Cybersecurity Commons^™

Energy Security Strategy Empowered By Artificial Intelligence, Qiang Ji, Jiaofeng Pan, Yu Song

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of unprecedented changes in a century, geopolitical restructuring has led to the fragmentation of energy game camps, climate change has impacted the resilience of energy infrastructure, and energy transformation has promoted the multidimensional and coordinated expansion of security connotations. Artificial intelligence, with its core advantages such as optimizing geopolitical risk prevention and control, enhancing infrastructure protection, improving energy system efficiency, and accelerating the integration of renewable energy, has promoted the shift of energy security strategy from experience driven to data-driven intelligence, achieving comprehensive risk identification, dynamic evaluation, collaborative response, and full chain monitoring, significantly improving the efficiency, …

Large Models Empowering Cybersecurity: Opportunities And Challenges, Zhuofeng He, Dongbin Hu, Yige Yuan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Cybersecurity serves as a critical pillar for national security and social stability. Large models in cybersecurity are emerging as key enablers for the intelligent transformation of cyber offense and defense systems. As one of the most advanced core technologies in artificial intelligence, large models are introducing new research directions and application paradigms in the cybersecurity domain. This study systematically reviews the current landscape of cybersecurity-oriented large model applications and products, and explores their deployment scenarios in practice. It further analyzes the development trends in model capabilities, industry ecosystems, and trustworthiness, while identifying major practical challenges such as data privacy protection, …

Critical Core Technology Breakthroughs In Large-Scale Models: Industrialization Strategies And Policy Implications, Zhongqi Wu, Yinshan Liu, Tao Dai, Xiaolong Zheng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As a pivotal direction for breakthroughs in key core technologies within the artificial intelligence domain, large-scale models hold strategic significance in securing national scientific and technological sovereignty. This study employs a multidimensional framework encompassing “technological breakthroughs, industrial transformation, and governance policies” to systematically investigate the developmental trajectories and industrialization bottlenecks of large-scale models. At the technological level, while large-scale models exhibit exponential growth in parameter scale and computing power demands, they face critical challenges including the scarcity of high-quality data, insufficient transfer learning capabilities, and reliability-explainability trade-offs. Industrially, these models are reshaping the global industrial chain landscape through a dual-track …

Stop Blaming My Users: Illumination Of The Technocentric Mythos Bias, Ervin H. Frenzel, Richard Lightcap

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

 Abstract -This conceptual essay addresses the need for systemic and systematic transdisciplinary analytical techniques within cybersecurity and technical security. This conceptual essay is contingent upon recognition that cybersecurity is not simply technical in nature, it does not need an adversary, and more importantly it is based upon systems engineering and systems thinking.  The essay contributes a socio-technical attribution chain and field-specific ontology/taxonomy which distinguish user-triggered events from root causes, latent conditions, technical debt, validation failures, governance failures, and attribution bias before assigning responsibility to end users. It systematically defines an ontology inclusive of developer technical debt, organizational debt arising from …

Escaping The Cyberstorm: A Gamified Social Engineering Training Program, Noah Mcclanahan, Fadi Abu-Amara, Ali Khattab, Travis Jett, Andre Jackson

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

In this research work, we explored the effectiveness of gamification in improving cybersecurity awareness and training users on targeted social engineering attacks. Traditional cybersecurity training focuses on lectures and videos. These training methods may not actively engage employees, which reduces their knowledge retention and ability to recognize social engineering attacks. This lack of involvement is a concern, as social engineering continues to be one of the most prevalent attack methods faced by end-users. A gamified training program, Escaping the Cyberstorm, was developed using the Godot game engine to address key challenges in spreading cybersecurity awareness. The game includes real-life …

Assessment And Evidence Practices In Cybersecurity Education: A Systematic Review (2015–2025), James K. Mayberry

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study presents a PRISMA-based systematic review of 412 cybersecurity education intervention studies, coding assessment methods, evidence types, claimed outcomes, use of established assessment instruments, and artifact availability. Despite frequent claims of skill development and workforce preparation, 45.4% of studies reported no identifiable assessment. Knowledge tests appeared in 11.4% of studies, while performance assessments appeared in 10.2%. From 2015 to 2025, assessment practices remained dominated by post-only designs or no assessment, with no statistically detectable increase in pre/post-capable designs. Use of established assessment instruments was rare, with 94.2% of assessed studies using ad hoc measures or not identifying an established …

Assessing Flaws In Captcha Security Through Progress In Ai, Jaydon Stanislowski

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Protecting the internet from the threat of malicious bot activity is an important problem as AI tools become more powerful and commonplace over time. To that end, security measures are employed across websites in the form of CAPTCHAs, short challenges designed to identify and block fake web traffic. Yet, they become less effective over time as AI becomes more powerful, and thus more capable of solving them. This paper examines recent research on the threat to CAPTCHA security posed by current AI models and how this security can be reinforced over time, focusing primarily on Google’s reCAPTCHA v3.

Zero Trust Architecture And Ransomware Mitigation, Ely Johnson

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Ransomware has become a critical threat to modern enterprises, exploiting excessive privileges and flat network architectures to spread rapidly. Traditional perimeter-based security models are insufficient, as they rely on implicit trust within internal networks. This paper examines how Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) mitigates ransomware through least privilege access, continuous monitoring, and micro- segmentation. Experimental results show that ZTA can significantly reduce impact, limiting encryption to about 20% of targeted files while preserving most data. Continuous monitoring enables rapid detection (5.3 seconds) with high accuracy (up to 97.2%) and a 78% reduction in false positives. Micro-segmentation further restricts lateral movement, reducing …

Security Limitations Of The Can Bus And Detection Through Power Fingerprinting, Ken Broden

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

This paper examines the vulnerabilities of the Controller Area Network (CAN), the standard communication protocol used in most modern vehicles. It explains why CAN is widely adopted and outlines key security weaknesses in its design. The paper then reviews recent research efforts to detect and mitigate these vulnerabilities, with particular focus on an approach to origin authentication that relies on the unique power consumption patterns of each individual electronic control unit on a CAN bus.

Leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks For Through-The-Wall Radar Imaging: Challenges, Impacts, And Future Directions, Tumaini Edgar, Abdulla F. Ally, Abdi T. Abdalla

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Through-the-wall radar imaging (TWRI) is an essential technology for military and rescue applications; however, its performance in detecting and visualizing high-quality images of targets behind walls is significantly degraded by multipath reflections and signal attenuation. This paper reviews the current state of TWRI and its challenges, and explores the transformative potential of deep learning, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), in addressing these challenges. Peer-reviewed articles published from 2018 to 2024 were analysed to examine CNN applications in addressing TWRI challenges. The analysis reveals that using CNNs, TWRI systems can be more effective by filtering wall distortions, reducing noise, lowering computational …

Anomaly Detection For Multi-System Bug Triage, Gibran Miguel Zavala Gamero, Hayoung Cheon, Mustafa Iqbal

SMU Data Science Review

Large-scale software systems produce vast volumes of logs and telemetry, making manual incident triage slow and error prone. This study presents an unsupervised anomaly detection pipeline that fuses logs, metrics, and traces through late fusion. Using Hybrid Ensemble modeling with Isolation Forest, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Deep Learning model, the system detects cross-service anomalies producing and assigning a composite triage score reflecting severity and impact. Ranked alerts are categorized into Critical, High, or Medium priorities for review. A retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) layer enriches results with contextual summaries for explainable triage. Evaluated on synthetic multi-service datasets, the pipeline …

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, …

Big Tech As Transnational Spyware Regulator, Natalie R. Davidson

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Spyware has emerged as a potent tool for leaders to shrink dem- ocratic contestation. In response to calls for constraints on the trade in spyware, states have updated the principal multilateral agree- ment on export controls, civil society groups have employed strate- gic litigation, and the European Union has altered its regulation, in each case with the aim of limiting exports where there is a risk of human rights violations. Yet, scandals involving the Israeli company NSO, among others, have made clear that even the updated regula- tory landscape is inadequate. Many actors are currently debating the reasons for existing …

Three Decades Of Chinese Internet Technology: Social Risks And Prevention Pathways, Zhaokai Yin, Weifu Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

With the rapid advancement and application of big data, artificial intelligence, and mobile Internet technologies, network technology has been driving social development, while its negative effects have gradually emerged. Based on a critical perspective and logical reasoning, this study systematically reviews the evolution and characteristic manifestations of social risks in China’s network technology over the past 30 years, revealing multiple hidden dangers it has caused in data governance, capital operation, and political communication. Under the new situation, to prevent and defuse the social risks of network technology, precise measures should be taken from aspects such as value guidance, institutional regulation, …

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 …

Systematic Review Of Elementary Cybersecurity Education: Curriculum, Pedagogy, And Barriers, Na Liu, Siyu Long, Florence Martin

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Abstract -As children increasingly engage with digital platforms, the need for effective cybersecurity education has become urgent. This systematic review synthesizes 81 studies published between 2017 and 2024 to examine global curricula research focus and topics, pedagogical approaches and assessment methods, and key challenges in elementary cybersecurity education. The findings reveal six major thematic categories: student awareness, parental mediation, teacher engagement, curriculum design, community and policy support, and pedagogical innovation. Among instructional strategies, game-based learning and narrative storytelling emerge as the most frequently explored. Despite this growth, major gaps remain in curriculum consistency, teacher preparation, assessment rigor, and stakeholder coordination. …

Optimizing Cybersecurity Through Ai Predictive Analytics And Human Expertise, Cathy Mae C. Dutong

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Hideki Takei, DBA

As cybersecurity threats evolve in complexity and scale, the reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent across both public and private sectors. This study examines the dual role of AI-driven predictive analytics in strengthening organizational cybersecurity, while addressing the ongoing need for human oversight. Through a mixed-method approach, combining survey data from cybersecurity professionals with an extensive literature review, this research analyzes AI's capacity to detect emerging threats, the systemic challenges associated with AI integration, and the indispensable role of human expertise in interpreting AI outputs. Findings indicate that while AI enhances proactive …

Securing Ai-Generated Code, Andreas E. Nelson

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

The increasing use of AI for code generation presents significant security challenges, as these tools often lack inherent security awareness and can produce vulnerable code. This paper investigates these security risks, outlining common types of vulnerabilities (such as injection flaws and improper resource handling) found in AI-generated code. It further explores and evaluates mitigation techniques aimed at im-proving code security, including model fine-tuning and adversarial strategies like Security Verifier Enhanced Neural Steering (SVEN). Findings indicate that while current methods offer promising ways to reduce vulnerabilities, ongoing research and development are crucial for the secure and responsible deployment of AI in …

The Effectiveness Of Scenario-Based Cybersecurity Day Camps In Southern Rural Appalachia, Anna P. Rodgers-Stine, Tania Williams

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

As the emphasis on cybersecurity instruction in the K12 environment continues to expand, furthering access to cybersecurity education is paramount across the United States. While designated cybersecurity courses are not available in many schools, the implementation of cybersecurity camps may help to bridge the gap and increase student interest in and awareness of cybersecurity as a field. From 2021 through 2024, cybersecurity day camps were held in a region in rural southern Appalachia with the goal of increasing student interest and access to cybersecurity topics. Through the creation and implementation of these camps, it was found that scenario-based cybersecurity day …

Context-Switch Attacks: Understanding And Mitigating The Threat To Llm Applications, Sydney Holder, Bivin Sadler

SMU Data Science Review

Large Language Models (LLMs) are transforming conversational AI, yet their dependence on prompt-supplied context exposes them to context-switch attacks that covertly steer dialogue toward sensitive or malicious ends. A 70 one-sided conversation transcript evaluation set was constructed spanning various fraudulent scenarios. Each transcript embeds adversarial patterns drawn while preserving natural conversational flow. We introduce a hybrid defense that pairs a BERT-based semantic-drift detector (cosine-similarity threshold = 0.70) with a curated keyword and hack-phrase scanner to counter these threats. In aggregate, the system delivered 100 % recall, intercepting every simulated phishing or data-harvesting attempt. The keyword layer achieved perfect precision, generating …

Improving Image Quality In Electrical Capacitance Tomography Using Otsu Thresholding, Josiah Nombo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) is an imaging technique used in industrial process monitoring, particularly for monitoring and measuring the composition of multiphase flows. Despite its widespread application, the commonly used Linear Back Projection (LBP) algorithm often produces low-quality images due to its limited ability to handle high permittivity contrasts and nonlinearities. This study investigates the use of Otsu thresholding as a post-processing technique to enhance ECT image quality. By maximizing inter-class variance in the image histogram, Otsu thresholding improves contrast, clarity, and structural definition, enabling more effective segmentation of oil and gas components in multiphase flows. The proposed Otsu-based reconstruction …

Design And Implementation Of Secured Hybrid Gateway Node For Securing Iot - Enabled Distribution Automation, Ally Bitebo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The integration of smart grid and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of services provided by traditional electrical grids. This combination has enabled the introduction of new services, such as demand response, automatic meter reading, and IoT-enabled Distribution Automation (IoT-DA), which incorporates sensors, actuators, intelligent electrical devices (IEDs), and information and communication technologies to monitor and control the grid. However, this integration also introduces network security risks, including Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, false data injection, and masquerading attacks, such as system node impersonation that can transmit incorrect readings, trigger false alarms, and …

Challenges, Countermeasures, And Forward-Looking Technologies For Cyber Society Governance From System Security Perspective, Hongbin Pei, Jingxin Hai, Pinghui Wang, Xiaohong Guan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

With the rapid development and widespread application of artificial intelligence and information technologies, the cyber society has evolved into a new form featuring human-machine integration, mass interaction, and intelligent interconnection. While transforming human life and production, it has also brought security risks such as cyberattacks, privacy breaches, online rumors, and information cocoons, posing serious challenges to social order. Cyber society governance has thus become a key component of national governance modernization. This study proposes the STC governance paradigm from a system security perspective, covering three key dimensions: security (cyber infrastructure security), trustworthiness (credibility of cyber entity identities), and controllability (content …

Assessment Of Web Security Vulnerabilities For Common Open Source Virtualization Software, Said Ally

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Open-source hypervisors have emerged as an integral technology for virtualizing server resources in cloud and data center computing. Hypervisor security efficiency is determined by virtual machine isolation, which is a de facto adoption factor in the selection process, as well as its ability to respond to web attacks. This paper assesses the security performance of Proxmox VE and XenServer for type 1 hypervisors, and Kernel Virtual Machine and Oracle Virtual Box for type 2 hypervisors. Security analysis was conducted using common exposures extracted from vulnerability databases and mapped against the OWASP 2013 and 2017 projects. For clarity, experiments were carried …

Investigations Of Cell Tower Antennas Parameters On Reduction Of Radio Frequency Radiation Levels From Radio Base Stations, Florence U. Rashidi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The widespread deployment of mobile cellular base stations in populated areas has raised public health concerns due to increased exposure to radio frequency (RF) radiation emissions. Exposure to high levels of RF radiation can have potential thermal and non-thermal biological effects. Optimizing the configuration of cell tower antenna parameters is crucial for mitigating these radiation levels. This study therefore aims at systematically investigating the influence of different cell tower antenna parameters on reducing the RF radiation levels from mobile base stations. Field measurements were conducted at two cell sites shared by multiple mobile operators. Electric field strengths were measured at …

Concept And Development Trend Of Novel E-Infrastructure Platform, Jing Xu, Chuan Tang, Kuangjunyu Yang, Juan Zhang, Ru Huang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

E-infrastructure platform has become a critical strategic asset for driving national scientific and technological innovation, and is the focus of strategic deployment by technologically advanced countries globally. This study, through the analysis of relevant strategy documents in the United States, European Union, and the United Kingdom, the relevant concepts and development changes of the novel E-infrastructure platform have been clarified. It also summarizes the planning process and development stages of e-infrastructure platform in the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom, and analyzes that e-infrastructure platform will develop towards a new type of ecological, intelligent, diversified, and full process novel …

Evaluation Of Business-Driven Reference Architecture For Big Data Analytics Implementation By Public Sector Organizations In Resource-Constrained Setting: A Case Study Of Uganda, Matendo Didas

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Big Data Analytics (BDA) is a new area at the nexus of agenda, public sector organizations, and government business. It may satisfy the growing need for trustworthy, cost-effective services in the public sector for better, more informed decision-making processes. BDA has been proposed on the planning schedules of several public sector organizations and the government. Therefore, from the previous work, using Uganda as a case study, specifically the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Ministry of Health (MoH), and Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), this study aims to evaluate a designed Business-Driven Reference Architecture for Big Data Analytics Implementation (BRABDAI) …

Data Communication Over Power-Lines: A Review On Technical, And Applications Challenges, Abdi Abdalla

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper presents a review study on the data communication over power-lines, commonly referred to as power-line carrier, power-line communication (PLC), mains communications, or power-line digital subscriber line (PDSL). This study examines the technical and application advantages and challenges associated with adopting PLC as a preferred alternative technology for wideband or broadband data communication. The broader coverage area of the PLC network gives it a distinct advantage over other communication network technologies. Additionally, implementing a communication system using the existing power-line network is more cost-effective and less time-consuming compared to constructing a new network from scratch. However, the primary challenge …

How Do Preservice Teachers Learn To Teach Integrated Computational Thinking?: Evidence From Planning, Enactment, And Reflection, Rachael Dektor, Samuel Severance, Kip Téllez

Journal of Computer Science Integration

This study examines pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) beliefs and understandings about computational thinking (CT) integration and lesson implementation over time. Utilizing a design-based research approach, 3 PSTs led the co-design of integrated CT lessons with support from researchers and enacted these CT integrated lessons with K-5 students. All PSTs participated in a whole-group CT workshop and engaged in one-on-one lesson design sessions with a researcher. We utilized a grounded theory approach to qualitatively analyze pre-surveys, semi-structured interviews, and video data of three PSTs enacting their lessons. We found that PSTs’ initial beliefs about CT instruction – including the importance of it …

Evaluation Of Cybersecurity In Remote Working Settings For Mobile Network Operators, Victoria Mahabi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Cybersecurity has increasingly been a primary concern to people as technology advances and allows them to work remotely. This study thus evaluated the cybersecurity posture for organisations that have opted for remote working culture, whereas emerging cyber threats, practices to combat them, and appropriate guidelines for managing cyber threats were discussed. The study used a descriptive design with a quantitative approach from 118 information technology personnel working for Tanzania's three major mobile network operators (MNOs). SPSS analysed the collected data. The study revealed that predominant cyber-threats affecting MNOs in remote working include human errors, phishing attacks, malicious domains, denial of …