In situ analysis for intelligent control

We report a pilot study on in situ analysis of backscatter data for intelligent control of a scientific instrument on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) carried out at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). The objective of the study is to investigate techniques which use machine intelligence to enable event-response scenarios. Specifically we analyse a set of techniques for automated sample acquisition in the water-column using an electro-mechanical "Gulper", designed at MBARI. This is a syringe-like sampling device, carried onboard an AUV. The techniques we use in this study are clustering algorithms, intended to identify the important distinguishing characteristics of bodies of points within a data sample. We demonstrate that the complementary features of two clustering approaches can offer robust identification of interesting features in the water-column, which, in turn, can support automatic event-response control in the use of the Gulper

Preventing Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks on the IMS Emergency Services Support through Adaptive Firewall Pinholing

Emergency services are vital services that Next Generation Networks (NGNs) have to provide. As the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is in the heart of NGNs, 3GPP has carried the burden of specifying a standardized IMS-based emergency services framework. Unfortunately, like any other IP-based standards, the IMS-based emergency service framework is prone to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. We propose in this work, a simple but efficient solution that can prevent certain types of such attacks by creating firewall pinholes that regular clients will surely be able to pass in contrast to the attackers clients. Our solution was implemented, tested in an appropriate testbed, and its efficiency was proven.Comment: 17 Pages, IJNGN Journa

Interworking Architectures in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks: An Algorithmic Overview

The scarce availability of spectrum and the proliferation of smartphones, social networking applications, online gaming etc., mobile network operators (MNOs) are faced with an exponential growth in packet switched data requirements on their networks. Haven invested in legacy systems (such as HSPA, WCDMA, WiMAX, Cdma2000, LTE, etc.) that have hitherto withstood the current and imminent data usage demand, future and projected usage surpass the capabilities of the evolution of these individual technologies. Hence, a more critical, cost-effective and flexible approach to provide ubiquitous coverage for the user using available spectrum is of high demand. Heterogeneous Networks make use of these legacy systems by allowing users to connect to the best network available and most importantly seamlessly handover active sessions amidst them. This paper presents a survey of interworking architectures between IMT 2000 candidate networks that employ the use of IEFT protocols such as MIP, mSCTP, HIP, MOBIKE, IKEV2 and SIP etc. to bring about this much needed capacity

A linear chained approach for service invocation in IP multimedia subsystem.

IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is considered to provide multimedia services to users through an IP-based control plane. The current IMS service invocation mechanism, however, requires the Serving-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) invokes each Application Server (AS) sequentially to perform service subscription pro?le, which results in the heavy load of the S-CSCF and the long session set-up delay. To solve this issue, this paper proposes a linear chained service invocation mechanism to invoke each AS consecutively. By checking all the initial Filter Criteria (iFC) one-time and adding the addresses of all involved ASs to the ?Route? header, this new approach enables multiple services to be invoked as a linear chain during a session. We model the service invocation mechanisms through Jackson networks, which are validated through simulations. The analytic results verify that the linear chained service invocation mechanism can effectively reduce session set-up delay of the service layer and decrease the load level of the S-CSC

Interworking QOS Management Subsystem into IMS-Based Architecture Multi Providers: IMS-IQMSMP

International audienceThe third-generation partnership project 3GPP and 3GPP2 have standardized the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) to provide ubiquitous and access network-independent IP-based services for next-generation networks via merging cellular networks and the Internet. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) seems to be the technology that will prevail in Next Generation Networks (NGNs). The users wish to communicate through collections of networks using different protocols; rendering service mapping from one network to another with the similar QoS is a complex issue thereby. The heterogeneous networks are collections of communication platforms using different protocols. This heterogeneity implies the need to offer many different services on the market within short time. In this paper we propose a heterogeneous network model based on the IMS that provides guaranteed QoS. Our method presents, in the first, an informational solution. Decisional information is added to the HSS basis to enrich the knowledge base, which is expressed under the form of "profile of QoS R", where the new information informs directly the decisions to be taken according to the user’s profile (preferences QoS and pricing, bandwidth, location ...). In the second, a solution for multi provider’s context which can allow a subscriber to register with one or more operator(s) according to QoS offered. Thirdly, a mechanism which can be deployed in heterogeneous networks to preserve the original QoS values of the user session and thus eliminate the cumulative effect of QoS rounding across the entire communication path. And it is feasible via the “Interworking QoS Management Sub-network” while adding the new interworking management components, namely: SICs, DIC, QPA AS and HSS-PQoSr

Using decoys to block SPIT in the IMS

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-111)In recent years, studies have shown that 80-85% of e-mails sent were spam. Another form of spam that has just surfaced is VoIP (Voice over Internet Telephony) spam. Currently, VoIP has seen an increasing numbers of users due to the cheap rates. With the introduction of the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), the number of VoIP users are expected to increase dramatically. This calls for a cause of concern, as the tools and methods that have been used for blocking email spam may not be suitable for real-time voice calls. In addition, VoIP phones will have URI type addresses, so the same methods that were used to generate automated e-mail spam messages can be employed for unsolicited voice calls. Spammers will always be present to take advantage of and adapt to trends in communication technology. Therefore, it is important that IMS have structures in place to alleviate the problems of spam. Recent solutions proposed to block SPIT (Spam over Internet Telephony) have the following shortcomings: restricting the users to trusted senders, causing delays in voice call set-up, reducing the efficiency of the system by increasing burden on proxies which have to do some form of bayesian or statistical filtering, and requiring dramatic changes in the protocols being used. The proposed decoying system for the IMS fits well with the existing protocol structure, and customers are oblivious of its operation

Enhancing Cyber-Resiliency of DER-based SmartGrid: A Survey

The rapid development of information and communications technology has enabled the use of digital-controlled and software-driven distributed energy resources (DERs) to improve the flexibility and efficiency of power supply, and support grid operations. However, this evolution also exposes geographically-dispersed DERs to cyber threats, including hardware and software vulnerabilities, communication issues, and personnel errors, etc. Therefore, enhancing the cyber-resiliency of DER-based smart grid - the ability to survive successful cyber intrusions - is becoming increasingly vital and has garnered significant attention from both industry and academia. In this survey, we aim to provide a systematical and comprehensive review regarding the cyber-resiliency enhancement (CRE) of DER-based smart grid. Firstly, an integrated threat modeling method is tailored for the hierarchical DER-based smart grid with special emphasis on vulnerability identification and impact analysis. Then, the defense-in-depth strategies encompassing prevention, detection, mitigation, and recovery are comprehensively surveyed, systematically classified, and rigorously compared. A CRE framework is subsequently proposed to incorporate the five key resiliency enablers. Finally, challenges and future directions are discussed in details. The overall aim of this survey is to demonstrate the development trend of CRE methods and motivate further efforts to improve the cyber-resiliency of DER-based smart grid.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid for Publication Consideratio