green

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Finding, acquiring, processing, analyzing, and reporting data on electronically stored data is the main goal of the forensic science discipline known as "digital forensics." Nearly all illegal acts include the use of electronic evidence, making digital forensics support essential for law enforcement investigations. Furthermore, digital forensics is very important to cases aiding in many cases and can lead to saving lives/ victims and locking up criminals. A wide range of devices, including laptops, cellphones, remote storage, unmanned aerial systems, shipborne equipment, and more, can be used to gather electronic evidence. [2] Digital forensics' major objective is to take data from …

Understanding The Effectivity And Increased Reliance Of Credit Risk Machine Learning Models In Banking, Grishma Baruah

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Credit risk analysis and making accurate investment and lending decisions has been a challenge for the financial industry for many years, as can be seen with the 2008 financial crisis. However, with the rise of machine learning models and predictive analytics, there has been a shift to increased reliance on technology for determining credit risk. This transition to machine learning comes with both advantages, such as potentially eliminating human error and assumptions from lending decisions, and disadvantages, such as time constraints, data usage inabilities, and lack of understanding nuances in machine learning models. In this paper, I look at four …

Ransombuster Iot: A Intrusion Detection And Dataset Creation Tool For Ransomware Attacks Within Iot Networks, Jackson M. Walker

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The proposed research follows the design-science guidelines(Hevner, 2004). This paper uses these design-science methods for developing the guidelines for the implementation of the proposed architecture, understanding previous research contributions, and evaluating of research. This paper proposes a network artifact for studying ransomware IoT intrusion detection techniques and offers a proposed network architecture to serve as a framework for creating a publicly available dataset for IoT research on ransomware.

Deepfakes: Ai Technology Of The Future, Hosanna Root

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Deepfakes technology’s danger stems from its ability to create realistic but fake synthesized media that people often identify as something that is real. With this powerful technology in the wrong hands, deepfakes can cause devastating havoc through information warfare, election campaign disruptions, and more, creating distrust in society. Disinformation is already rampant today, even without wide deployments of deepfakes, which is concerning given the fact that deepfakes’ nefarious full potentials are yet to be reached.

Mitigation Of Algorithmic Bias To Improve Ai Fairness, Kathy Wang

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly with emerging innovations, mass-scale digitization could be disrupted due to unfair algorithms with historically biased data. With the rising concerns of algorithmic bias, detecting biases is essential in mitigating and implementing an algorithm that promotes inclusive representation. The spread of ubiquitous artificial intelligence means that improving modeling robustness is at its most crucial point. This paper examines the omnipotence of artificial intelligence and its resulting bias, examples of AI bias in different groups, and a potential framework and mitigation strategies to improve AI fairness and remove AI bias from modeling techniques.

Cyber Threat On The High Seas. A Growing Threat To Infrastructure, James Cummins

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

In a growing digital and cloud-connected world, all aspects of our lives are becoming interconnected. All these interconnections breed a possibility for ever-increasing cybersecurity threats. The oceans are not impervious to these attacks. In this research paper, we address the following questions.

What threats do commercial ships face today?

What actions are necessary to mitigate these threats?

Exploratory Analysis Of Password And Login Security Methods, Sofia Huang

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

In 2022, the average cost of a data breach is $4.35 million. Passwords are the first line of defense against unauthorized access to accounts and important data. Ensuring that accounts are secure is vital to protect personal and corporate information. Although big tech companies are researching ways to implement password-free authentication systems, they will likely not be replaced by new technology all of a sudden. Therefore, methods to strengthen passwords and optimize security must be used until more advanced options are easily accessible. In this paper, common forms of password attacks and various methods of password security evaluation and login …

Examining Trends And Experiences Of The Last Four Years Of Socially Engineered Ransomware Attacks, William Seymour

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This study examines and reports the trends of social engineering-based ransomware attacks over the past four years from three major technology corporations. The focus of the reports was on major threat actors and their attacks against the corporations and their clients. The data were organized chronologically by year, and prevalent or abnormal findings were shared in this report. It was found that social engineering attacks were tremendously effective. Many ransomware attacks stemmed from Phishing. Social engineering approaches allowed attackers to conduct breaches using ransomware applications like GandCrab and Ryuk. Humans are incredibly susceptible and fall for social engineering tactics- primarily …

Security Issues With Network Connected Scada Systems, Chad Holm

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems has become common place and are being used in several different industries. These have evolved as the technology has progressed. The use of Internet of Things (IOT) devices makes for less human intervention to run daily operations in these industries. This can also allow hackers to gain access to these devices due to security holes that are overlooked. There have several different ways that have been exploited on SCADA networks and the goal is to recognize and secure them so hackers cannot gain access to them.

Corporate Cybersecurity In The Context Of M&A Transactions, Cameron Beck

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The rapid rise of digital devices has unlocked a new dimension of innovation and prosperity in the 21st century. Computers are now an integrated and ubiquitous part of our global culture. You would be hard-pressed to walk into any given room without several computer chips humming inaudibly inside the machines that facilitate our modern world. Even lightbulbs and doorbells are connected to the Internet, capturing information from the world around them and sending that information to the Cloud. The Internet expands access to communication, international marketplaces, entertainment, professional resources, and nearly every book in the world.

Random Password Generation, Kirk Smith

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This paper will discuss the topic of random generation, first by explaining the topic, followed by how the literature review was performed. Then, a literature review will be performed, followed by a discussion of human biases and the strength of random password generation.

The Future Of Blockchain, Elijah N. Gartrell

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Blockchain is the leading technology for cryptocurrencies, NFT’s and other online marketplace transactions that go through it because of it’s secure technology and how they distribute their data with Smart Contracts. This report shows how we can use Blockchain for other uses in our world and how it could advance us in the cybersecurity aspects. Showing also why we should use blockchain with basic cybersecurity concerns as in: Malware Detection, Voter Fraud, and Medical Record Security.

Odu Undergraduate Students Addressing The Societal Problems Of Parking Control, Classroom Seating, And Flood Monitoring In Hampton Roads, Stephanie K. Trusty, Gabriel Del Razo, Nathan Potter, Soad Ibrahim, Ayman Elmesalami

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

During the summer of 2021, ODU undergraduate computer science students undertook image processing research projects. These projects focused on utilizing the Raspberry Pi computer and camera module to address three real-world problems concerning parking control, classroom seating, and flood monitoring. The parking lot occupancy project aimed to develop a system that monitors the occupancy of parking spaces in a lot and communicates the status of the lot of drivers and the lot attendants. The COVID-19 classroom occupancy project sought to enforce social distancing protocols in a classroom environment by detecting seating violations and notifying the instructor and the impacted students …

The State Of The Art Of Information Integration In Space Applications, Zhuming Bi, K. L. Yung, Andrew W.H. Ip., Yuk Ming Tang, Chris W.J. Zhang, Li Da Xu

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper aims to present a comprehensive survey on information integration (II) in space informatics. With an ever-increasing scale and dynamics of complex space systems, II has become essential in dealing with the complexity, changes, dynamics, and uncertainties of space systems. The applications of space II (SII) require addressing some distinctive functional requirements (FRs) of heterogeneity, networking, communication, security, latency, and resilience; while limited works are available to examine recent advances of SII thoroughly. This survey helps to gain the understanding of the state of the art of SII in sense that (1) technical drivers for SII are discussed and …

Humans And The Core Partition: An Agent-Based Modeling Experiment, Andrew J. Collins, Sheida Etemadidavan

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Although strategic coalition formation is traditionally modeled using cooperative game theory, behavioral game theorists have repeatedly shown that outcomes predicted by game theory are different from those generated by actual human behavior. To further explore these differences, in a cooperative game theory context, we experiment to compare the outcomes resulting from human participants’ behavior to those generated by a cooperative game theory solution mechanism called the core partition. Our experiment uses an interactive simulation of a glove game, a particular type of cooperative game, to collect the participant’s decision choices and their resultant outcomes. Two different glove games are considered, …

Exploring Blockchain Adoption Supply Chains: Opportunities And Challenges, Adrian V. Gheorghe, Omer F. Keskin, Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In modern supply chains, acquisition often occurs with the involvement of a network of organizations. The resilience, efficiency, and effectiveness of supply networks are crucial for the viability of acquisition. Disruptions in the supply chain require adequate communication infrastructure to ensure resilience. However, supply networks do not have a shared information technology infrastructure that ensures effective communication. Therefore decision-makers seek new methodologies for supply chain management resilience. Blockchain technology offers new decentralization and service delegation methods that can transform supply chains and result in a more flexible, efficient, and effective supply chain. This report presents a framework for the application …

The Effects Of Antecedents And Mediating Factors On Cybersecurity Protection Behavior, Ling Li, Li Xu, Wu He

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper identifies opportunities for potential theoretical and practical improvements in employees' awareness of cybersecurity and their motivational behavior to protect themselves and their organizations from cyberattacks using the protection motivation theory. In addition, it contributes to the literature by examining additional variables and mediators besides the core constructs of the Protection Motivation Model (PMT). This article uses empirical data and structural equation modeling to test the antecedents and mediators of employees' cybersecurity motivational behavior. The study offers theoretical and pragmatic guidance for cybersecurity programs. First, the model developed in this study can partially explain how people may change their …

Modeling Iot Solutions: A Lack Of Iot Device Security, And User Education, Benjamin Newlin

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The Internet of Things, more commonly known as IoT devices, is an ever growing topic, both in the marketplace and in cyber security. While new devices are released into the public every year, a lack of standardized security concepts is also growing ever so clear. By having a model or standard for IoT devices and manufacturers to follow, the customer-base of these devices will have an easier time identifying trustworthy devices as well as how to secure their own devices.

Cyber Whistleblowers: The Black Sheep Of Whistleblowing?, Andrew Wisniewski Jr.

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

From the Introduction:

Contrary to popular belief, this paper argues that cyber whistleblowing can contribute to a greater cyber security posture. However, this requires the development of clearer legal obligations and protections for cyber whistleblowers. This paper will explore the psychology behind whistleblowing, the effectiveness of whistleblowing in a cybersecurity context, how to create a safer and more transparent environment for whistleblowers and companies, and how current laws contribute to cyber whistleblowing.

Why Do Family Members Reject Ai In Health Care? Competing Effects Of Emotions, Eun Hee Park, Karl Werder, Lan Cao, Balasubramaniam Ramesh

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) enables continuous monitoring of patients’ health, thus improving the quality of their health care. However, prior studies suggest that individuals resist such innovative technology. In contrast to prior studies that investigate individuals’ decisions for themselves, we focus on family members’ rejection of AI monitoring, as family members play a significant role in health care decisions. Our research investigates competing effects of emotions toward the rejection of AI monitoring for health care. Based on two scenario-based experiments, our study reveals that emotions play a decisive role in family members’ decision making on behalf of their parents. We find …

A Review Of Distributed Identity Technology In Iot Devices, Myles Perry

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Distributed identity technology provides solutions to many of the faults currently found in federated identity systems. Applying this technology to internet of things devices has many possible benefits in the realm of device authentication. However, this also provides new challenges not present in existing distributed identity systems. The large number of devices that would enter and leave the system means balancing sybil attack vulnerability and linkage attack vulnerability becomes challenging. Internet of things devices also have less memory and computing power than a standard personal computer or phone. This means any protocol to execute distributed identity in these devices must …

Cybersecurity & Correctional Institutions, Kelly Himelwright

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important aspect of correctional operations. To properly maintain security, more jails and prisons are using comprehensive cyber protection techniques. Correctional facilities face risks that were perhaps unimaginable only a few decades ago. Many organizations have used information technology to help them run their businesses, but few have the resources or vision to foresee and adequately manage the cyber dangers that come with it. Institutions need to be more aware of these hazards, as well as have more information security experts on staff.