Secure portable execution and storage environments: A capability to improve security for remote working

Remote working is a practice that provides economic benefits to both the employing organisation and the individual. However, evidence suggests that organisations implementing remote working have limited appreciation of the security risks, particularly those impacting upon the confidentiality and integrity of information and also on the integrity and availability of the remote worker’s computing environment. Other research suggests that an organisation that does appreciate these risks may veto remote working, resulting in a loss of economic benefits. With the implementation of high speed broadband, remote working is forecast to grow and therefore it is appropriate that improved approaches to managing security risks are researched. This research explores the use of secure portable execution and storage environments (secure PESEs) to improve information security for the remote work categories of telework, and mobile and deployed working. This thesis with publication makes an original contribution to improving remote work information security through the development of a body of knowledge (consisting of design models and design instantiations) and the assertion of a nascent design theory. The research was conducted using design science research (DSR), a paradigm where the research philosophies are grounded in design and construction. Following an assessment of both the remote work information security issues and threats, and preparation of a set of functional requirements, a secure PESE concept was defined. The concept is represented by a set of attributes that encompass the security properties of preserving the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the computing environment and data. A computing environment that conforms to the concept is considered to be a secure PESE, the implementation of which consists of a highly portable device utilising secure storage and an up-loadable (on to a PC) secure execution environment. The secure storage and execution environment combine to address the information security risks in the remote work location. A research gap was identified as no existing ‘secure PESE like’ device fully conformed to the concept, enabling a research problem and objectives to be defined. Novel secure storage and execution environments were developed and used to construct a secure PESE suitable for commercial remote work and a high assurance secure PESE suitable for security critical remote work. The commercial secure PESE was trialled with an existing telework team looking to improve security and the high assurance secure PESE was trialled within an organisation that had previously vetoed remote working due to the sensitivity of the data it processed. An evaluation of the research findings found that the objectives had been satisfied. Using DSR evaluation frameworks it was determined that the body of knowledge had improved an area of study with sufficient evidence generated to assert a nascent design theory for secure PESEs. The thesis highlights the limitations of the research while opportunities for future work are also identified. This thesis presents ten published papers coupled with additional doctoral research (that was not published) which postulates the research argument that ‘secure PESEs can be used to manage information security risks within the remote work environment’

Constitutive surveillance and social media

Starting from the premise that surveillance is the ‘dominant organising practice’ of our time (Lyon et al 2012: 1), this thesis establishes a framework of ‘constitutive surveillance’ in relation to social media, taking Facebook as its key example. Constitutive surveillance is made up of four forms: economic, political, lateral, and oppositional surveillance. These four surveillance forms – and the actors who undertake them – intersect, compound, and confront one another in the co-production of social media spaces. The framework of constitutive surveillance is structured around a Foucauldian understanding of power, and the thesis shows how each surveillance form articulates strategies of power for organising, administering, and subjectifying populations. After outlining the four surveillance forms, each chapter unpacks the relationship of one form to social media, building throughout the thesis an extensive critical framework of constitutive surveillance

The dark side of the internet: a study about representations of the deep web and the Tor network in the British press

The imaginary of the Deep Web is commonly associated with crime, crypto markets and immoral content. However, the best-known Deep Web system, the Tor Network, is a technology developed to protect people’s privacy through online anonymity, in the context of the contemporary culture of surveillance, thus enabling civil liberties. To understand this contradiction, this thesis looks at the British press representation of the Deep Web and the Tor Network. An extensive empirical research study unveils how newspapers portray these technologies, by looking at meanings, uses and users. In order to meet this goal, this research conducts a content analysis of 833 articles about Deep Web technologies published between 2001 and 2017 by six British newspapers – tabloids Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and The Sun, and quality newspapers Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times – and a critical discourse analysis of 58 reports mentioning the Tor Network, issued by the same newspapers, between 2008 and 2017. The findings demonstrate that the British press represents the Deep Web in a sharply negative way, through negative concepts, definitions and associations. This portrayal attributes opacity to the Deep Web, engendering distrust of its uses and propagating user stereotypes that reflect an overall criminalisation of privacy. Also, the press presents a hyper- panic approach by consistently connecting this new medium to well-known social anxieties and portraying these technologies as undesirable, immoral and illegal. Hyper-panic is the theoretical contribution of this thesis and can be explained as the way in which media panic (the Deep Web, in this case) multiplies moral panic (for instance, terrorism, paedophilia and drug consumption). Specifically about Tor, this work concludes that the media present multiple aspects of this system, from discussing the ways in which one can enable civil liberties, to condemning criminals hiding behind technology, addressing the inherent ambivalence connected to the uses of online anonymity, i.e. it is neither completely bad nor completely good. The general synopsis about Tor, however, is still negative. Finally, the consistent association by the British press between the Deep Web and criminal and antisocial behaviours promotes a dissociation between the Deep Web and the Web itself, in that cyberspace is separated between negative uses (the Deep Web) and positive uses (the Web), instead of being understood as a nuanced whole

Secure and efficient storage of multimedia: content in public cloud environments using joint compression and encryption

The Cloud Computing is a paradigm still with many unexplored areas ranging from the technological component to the de nition of new business models, but that is revolutionizing the way we design, implement and manage the entire infrastructure of information technology. The Infrastructure as a Service is the delivery of computing infrastructure, typically a virtual data center, along with a set of APIs that allow applications, in an automatic way, can control the resources they wish to use. The choice of the service provider and how it applies to their business model may lead to higher or lower cost in the operation and maintenance of applications near the suppliers. In this sense, this work proposed to carry out a literature review on the topic of Cloud Computing, secure storage and transmission of multimedia content, using lossless compression, in public cloud environments, and implement this system by building an application that manages data in public cloud environments (dropbox and meocloud). An application was built during this dissertation that meets the objectives set. This system provides the user a wide range of functions of data management in public cloud environments, for that the user only have to login to the system with his/her credentials, after performing the login, through the Oauth 1.0 protocol (authorization protocol) is generated an access token, this token is generated only with the consent of the user and allows the application to get access to data/user les without having to use credentials. With this token the framework can now operate and unlock the full potential of its functions. With this application is also available to the user functions of compression and encryption so that user can make the most of his/her cloud storage system securely. The compression function works using the compression algorithm LZMA being only necessary for the user to choose the les to be compressed. Relatively to encryption it will be used the encryption algorithm AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) that works with a 128 bit symmetric key de ned by user. We build the research into two distinct and complementary parts: The rst part consists of the theoretical foundation and the second part is the development of computer application where the data is managed, compressed, stored, transmitted in various environments of cloud computing. The theoretical framework is organized into two chapters, chapter 2 - Background on Cloud Storage and chapter 3 - Data compression. Sought through theoretical foundation demonstrate the relevance of the research, convey some of the pertinent theories and input whenever possible, research in the area. The second part of the work was devoted to the development of the application in cloud environment. We showed how we generated the application, presented the features, advantages, and safety standards for the data. Finally, we re ect on the results, according to the theoretical framework made in the rst part and platform development. We think that the work obtained is positive and that ts the goals we set ourselves to achieve. This research has some limitations, we believe that the time for completion was scarce and the implementation of the platform could bene t from the implementation of other features.In future research it would be appropriate to continue the project expanding the capabilities of the application, test the operation with other users and make comparative tests.A Computação em nuvem é um paradigma ainda com muitas áreas por explorar que vão desde a componente tecnológica à definição de novos modelos de negócio, mas que está a revolucionar a forma como projetamos, implementamos e gerimos toda a infraestrutura da tecnologia da informação. A Infraestrutura como Serviço representa a disponibilização da infraestrutura computacional, tipicamente um datacenter virtual, juntamente com um conjunto de APls que permitirá que aplicações, de forma automática, possam controlar os recursos que pretendem utilizar_ A escolha do fornecedor de serviços e a forma como este aplica o seu modelo de negócio poderão determinar um maior ou menor custo na operacionalização e manutenção das aplicações junto dos fornecedores. Neste sentido, esta dissertação propôs· se efetuar uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a temática da Computação em nuvem, a transmissão e o armazenamento seguro de conteúdos multimédia, utilizando a compressão sem perdas, em ambientes em nuvem públicos, e implementar um sistema deste tipo através da construção de uma aplicação que faz a gestão dos dados em ambientes de nuvem pública (dropbox e meocloud). Foi construída uma aplicação no decorrer desta dissertação que vai de encontro aos objectivos definidos. Este sistema fornece ao utilizador uma variada gama de funções de gestão de dados em ambientes de nuvem pública, para isso o utilizador tem apenas que realizar o login no sistema com as suas credenciais, após a realização de login, através do protocolo Oauth 1.0 (protocolo de autorização) é gerado um token de acesso, este token só é gerado com o consentimento do utilizador e permite que a aplicação tenha acesso aos dados / ficheiros do utilizador ~em que seja necessário utilizar as credenciais. Com este token a aplicação pode agora operar e disponibilizar todo o potencial das suas funções. Com esta aplicação é também disponibilizado ao utilizador funções de compressão e encriptação de modo a que possa usufruir ao máximo do seu sistema de armazenamento cloud com segurança. A função de compressão funciona utilizando o algoritmo de compressão LZMA sendo apenas necessário que o utilizador escolha os ficheiros a comprimir. Relativamente à cifragem utilizamos o algoritmo AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) que funciona com uma chave simétrica de 128bits definida pelo utilizador. Alicerçámos a investigação em duas partes distintas e complementares: a primeira parte é composta pela fundamentação teórica e a segunda parte consiste no desenvolvimento da aplicação informática em que os dados são geridos, comprimidos, armazenados, transmitidos em vários ambientes de computação em nuvem. A fundamentação teórica encontra-se organizada em dois capítulos, o capítulo 2 - "Background on Cloud Storage" e o capítulo 3 "Data Compression", Procurámos, através da fundamentação teórica, demonstrar a pertinência da investigação. transmitir algumas das teorias pertinentes e introduzir, sempre que possível, investigações existentes na área. A segunda parte do trabalho foi dedicada ao desenvolvimento da aplicação em ambiente "cloud". Evidenciámos o modo como gerámos a aplicação, apresentámos as funcionalidades, as vantagens. Por fim, refletimos sobre os resultados , de acordo com o enquadramento teórico efetuado na primeira parte e o desenvolvimento da plataforma. Pensamos que o trabalho obtido é positivo e que se enquadra nos objetivos que nos propusemos atingir. Este trabalho de investigação apresenta algumas limitações, consideramos que o tempo para a sua execução foi escasso e a implementação da plataforma poderia beneficiar com a implementação de outras funcionalidades. Em investigações futuras seria pertinente dar continuidade ao projeto ampliando as potencialidades da aplicação, testar o funcionamento com outros utilizadores e efetuar testes comparativos.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Analysis avoidance techniques of malicious software

Anti Virus (AV) software generally employs signature matching and heuristics to detect the presence of malicious software (malware). The generation of signatures and determination of heuristics is dependent upon an AV analyst having successfully determined the nature of the malware, not only for recognition purposes, but also for the determination of infected files and startup mechanisms that need to be removed as part of the disinfection process. If a specimen of malware has not been previously extensively analyzed, it is unlikely to be detected by AV software. In addition, malware is becoming increasingly profit driven and more likely to incorporate stealth and deception techniques to avoid detection and analysis to remain on infected systems for a myriad of nefarious purposes. Malware extends beyond the commonly thought of virus or worm, to customized malware that has been developed for specific and targeted miscreant purposes. Such customized malware is highly unlikely to be detected by AV software because it will not have been previously analyzed and a signature will not exist. Analysis in such a case will have to be conducted by a digital forensics analyst to determine the functionality of the malware. Malware can employ a plethora of techniques to hinder the analysis process conducted by AV and digital forensics analysts. The purpose of this research has been to answer three research questions directly related to the employment of these techniques as: 1. What techniques can malware use to avoid being analyzed? 2. How can the use of these techniques be detected? 3. How can the use of these techniques be mitigated

An examination of the Asus WL-HDD 2.5 as a nepenthes malware collector

The Linksys WRT54g has been used as a host for network forensics tools for instance Snort for a long period of time. Whilst large corporations are already utilising network forensic tools, this paper demonstrates that it is quite feasible for a non-security specialist to track and capture malicious network traffic. This paper introduces the Asus Wireless Hard disk as a replacement for the popular Linksys WRT54g. Firstly, the Linksys router will be introduced detailing some of the research that was undertaken on the device over the years amongst the security community. It then briefly discusses malicious software and the impact this may have for a home user. The paper then outlines the trivial steps in setting up Nepenthes 0.1.7 (a malware collector) for the Asus WL-HDD 2.5 according to the Nepenthes and tests the feasibility of running the malware collector on the selected device. The paper then concludes on discussing the limitations of the device when attempting to execute Nepenthes

Cyber Security Politics

This book examines new and challenging political aspects of cyber security and presents it as an issue defined by socio-technological uncertainty and political fragmentation. Structured along two broad themes and providing empirical examples for how socio-technical changes and political responses interact, the first part of the book looks at the current use of cyber space in conflictual settings, while the second focuses on political responses by state and non-state actors in an environment defined by uncertainties. Within this, it highlights four key debates that encapsulate the complexities and paradoxes of cyber security politics from a Western perspective – how much political influence states can achieve via cyber operations and what context factors condition the (limited) strategic utility of such operations; the role of emerging digital technologies and how the dynamics of the tech innovation process reinforce the fragmentation of the governance space; how states attempt to uphold stability in cyberspace and, more generally, in their strategic relations; and how the shared responsibility of state, economy, and society for cyber security continues to be re-negotiated in an increasingly trans-sectoral and transnational governance space. This book will be of much interest to students of cyber security, global governance, technology studies, and international relations

Information Freedoms and the Case for Anonymous Community

What we have witnessed in the last decade in the context of social upheaval, social activism, and resulting social movements is testament to the need for a re-evaluation of what constitutes community in a networked world, and what role the individual subject plays within social networks, systems of social, corporate, and state control, and networks of resistance. New processes of subjectivation are emerging and rather than being grounded in identity, sociality is being reconfigured, and it is in this process that this dissertation focusses on anonymity as a means of working through these new configurations. This integrated article dissertation explores the concept of anonymity and emerging practices of community in three chapters. The first examines anonymity in the context of civil liberties through a critique of privacy. By analyzing legal, social, and cultural understandings of privacy, this chapter problemmatizes the privacy defence against excessive tracking and monitoring of speech and behaviour, and suggests ways of incorporating anonymous practices in order to discover more robust methods of collectively empowering ourselves in the digital environment. The second chapter explores anonymity as a political process that can be illustrated in the cases of Wikileaks, Anonymous, and Occupy, presenting the various ways in which anonymity is mobilized in information activism as a resource for political action. We can see a common thread running through the variety of methods of dissent employed by the above mentioned groups. This commonality centres on the way anonymity figures (sometimes subtly, other times prominently) in identity formation, subjectivity, trust, revolt, authority, connection and communication. This thesis is an exploration of the role of anonymity at the intersection of these functions of community. The third chapter traces contemporary theoretical explorations of radical community through the work of Jean-Luc Nancy, Roberto Esposito, and Giorgio Agamben, and identifies characteristics of anonymity in strategies of being-in-common

Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy

This open access book provides researchers and professionals with a foundational understanding of online privacy as well as insight into the socio-technical privacy issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems, covering several modern topics (e.g., privacy in social media, IoT) and underexplored areas (e.g., privacy accessibility, privacy for vulnerable populations, cross-cultural privacy). The book is structured in four parts, which follow after an introduction to privacy on both a technical and social level: Privacy Theory and Methods covers a range of theoretical lenses through which one can view the concept of privacy. The chapters in this part relate to modern privacy phenomena, thus emphasizing its relevance to our digital, networked lives. Next, Domains covers a number of areas in which privacy concerns and implications are particularly salient, including among others social media, healthcare, smart cities, wearable IT, and trackers. The Audiences section then highlights audiences that have traditionally been ignored when creating privacy-preserving experiences: people from other (non-Western) cultures, people with accessibility needs, adolescents, and people who are underrepresented in terms of their race, class, gender or sexual identity, religion or some combination. Finally, the chapters in Moving Forward outline approaches to privacy that move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions, explore ethical considerations, and describe the regulatory landscape that governs privacy through laws and policies. Perhaps even more so than the other chapters in this book, these chapters are forward-looking by using current personalized, ethical and legal approaches as a starting point for re-conceptualizations of privacy to serve the modern technological landscape. The book’s primary goal is to inform IT students, researchers, and professionals about both the fundamentals of online privacy and the issues that are most pertinent to modern information systems. Lecturers or teacherscan assign (parts of) the book for a “professional issues” course. IT professionals may select chapters covering domains and audiences relevant to their field of work, as well as the Moving Forward chapters that cover ethical and legal aspects. Academicswho are interested in studying privacy or privacy-related topics will find a broad introduction in both technical and social aspects