Information Security Commons^™

Neurosecurity For Brainware Devices, Brian Cusack, Kaushik Sundararajan, Reza Khaleghparast

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Brainware has a long history of development down into the present day where very simple and usable devices are available to train for the control of games and services. One of the big areas of application has been in the health sciences to provide compensatory control to humans who may lack the usual capabilities. Our concern has been the protection of information in brainware so that a human intention may have confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility to the required implementation mechanisms for services. The research question was: What are the consequences of security failure in brainware? Our research tested a brainware …

Assessment Of Security Vulnerabilities In Wearable Devices, Brian Cusack, Bryce Antony, Gerard Ward, Shaunak Mody

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Wearable devices have proliferated in usage and human experience, and they provide convenience for personal information requirements. These devices are both sensory and immersive for the diverse global network that is generally termed the Internet of things (IoT). The immediacy of the two-way communication created in the IoT has made vulnerable human behaviour and raised debate around information ownership and privacy expectations. The legitimacy of ownership of information and its reuse are prevalent problems. In this research, we tested four wearable devices that share 44% of the current market, for security vulnerabilities. We found serious weaknesses that could result in …

Literature-Based Analysis Of The Influences Of The New Forces On Isms: A Conceptual Framework, Zahir Al-Rashdi, Martin Dick, Ian Storey

Australian Information Security Management Conference

This paper presents an analysis that arose from a comprehensive review of the academic and professional literature of two areas – information security management systems (ISMS) and information resources – and their relationship with information security. It analyzes the role of ISMS in protecting an organization’s information environment and infrastructure. It has identified four key areas that strongly influence the safety of information resources: cloud computing; social media/networking; mobility; and information management/big data. Commonly referred to as ‘new forces’, these four aspects are all growing exponentially and are not easily controlled by IT. Another key finding of the paper is …

Core Elements In Information Security Accountability In The Cloud, Zahir Al-Rashdi, Martin Dick, Ian Storey

Australian Information Security Management Conference

This paper proposes 9 core elements of information security accountability in the area of cloud computing. The core elements were determined via a series of 18 case studies with Omani government organisations that were actively using and/or providing cloud computing. 36 interviews were conducted and then analysed using a grounded theory methodology As a result of the analysis, responsibility, transparency, assurance, remediation, accountability support environment, flexible change process, collaboration, mechanisms and commitment to external criteria. The research also found that the emphasis on specific core elements is context-dependent and that there was considerable variation in emphasis amongst the case study …

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 …

Availability Of Datasets For Digital Forensics–And What Is Missing, Cinthya Grajeda, Frank Breitinger, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper targets two main goals. First, we want to provide an overview of available datasets that can be used by researchers and where to find them. Second, we want to stress the importance of sharing datasets to allow researchers to replicate results and improve the state of the art. To answer the first goal, we analyzed 715 peer-reviewed research articles from 2010 to 2015 with focus and relevance to digital forensics to see what datasets are available and focused on three major aspects: (1) the origin of the dataset (e.g., real world vs. synthetic), (2) if datasets were released …

Assessing Patient And Caregiver Intent To Use Mobile Device Videoconferencing For Remote Mechanically-Ventilated Patient Management, Brian R. Smith

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Michigan Medicine adult Assisted Ventilation Clinic (AVC) supports patients with neuromuscular disorders and spinal cord injuries and their caregivers at home, helping them avoid expensive emergency department visits, hospitalization, and unnecessary or excessive treatments. Mobile device videoconferencing provides an effective capability for remote mechanically-ventilated patient management but must rely upon an unknown infrastructure comprising patient and caregiver mobile device ownership, connectivity, and experience—and intent to use the service if provided. The purpose of this study was to measure the extent of this infrastructure and the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and intent to use this mobile device …

Anomaly Detection In Rfid Networks, Alaa Alkadi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Available security standards for RFID networks (e.g. ISO/IEC 29167) are designed to secure individual tag-reader sessions and do not protect against active attacks that could also compromise the system as a whole (e.g. tag cloning or replay attacks). Proper traffic characterization models of the communication within an RFID network can lead to better understanding of operation under “normal” system state conditions and can consequently help identify security breaches not addressed by current standards. This study of RFID traffic characterization considers two piecewise-constant data smoothing techniques, namely Bayesian blocks and Knuth’s algorithms, over time-tagged events and compares them in the context …

High Impact Bug Report Identification With Imbalanced Learning Strategies, Xinli Yang, David Lo, Xin Xia, Qiao Huang, Jianling Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In practice, some bugs have more impact than others and thus deserve more immediate attention. Due to tight schedule and limited human resources, developers may not have enough time to inspect all bugs. Thus, they often concentrate on bugs that are highly impactful. In the literature, high-impact bugs are used to refer to the bugs which appear at unexpected time or locations and bring more unexpected effects (i.e., surprise bugs), or break pre-existing functionalities and destroy the user experience (i.e., breakage bugs). Unfortunately, identifying high-impact bugs from thousands of bug reports in a bug tracking system is not an easy …

Safestack+: Enhanced Dual Stack To Combat Data-Flow Hijacking, Yan Lin, Xiaoxiao Tang, Debin Gao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

SafeStack, initially proposed as a key component of Code Pointer Integrity (CPI), separates the program stack into two distinct regions to provide a safe region for sensitive code pointers. SafeStack can prevent buffer overflow attacks that overwrite sensitive code pointers, e.g., return addresses, to hijack control flow of the program, and has been incorporated into the Clang project of LLVM as a C-based language front-end. In this paper, we propose and implement SafeStack+, an enhanced dual stack LLVM plug-in that further protects programs from data-flow hijacking. SafeStack+ locates data flow sensitive variables on the unsafe stack that could potentially affect …

H-Binder: A Hardened Binder Framework On Android Systems, Dong Shen, Zhangkai Zhang, Xuhua Ding, Zhoujun Li, Robert H. Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Binder framework is at the core of Android systems due to its fundamental role for interprocess communications. Applications use the Binder to perform high level tasks such as accessing location information. The importance of the Binder makes it an attractive target for attackers. Rootkits on Android platforms can arbitrarily access any Binder transaction data and therefore have system-wide security impact. In this paper, we propose H-Binder to secure the Binder IPC channel between two applications. It runs transparently with Android and COTS applications without making changes on their binaries. In this work, we design a bare-metal ARM hypervisor with …

Attribute-Based Storage Supporting Secure Deduplication Of Encrypted Data In Cloud, Hui Cui, Robert H. Deng, Yingjiu Li, Guowei Wu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Attribute-based encryption (ABE) has been widely used in cloud computing where a data provider outsources his/herencrypted data to a cloud service provider, and can share the data with users possessing specific credentials (or attributes). However,the standard ABE system does not support secure deduplication, which is crucial for eliminating duplicate copies of identical data inorder to save storage space and network bandwidth. In this paper, we present an attribute-based storage system with securededuplication in a hybrid cloud setting, where a private cloud is responsible for duplicate detection and a public cloud manages thestorage. Compared with the prior data deduplication systems, our …

Security Analytics: Using Deep Learning To Detect Cyber Attacks, Glenn M. Lambert Ii

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Security attacks are becoming more prevalent as cyber attackers exploit system vulnerabilities for financial gain. The resulting loss of revenue and reputation can have deleterious effects on governments and businesses alike. Signature recognition and anomaly detection are the most common security detection techniques in use today. These techniques provide a strong defense. However, they fall short of detecting complicated or sophisticated attacks. Recent literature suggests using security analytics to differentiate between normal and malicious user activities.

The goal of this research is to develop a repeatable process to detect cyber attacks that is fast, accurate, comprehensive, and scalable. A model …

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 …

Leveraging The Srtp Protocol For Over-The-Network Memory Acquisition Of A Ge Fanuc Series 90-30, George Denton, Filip Karpisek, Frank Breitinger, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are common components implemented across many industries such as manufacturing, water management, travel, aerospace and hospitals to name a few. Given their broad deployment in critical systems, they became and still are a common target for cyber attacks; the most prominent one being Stuxnet. Often PLCs (especially older ones) are only protected by an outer line of defense (e.g., a firewall) but once an attacker gains access to the system or the network, there might not be any other defense layers. In this scenario, a forensic investigator should not rely on the existing software as it …

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 …

Preliminary Analysis Of Cyberterrorism Threats To Internet Of Things (Iot) Applications, Bilge Karabacak, Mobolarinwa Balogun, Hayretdin Bahsi

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The era of Internet of Things (IoT) being a combination of various networking and computing technologies already in a state of growth that introduces a new age of data aggregation mechanism and ubiquitous connectivity among physical objects. However, the most of the cyber threats still remain unsolved and may create huge impact on our lives. One of the possible major changes in impact landscape is the imminent physical results of cyber threats as IoT technologies enable closer interactions between humans and information systems. Although the cyber threats to critical infrastructures have been highly considered by the cyber security community, the …

Universally Composable Rfid Mutual Authentication, Chunhua Su, Bagus Santoso, Yingjiu Li, Robert H. Deng, Xinyi Huang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Universally Composable (UC) framework provides the strongest security notion for designing fully trusted cryptographic protocols, and it is very challenging on applying UC security in the design of RFID mutual authentication protocols. In this paper, we formulate the necessary conditions for achieving UC secure RFID mutual authentication protocols which can be fully trusted in arbitrary environment, and indicate the inadequacy of some existing schemes under the UC framework. We define the ideal functionality for RFID mutual authentication and propose the first UC secure RFID mutual authentication protocol based on public key encryption and certain trusted third parties which can be …

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

Publications

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 …

Broadband Router Security: History, Challenges And Future Implications, Patryk Szewczyk, Rose Macdonald

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Consumer grade broadband routers are integral to accessing the Internet and are primarily responsible for the reliable routing of data between networks. Despite the importance of broadband routers, security has never been at the forefront of their evolution. Consumers are often in possession of broadband routers that are rich in consumer-orientated features yet riddled with vulnerabilities that make the routers susceptible to exploitation. This amalgamation of theoretical research examines consumer grade broadband routers from the perspective of how they evolved, what makes them vulnerable, how they are targeted, and the challenges concerning the application of security. The research further explores …

Insider Misuse Identification Using Transparent Biometrics, Nathan Clarke, Fudong Li, Abdulrahman Alruban, Steven Furnell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Insider misuse is a key threat to organizations. Recent research has focused upon the information itself – either through its protection or approaches to detect the leakage. This paper seeks a different approach through the application of transparent biometrics to provide a robust approach to the identification of the individuals who are misusing systems and information. Transparent biometrics are a suite of modalities, typically behavioral-based that can capture biometric signals covertly or non-intrusively – so the user is unaware of their capture. Transparent biometrics are utilized in two phases a) to imprint digital objects with biometric-signatures of the user who …

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 …

Online Hacker Forum Censorship: Would Banning The Bad Guys Attract Good Guys?, Qiu-Hong Wang, Le-Ting Zhang, Meng-Ke Qiao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

To tackle the ubiquitous cybersecurity threats, a few countries have enacted legislation to criminalize the production, distribution and possession of computer misuse tools. Consequently, online hacker forums, which enable the provision and dissemination of malicious cyber-attack techniques among potential hackers or technology-savvy users, are subject to censorship. This project examines the mixed impacts of online hacker forum censorship on users’ contribution to protection discussion through a natural experiment with large-scale content analysis. We find that while the enforcement indeed reduced the discussion on malicious cyber-attacks, the discussion on cybersecurity protection could increase or decrease in different scenarios. The rationale is …

On The Effectiveness Of Code-Reuse-Based Android Application Obfuscation, Xiaoxiao Tang, Yu Liang, Xinjie Ma, Yan Lin, Debin Gao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Attackers use reverse engineering techniques to gain detailed understanding of executable for malicious purposes, such as re-packaging an Android app to inject malicious code or advertising components. To make reverse engineering more difficult, researchers have proposed various code obfuscation techniques to conceal purposes or logic of code segments. One interesting idea of code obfuscation is to apply codereuse techniques (e.g., Return-Oriented Programming) to (re-)distribute essential code segments before they are reconstructed at runtime. Such techniques are well understood on x86 platform, but relatively less explored on Android. In this paper, we present an evaluation on the extent to which code-reuse-based …

Denial-Of-Service Attack Modelling And Detection For Http/2 Services, Erwin Adi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Businesses and society alike have been heavily dependent on Internet-based services, albeit with experiences of constant and annoying disruptions caused by the adversary class. A malicious attack that can prevent establishment of Internet connections to web servers, initiated from legitimate client machines, is termed as a Denial of Service (DoS) attack; volume and intensity of which is rapidly growing thanks to the readily available attack tools and the ever-increasing network bandwidths. A majority of contemporary web servers are built on the HTTP/1.1 communication protocol. As a consequence, all literature found on DoS attack modelling and appertaining detection techniques, addresses only …

A Non-Device Specific Framework For The Development Of Forensic Locational Data Analysis Procedure For Consumer Grade Small And Embedded Devices, Peter Hannay

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Portable and wearable computing devices such as smart watches, navigation units, mobile phones, and tablet computers commonly ship with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) supported locational awareness. Locational functionality is no longer limited to navigation specific devices such as satellite navigation devices and location tracking systems. Instead the use of these technologies has extended to become secondary functionality on many devices, including mobile phones, cameras, portable computers, and video game consoles. The increase in use of location aware technology is of use to forensic investigators as it has the potential to provide historic locational information. The evidentiary value of these …

Examining And Exposing The Darknet, Ton H. Don

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis consists of two studies; the first study is “Diving into the Darknet” and the second is “Exposing the Darknet on Mobile Devices”. The Darknet is a network of hidden sites and services which are built based on anonymity. In “Diving into the Darknet”, we applied different data science methods to establish the relationships between the data in the data set. This data set has information related to seller, drug types, and transactions. Additionally, we used Tableau to visualize the data set. For the second study, we took a digital forensics perspective of the Darknet. Orfox and Orbot, a …

Investigating The Spatial Complexity Of Various Pke-Peks Schematics, Jacob Patterson

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Publications

With the advent of cloud storage, people upload all sorts of information to third party servers. However, uploading plaintext does not seem like a good idea for users who wish to keep their data private. Current solutions to this problem in literature involves integrating Public Key Encryption and Public key encryption with keyword search techniques. The intent of this paper is to analyze the spatial complexities of various PKE-PEKS schemes at various levels of security and discuss potential avenues for improvement.

The Impact Of Md5 File Hash Collisions On Digital Forensic Imaging, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The Message Digest 5 (MD5) hash is commonly used as for integrity verification in the forensic imaging process. The ability to force MD5 hash collisions has been a reality for more than a decade, although there is a general consensus that hash collisions are of minimal impact to the practice of computer forensics. This paper describes an experiment to determine the results of imaging two disks that are identical except for one file, the two versions of which have different content but otherwise occupy the same byte positions on the disk, are the same size, and have the same hash …