Computer Sciences Commons^™

Overview Of Metrics, Models, And Simulation For Cyber-Physical Systems, Barry C. Ezell, Luanne Burns Chamberland

VMASC Publications

The metric, models, and simulation for Cyber-Physical Systems focuses on the different frameworks that have been operationalized so that cyber-physical systems can be baselined in security. In addition, the minitrack is interest in innovations in decision support such as cost effective means to decide what metrics should be addressed to get the best value in cybersecurity. There are many challenges to overcome in cyber-physical systems. We ask: How should frameworks be operationalized? What methodologies are available to quantify cybersecurity frameworks while accounting for cyber-physical interactions into account.

Using Journals To Assess Non-Stem Student Learning In Stem Courses: A Case Study In Cybersecurity Education, Gary C. Kessler, Glenn S. Dardick, Douglas L. Holton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers a minor course of study in cybersecurity as an option in our undergraduate Homeland Security program. Since the students are, by and large, social scientists, the focus of the program is to build hyper-awareness of how cybersecurity integrates within their professional aspirations rather than to provide cybersecurity career-level proficiency. Assessing student learning of the technical aspects cannot be performed using traditional tests, as they would not properly measure what the students are learning in a practical sense. Instead, we employ journals and self-reflection to ask the students to express and demonstrate their learning. Although somewhat harder …

The Proceedings Of 15th Australian Information Security Management Conference, 5-6 December, 2017, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia, Craig Valli (Ed.)

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Conference Foreword

The annual Security Congress, run by the Security Research Institute at Edith Cowan University, includes the Australian Information Security and Management Conference. Now in its fifteenth year, the conference remains popular for its diverse content and mixture of technical research and discussion papers. The area of information security and management continues to be varied, as is reflected by the wide variety of subject matter covered by the papers this year. The papers cover topics from vulnerabilities in “Internet of Things” protocols through to improvements in biometric identification algorithms and surveillance camera weaknesses. The conference has drawn interest and …

Strategies To Minimize The Effects Of Information Security Threats On Business Performance, Stella Ifeyinwa Okoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders in Nigeria are concerned about the high rates of business failure and economic loss from security incidents and may not understand strategies for reducing the effects of information security threats on business performance. Guided by general systems theory and transformational leadership theory, the focus of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore the strategies small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders use to minimize the effects of information security threats on business performance. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 SME leaders who worked in SME firms that support oil and gas industry sector in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, had …

Strategic Cyber-Risk Implications Of Cloud Technology Adoption In The U.S. Financial Services Sector, Olatunji Mujib Arowolo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to research, the risks of adopting new technology and the technological and organizational factors that influence adopting it are not clear. Thus, many financial institutions have hesitated to adopt cloud-computing. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to evaluate the cyber-risk implications of cloud-computing adoption in the U.S. financial services sector. The study examined 6 technological and organizational factors: organization size, relative advantage, compliance, security, compatibility, and complexity within the context of cyber-risk. Using a combination of diffusion of innovation theory and technology-organization-environment framework as the foundation, a predictive cybersecurity model was developed to determine the factors that …

Human-Centered Authentication Guidelines, Jeremiah Still, Ashley Cain, David Schuster

Faculty Publications

PurposeDespite the widespread use of authentication schemes and the rapid emergence of novel authentication schemes, a general set of domain-specific guidelines has not yet been developed. This paper aims to present and explain a list of human-centered guidelines for developing usable authentication schemes.Design/methodology/approachThe guidelines stem from research findings within the fields of psychology, human–computer interaction and information/computer science.FindingsInstead of viewing users as the inevitable weak point in the authentication process, this study proposes that authentication interfaces be designed to take advantage of users’ natural abilities. This approach requires that one understands how interactions with authentication interfaces can be improved and …

Teaching Hands-On Cyber Defense Labs To Middle School And High School Students: Our Experience From Gencyber Camps, Peng Jiang, Xin Tian, Chunsheng Xin, Wu He

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

With the high demand of the nation for next generation cybersecurity experts, it is important to design and provide hands-on labs for students at the K-12 level in order to increase their interest in cybersecurity and enhance their confidence in learning cybersecurity skills at the young age. This poster reports some preliminary analysis results from the 2016 GenCyber summer camp held at Old Dominion University (ODU), which is part of a nationwide grant program funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). This poster also demonstrates the design of three hands-on labs which have been …

Investigation On Security Issues And Features In Social Media Sites (Face Book, Twitter, & Google+), Puneet Kumar Goud Kandikanti

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Social media sites allow users to communicate and share their information which are a matter of privacy for users, so users should be aware about its limitations and disad-vantages to use social media sites. Likewise, there are many social media sites with its dif-ferent features and it typically works with the latest technology that is provided by the ex-perts to get connected and go along with the flow. The online privacy issues have been a re-al time problem and these however is the main aim for the experts to reduce the problems while sharing the kind of content that is …

Threats To Information Protection - Industry And Academic Perspectives: An Annotated Bibliography, Michael E. Whitman, Herbert J. Mattord

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Threats to information assets have always been a concern to those responsible for making information useful and defending its value. The concepts of threat, threat agent, threat events and threat sources have evolved in recent years have very precise definitions. A summary of threat classification models used in academic research is provided along with a summary of recent industry threat assessment reports. Finally, the results from a recent study, 2015 SEC/CISE Threats to Information Protection Report Including a Current Snapshot of the State of the Industry, are given.

Ransomware In High-Risk Environments, Shallaw M. Aziz

Information Technology Capstone Research Project Reports

In today’s modern world, cybercrime is skyrocketing globally, which impacts a variety of organizations and endpoint users. Hackers are using a multitude of approaches and tools, including ransomware threats, to take over targeted systems. These acts of cybercrime lead to huge damages in areas of business, healthcare systems, industry sectors, and other fields. Ransomware is considered as a high risk threat, which is designed to hijack the data. This paper is demonstrating the ransomware types, and how they are evolved from the malware and trojan codes, which is used to attack previous incidents, and explains the most common encryption algorithms …

Developing An Abac-Based Grant Proposal Workflow Management System, Milson Munakami

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the advent of the digital transformation, online business processes need to be automated and modeled as workflows. A workflow typically involves a sequence of coordinated tasks and shared data that need to be secured and protected from unauthorized access. In other words, a workflow can be described simply as the movement of documents and activities through a business process among different users. Such connected flow of information among various users with different permission level offers many benefits along with new challenges. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated as skilled and motivated attackers both insiders and outsiders are equipped with …

The Impact Of Security Cues On User Perceived Security In E-Commerce, Samuel N. Smith, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Maggie X. Cheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Users are expected to assess the level of security of e-commerce websites before conducting online transactions. In this research, we examine user assessment of security of e-commerce web pages based on cues presented on the web pages. A pilot study was conducted in which each subject assessed six e-commerce web pages with varying cues (i.e., HTTP vs. HTTPS, fraudulent vs. authentic URL, padlocks beside fields), and the findings are reported.

Aviation And Cybersecurity: Opportunities For Applied Research, Jon Haass, Radhakrishna Sampigethaya, Vincent Capezzuto

Publications

Aviation connects the global community and is moving more people and payloads faster than ever. The next decade will experience an increase in manned and unmanned aircraft and systems with new features and unprecedented applications. Cybertechnologies—including software, computer networks, and information technology—are critical and fundamental to these advances in meeting the needs of the aviation ecosystem of aircraft, pilots, personnel, passengers, stakeholders, and society. This article discusses current and evolving threats as well as opportunities for applied research to improve the global cybersecurity stance in the aviation and connected transportation industry of tomorrow.

The History Of Chinese Cybersecurity: Current Effects On Chinese Society Economy, And Foreign Relations, Vaughn C. Rogers

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Chinese cybersecurity has become an infamous topic in the field of cybersecurity today, causing a great deal of controversy. The controversy stems from whether or not censorship is hindering Chinese economy, society, and relationships with other countries. The White Papers (中国政府白皮书), the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国宪法), and The Internet in China (中国互联网状况) all suggest that there is a free flow of Internet both within and without China that promotes peaceful socioeconomic development which the Chinese government seeks to promote. But is China sacrificing lucrative business prospects to secure …

Cybersecurity Best Practices For Information Professionals, Darla Jackson

Other Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Gasday Security Policy Through Penetration Testing And Application Of The Nist Cybersecurity Framework, Andrew Nicholas Kirkham

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This thesis explores cybersecurity from the perspective of the Marquette University GasDay lab. We analyze three different areas of cybersecurity in three independent chapters. Our goal is to improve the cybersecurity capabilities of GasDay, Marquette University, and the natural gas industry. We present network penetration testing as a process of attempting to gain access to resources of GasDay without prior knowledge of any valid credentials. We discuss our method of identifying potential targets using industry standard reconnaissance methods. We outline the process of attempting to gain access to these targets using automated tools and manual exploit creation. We propose several …

Girl’S Cybersecurity Camp, Sarah Cunha, Dale Rowe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2015, the BYU Cybersecurity Research Lab (CSRL) held its first annual summer camp for Girls aged 14-18. A total of 38 girls attended the week’s activities and workshops. While over 75% of girls indicated they had taken a computing-related class, only 40% reported any significant interest in cybersecurity prior to the summercamp with 10% believing they had some experience in the field. At the conclusion of the camp, 80% of attendees reported a significant interest in the field with 100% of attendees interested in attending a similar event again.

An Empirical Assessment Of Employee Cyberslacking In The Public Sector: The Social Engineering Threat, Wilnelia Hernández, Yair Levy, Michelle M. Ramim

CCE Faculty Articles

Employees spend time during work hours on non – work related activities including visiting e - commerce Websites, managing personal email accounts, and engaging in e - banking. These types of actions in the workplace are known as cyber slacking. Cyber slacking affects employees’ productivity, presents legal concerns, and undermines the security of the employer’s network. This research study addressed the problem of cyber slacking in the public sector, by assessing the ethical severity of cyber slacking activities, as well as how employees perceived that the frequency of such activities occurred by their co - workers. Participants from public sector …

Exploring The Cybersecurity Hiring Gap, Adam O. Pierce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing segments of information technology. The Commonwealth of Virginia has 30,000 cyber-related jobs open because of the lack of skilled candidates. The study is necessary because some business managers lack strategies for hiring cybersecurity professionals for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies business managers in DoD contracting companies used to fill cybersecurity positions. The conceptual framework used for this study was the organizational learning theory. A purposeful sample of 8 successful business managers with cybersecurity responsibilities working for U.S. DoD contracting companies that successfully …

Development Of A Cybersecurity Skills Index: A Scenarios-Based, Hands-On Measure Of Non-It Professionals' Cybersecurity Skills, Melissa Carlton

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Completing activities online are a part of everyday life, both professionally and personally. But, conducting daily operations, interacting, and sharing information on the Internet does not come without its risks as well as a potential for harm. Substantial financial and information losses for individuals, organizations, and governments are reported regularly due to vulnerabilities as well as breaches caused by insiders. Although advances in Information Technology (IT) have been significant over the past several decades when it comes to protection of corporate information systems (IS), human errors and social engineering appear to prevail in circumventing such IT protections. While most employees …

U.S. Energy Sector Cybersecurity: Hands-Off Approach Or Effective Partnership?, T. M. Ballou, Joseph A. Allen, Kyle Francis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recent reporting has identified significant threats to the U.S. energy’s critical infrastructure from nation states and other groups through cyberspace. Efforts to improve the security and resilience of U.S. energy infrastructure relies upon voluntary partnerships between the U.S. Government and public and private energy infrastructure owners. This paper examines ideal Public-Private Partnership (PPP) characteristics and compares them to an actual PPP in the U.S. The results identify strengths of and challenges to efforts to secure U.S. energy infrastructure. The research was conducted through a combination of literature reviews and interviews with a sample of U.S-government and private-energy infrastructure representatives.

Light-Weight Encryption And Dynamic Data Protection Mechanism For Resource-Constrained Devices, Maytham Mustafa Hammood

Theses and Dissertations

Unattended wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) can assist a wide range of monitoring applications in hostile environment (e.g., battlefields, uncultivated fields, volcanic zones, underwater areas, etc.). However, they cannot offload captured or generated data to a sink in real time, and preservation of data at sensor nodes is important. In this work, we accomplish the availability and confidentiality of data in UWSNs. In case of failure or compromise of sensor nodes which can result in unavailability or loss of data, we propose an on-demand data replication method that can dynamically change the extent of replication to improve data survivability with minimal …

Homesafe: A Mobile Application Utilizing Encryption And Access Control, Kenneth Trumpoldt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Our society is becoming more virtual and mobile everyday. The purpose of this application is to transform a physical card system into a virtual card system that meets the demands of a technologically-oriented society. Parents will be able to create their own child identification cards more quickly and cost efficiently. Cards can be easily edited instead of having to order an updated replacement. Immediate and frequent alteration of cards allows for information to be more accurate. Cards can be shared globally and instantly via the Internet or shared connections such as Bluetooth. The fast access to and virtual duplication of …

Teaching Cybersecurity Using The Cloud, Khaled Salah, Mohammad Hammoud, Sherali Zeadally

Information Science Faculty Publications

Cloud computing platforms can be highly attractive to conduct course assignments and empower students with valuable and indispensable hands-on experience. In particular, the cloud can offer teaching staff and students (whether local or remote) on-demand, elastic, dedicated, isolated, (virtually) unlimited, and easily configurable virtual machines. As such, employing cloud-based laboratories can have clear advantages over using classical ones, which impose major hindrances against fulfilling pedagogical objectives and do not scale well when the number of students and distant university campuses grows up. We show how the cloud paradigm can be leveraged to teach a cybersecurity course. Specifically, we share our …

An Electroencephalogram (Eeg) Based Biometrics Investigation For Authentication: A Human-Computer Interaction (Hci) Approach, Ricardo J. Rodriguez

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Encephalogram (EEG) devices are one of the active research areas in human-computer interaction (HCI). They provide a unique brain-machine interface (BMI) for interacting with a growing number of applications. EEG devices interface with computational systems, including traditional desktop computers and more recently mobile devices. These computational systems can be targeted by malicious users. There is clearly an opportunity to leverage EEG capabilities for increasing the efficiency of access control mechanisms, which are the first line of defense in any computational system.

Access control mechanisms rely on a number of authenticators, including “what you know”, “what you have”, and “what you …

The Data Protection Credibility Crisis, Fred H. Cate, Christopher Kuner, Christopher Millard, Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Orla Lynskey

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Thinking About Technology - Cybersecurity: Breaches And Heartbleed To Byod—Are Bankers, Entertainment Company Executives, Celebrities, Postal Workers, Ice Cream Lovers, Home Builders, And Cios The Only Ones Who Should Be Concerned?, Darla Jackson

Other Faculty Publications

In 2013 and 2014, we have continually heard about data security breaches and cybersecurity has become a major concern for the legal community. Reports of information leakage and security breach concerns at legal information vendors, firms, universities, and even courts continued to increase. Ms. Jackson addresses the increasing cybersecurity concerns and suggests some considerations for law librarian, legal information professionals, and the organizations they serve in determining the measures to address security threats.

Framing The Question, "Who Governs The Internet?", Robert J. Domanski

Publications and Research

There remains a widespread perception among both the public and elements of academia that the Internet is “ungovernable”. However, this idea, as well as the notion that the Internet has become some type of cyber-libertarian utopia, is wholly inaccurate. Governments may certainly encounter tremendous difficulty in attempting to regulate the Internet, but numerous types of authority have nevertheless become pervasive. So who, then, governs the Internet? This book will contend that the Internet is, in fact, being governed, that it is being governed by specific and identifiable networks of policy actors, and that an argument can be made as to …

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 …

The Indiana Cybersecurity Services Center (Incsc): A Cost-Benefit Analysis For K-12 Schools, Hans Christian Vargas Silva

Open Access Theses

The aim of this thesis is to determine if there are greater benefits than costs associated in the participation of public K-12 school corporations in the Indiana Cybersecurity Services Center (INCSC). This thesis is an ex-antecost-benefit analysis policy assessment of the INCSC. The study consisted of a sample of 6 school corporations from which 5 were classified as small and 1 was large. Three methods were considered for data collection; however conducting interviews was the most effective method due to the interaction with IT personnel from each organization in order to analyze current costs related to 4 areas of …