8,828 research outputs found

    The Viability and Potential Consequences of IoT-Based Ransomware

    Get PDF
    With the increased threat of ransomware and the substantial growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) market, there is significant motivation for attackers to carry out IoT-based ransomware campaigns. In this thesis, the viability of such malware is tested. As part of this work, various techniques that could be used by ransomware developers to attack commercial IoT devices were explored. First, methods that attackers could use to communicate with the victim were examined, such that a ransom note was able to be reliably sent to a victim. Next, the viability of using "bricking" as a method of ransom was evaluated, such that devices could be remotely disabled unless the victim makes a payment to the attacker. Research was then performed to ascertain whether it was possible to remotely gain persistence on IoT devices, which would improve the efficacy of existing ransomware methods, and provide opportunities for more advanced ransomware to be created. Finally, after successfully identifying a number of persistence techniques, the viability of privacy-invasion based ransomware was analysed. For each assessed technique, proofs of concept were developed. A range of devices -- with various intended purposes, such as routers, cameras and phones -- were used to test the viability of these proofs of concept. To test communication hijacking, devices' "channels of communication" -- such as web services and embedded screens -- were identified, then hijacked to display custom ransom notes. During the analysis of bricking-based ransomware, a working proof of concept was created, which was then able to remotely brick five IoT devices. After analysing the storage design of an assortment of IoT devices, six different persistence techniques were identified, which were then successfully tested on four devices, such that malicious filesystem modifications would be retained after the device was rebooted. When researching privacy-invasion based ransomware, several methods were created to extract information from data sources that can be commonly found on IoT devices, such as nearby WiFi signals, images from cameras, or audio from microphones. These were successfully implemented in a test environment such that ransomable data could be extracted, processed, and stored for later use to blackmail the victim. Overall, IoT-based ransomware has not only been shown to be viable but also highly damaging to both IoT devices and their users. While the use of IoT-ransomware is still very uncommon "in the wild", the techniques demonstrated within this work highlight an urgent need to improve the security of IoT devices to avoid the risk of IoT-based ransomware causing havoc in our society. Finally, during the development of these proofs of concept, a number of potential countermeasures were identified, which can be used to limit the effectiveness of the attacking techniques discovered in this PhD research

    A Design Science Research Approach to Smart and Collaborative Urban Supply Networks

    Get PDF
    Urban supply networks are facing increasing demands and challenges and thus constitute a relevant field for research and practical development. Supply chain management holds enormous potential and relevance for society and everyday life as the flow of goods and information are important economic functions. Being a heterogeneous field, the literature base of supply chain management research is difficult to manage and navigate. Disruptive digital technologies and the implementation of cross-network information analysis and sharing drive the need for new organisational and technological approaches. Practical issues are manifold and include mega trends such as digital transformation, urbanisation, and environmental awareness. A promising approach to solving these problems is the realisation of smart and collaborative supply networks. The growth of artificial intelligence applications in recent years has led to a wide range of applications in a variety of domains. However, the potential of artificial intelligence utilisation in supply chain management has not yet been fully exploited. Similarly, value creation increasingly takes place in networked value creation cycles that have become continuously more collaborative, complex, and dynamic as interactions in business processes involving information technologies have become more intense. Following a design science research approach this cumulative thesis comprises the development and discussion of four artefacts for the analysis and advancement of smart and collaborative urban supply networks. This thesis aims to highlight the potential of artificial intelligence-based supply networks, to advance data-driven inter-organisational collaboration, and to improve last mile supply network sustainability. Based on thorough machine learning and systematic literature reviews, reference and system dynamics modelling, simulation, and qualitative empirical research, the artefacts provide a valuable contribution to research and practice

    A Decision Support System for Economic Viability and Environmental Impact Assessment of Vertical Farms

    Get PDF
    Vertical farming (VF) is the practice of growing crops or animals using the vertical dimension via multi-tier racks or vertically inclined surfaces. In this thesis, I focus on the emerging industry of plant-specific VF. Vertical plant farming (VPF) is a promising and relatively novel practice that can be conducted in buildings with environmental control and artificial lighting. However, the nascent sector has experienced challenges in economic viability, standardisation, and environmental sustainability. Practitioners and academics call for a comprehensive financial analysis of VPF, but efforts are stifled by a lack of valid and available data. A review of economic estimation and horticultural software identifies a need for a decision support system (DSS) that facilitates risk-empowered business planning for vertical farmers. This thesis proposes an open-source DSS framework to evaluate business sustainability through financial risk and environmental impact assessments. Data from the literature, alongside lessons learned from industry practitioners, would be centralised in the proposed DSS using imprecise data techniques. These techniques have been applied in engineering but are seldom used in financial forecasting. This could benefit complex sectors which only have scarce data to predict business viability. To begin the execution of the DSS framework, VPF practitioners were interviewed using a mixed-methods approach. Learnings from over 19 shuttered and operational VPF projects provide insights into the barriers inhibiting scalability and identifying risks to form a risk taxonomy. Labour was the most commonly reported top challenge. Therefore, research was conducted to explore lean principles to improve productivity. A probabilistic model representing a spectrum of variables and their associated uncertainty was built according to the DSS framework to evaluate the financial risk for VF projects. This enabled flexible computation without precise production or financial data to improve economic estimation accuracy. The model assessed two VPF cases (one in the UK and another in Japan), demonstrating the first risk and uncertainty quantification of VPF business models in the literature. The results highlighted measures to improve economic viability and the viability of the UK and Japan case. The environmental impact assessment model was developed, allowing VPF operators to evaluate their carbon footprint compared to traditional agriculture using life-cycle assessment. I explore strategies for net-zero carbon production through sensitivity analysis. Renewable energies, especially solar, geothermal, and tidal power, show promise for reducing the carbon emissions of indoor VPF. Results show that renewably-powered VPF can reduce carbon emissions compared to field-based agriculture when considering the land-use change. The drivers for DSS adoption have been researched, showing a pathway of compliance and design thinking to overcome the ‘problem of implementation’ and enable commercialisation. Further work is suggested to standardise VF equipment, collect benchmarking data, and characterise risks. This work will reduce risk and uncertainty and accelerate the sector’s emergence

    The determinants of value addition: a crtitical analysis of global software engineering industry in Sri Lanka

    Get PDF
    It was evident through the literature that the perceived value delivery of the global software engineering industry is low due to various facts. Therefore, this research concerns global software product companies in Sri Lanka to explore the software engineering methods and practices in increasing the value addition. The overall aim of the study is to identify the key determinants for value addition in the global software engineering industry and critically evaluate the impact of them for the software product companies to help maximise the value addition to ultimately assure the sustainability of the industry. An exploratory research approach was used initially since findings would emerge while the study unfolds. Mixed method was employed as the literature itself was inadequate to investigate the problem effectively to formulate the research framework. Twenty-three face-to-face online interviews were conducted with the subject matter experts covering all the disciplines from the targeted organisations which was combined with the literature findings as well as the outcomes of the market research outcomes conducted by both government and nongovernment institutes. Data from the interviews were analysed using NVivo 12. The findings of the existing literature were verified through the exploratory study and the outcomes were used to formulate the questionnaire for the public survey. 371 responses were considered after cleansing the total responses received for the data analysis through SPSS 21 with alpha level 0.05. Internal consistency test was done before the descriptive analysis. After assuring the reliability of the dataset, the correlation test, multiple regression test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were carried out to fulfil the requirements of meeting the research objectives. Five determinants for value addition were identified along with the key themes for each area. They are staffing, delivery process, use of tools, governance, and technology infrastructure. The cross-functional and self-organised teams built around the value streams, employing a properly interconnected software delivery process with the right governance in the delivery pipelines, selection of tools and providing the right infrastructure increases the value delivery. Moreover, the constraints for value addition are poor interconnection in the internal processes, rigid functional hierarchies, inaccurate selections and uses of tools, inflexible team arrangements and inadequate focus for the technology infrastructure. The findings add to the existing body of knowledge on increasing the value addition by employing effective processes, practices and tools and the impacts of inaccurate applications the same in the global software engineering industry

    Coloniality and the Courtroom: Understanding Pre-trial Judicial Decision Making in Brazil

    Get PDF
    This thesis focuses on judicial decision making during custody hearings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The impetus for the study is that while national and international protocols mandate the use of pre-trial detention only as a last resort, judges continue to detain people pre-trial in large numbers. Custody hearings were introduced in 2015, but the initiative has not produced the reduction in pre-trial detention that was hoped. This study aims to understand what informs judicial decision making at this stage. The research is approached through a decolonial lens to foreground legacies of colonialism, overlooked in mainstream criminological scholarship. This is an interview-based study, where key court actors (judges, prosecutors, and public defenders) and subject matter specialists were asked about influences on judicial decision making. Interview data is complemented by non-participatory observation of custody hearings. The research responds directly to Aliverti et al.'s (2021) call to ‘decolonize the criminal question’ by exposing and explaining how colonialism informs criminal justice practices. Answering the call in relation to judicial decision making, findings provide evidence that colonial-era assumptions, dynamics, and hierarchies were evident in the practice of custody hearings and continue to inform judges’ decisions, thus demonstrating the coloniality of justice. This study is significant for the new empirical data presented and theoretical innovation is also offered via the introduction of the ‘anticitizen’. The concept builds on Souza’s (2007) ‘subcitizen’ to account for the active pursuit of dangerous Others by judges casting themselves as crime fighters in a modern moral crusade. The findings point to the limited utility of human rights discourse – the normative approach to influencing judicial decision making around pre-trial detention – as a plurality of conceptualisations compete for dominance. This study has important implications for all actors aiming to reduce pre-trial detention in Brazil because unless underpinning colonial logics are addressed, every innovation risks becoming the next lei para inglês ver (law [just] for the English to see)

    A crise da dívida soberana em Portugal, no âmbito da governação da UEM

    Get PDF
    Doutoramento em Estudos de DesenvolvimentoA crise das dívidas soberanas, que afetou a Zona Euro na sequência da crise financeira global de 2008, representou um abalo nos alicerces do projeto europeu. A ambivalência que se formou entre dois grupos de Estados-membros gerou uma divisão que pôs em causa o equilíbrio no seio das instituições que havia assegurado a coesão e solidez da construção europeia. Gerou-se uma dicotomia entre um grupo de países percecionados como responsáveis, cumpridores e competitivos, por oposição a um outro grupo de indisciplinados e pouco produtivos. Esta fronteira composta por argumentos não só técnicos ou políticos, mas também de natureza moral, cavou clivagens que geraram dinâmicas inesperadas na Europa. Portugal foi um caso paradigmático de um Estado-membro afetado, de forma severa, pela referida crise do Euro e que teve de lidar com as indefinições europeias na resposta a esse período conturbado. Na presente investigação, enquadra-se esta crise nas suas origens, caraterísticas e impacto, tal como se aprofundam as soluções (ou falta delas) que foram sendo experimentadas. A análise empírica, por sua vez, centra-se no caso português e, em particular, na forma como as elites políticas, com capacidade de decisão e influência naquele período, avaliaram a crise nos seus diferentes parâmetros: as suas causas, as respostas encontradas, o modelo de concretização dessas soluções e, por fim, os resultados alcançados. Para esse efeito, procedeu-se a um conjunto de entrevistas semiestruturadas, a um inquérito por questionário com uma amostra mais alargada e à análise de conteúdo dos documentos oficiais emanados da troika, que liderou o plano de resgate a Portugal.The sovereign debt crisis, which affected the Eurozone after the 2008 global financial crisis, shook the foundations of the European project. An ambivalence was formed between two groups of Member States, and it generated a division that jeopardized the historical balance that ensured the cohesion and solidarity within the European institutions. One group of countries was perceived as responsible, compliant, and competitive, and – on the opposite - another group was seen as undisciplined and unproductive. This boundary, built not only on technical or political arguments, but also on top of moral assessments, carved out cleavages promoting unexpected moves in Europe. Portugal was a paradigmatic case of a Member State severely affected by the Euro crisis and which had to deal with European uncertainty in response to this challenging time. In this research study, this crisis is framed in its origins, characteristics, and impact, as well as the solutions (or lack of them) that have been experimented. The empirical analysis, in turn, focuses on the Portuguese case and on the way in which political elites of that period, namely with decision-making and influence power, assessed the crisis in its different parameters: its causes, the responses chosen, the execution model and, finally, the results achieved. For this purpose, a set of semi-structured interviews was carried out, as well as a questionnaire survey with a broader sample, and a content analysis from the official documents issued by the troika institutions that led the rescue plan for Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Desarrollo de una herramienta integral de gestión de gases de efecto invernadero para la toma de decisión contra el cambio climático a nivel regional y local en la Comunitat Valenciana

    Full text link
    Tesis por compendio[ES] Actualmente, los responsables de tomar decisiones contra el cambio climático carecen de herramientas para desarrollar inventarios de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) con suficiente rigor científico-técnico y precisión para priorizar e invertir los recursos disponibles de manera eficiente en las medidas necesarias para luchar contra el cambio climático. Por ello, en esta tesis se expone el desarrollo de un sistema de información territorial y sectorial (SITE) para monitorear las emisiones de GEI que sirva como herramienta de gobernanza climática local y regional. SITE combina las ventajas de los enfoques metodológicos descendente o top-down (de arriba hacia abajo) y ascendente o bottom-up (de abajo hacia arriba), para lograr un enfoque híbrido innovador para contabilizar y gestionar de manera eficiente las emisiones de GEI. Por tanto, en esta tesis se definen los diferentes desarrollos metodológicos, tanto generales como específicos de sectores clave del Panel Intergubernamental de Cambio Climático (IPPC) (edificación, transporte, sector forestal, etc.), un desarrollo informático para la parte de SITE que se ejecuta del lado del servidor, que de ahora en adelante denominaremos back-end del sistema, y siete implementaciones como casos de estudio representativos, a diferentes escalas y aplicados sobre diferentes sectores. Estas implementaciones a diferentes escalas y sectores demuestran el potencial del sistema como herramienta de apoyo en la toma de decisión contra el cambio climático a nivel regional y local. Las diferentes implementaciones en casos piloto representativos, tanto a nivel regional en la Comunitat Valenciana como a nivel local en municipios grandes (València) y medianos (Quart de Poblet y Llíria) muestran el potencial de adaptación territorial y sectorial que tiene la herramienta. Las metodologías desarrolladas para los sectores específicos de tráfico rodado, edificación o sector forestal, ofrecen cuantificaciones con una resolución espacial con gran capacidad de optimizar las políticas locales y regionales. Por tanto, la herramienta cuenta con un gran potencial de escalabilidad y gran capacidad de mejora continua mediante la inclusión de nuevos enfoques metodológicos, adaptación de las metodologías a la disponibilidad de datos, metodologías concretas para sectores clave y actualización a las mejores metodologías disponibles derivadas de actividades de investigación de la comunidad científica.[CA] Actualment, els responsables de prendre decisions contra el canvi climàtic no tenen eines per aconseguir inventaris d'emissions de gasos d'efecte hivernacle (GEH) amb prou cientificotècnic rigor, precisió i integritat per invertir els recursos disponibles de manera eficient en les mesures necessàries contra el canvi climàtic. Per això, en aquesta tesis se exposa el desenvolupa un sistema d'informació territorial i sectorial (SITE) per monitoritzar les emissions de GEH com a eina de governança climàtica local i regional. Aquest sistema combina els avantatges dels enfocaments metodològics descendent o top-down (de dalt a baix) i ascendent o bottom-up (de baix a dalt), per aconseguir un enfocament híbrid innovador per comptabilitzar i gestionar de manera eficient les emissions de GEH. Per tant, en aquesta tesi doctoral es descriuen els diferents desenvolupaments metodològics, tant generals com específics de sectors clau del Panel Intergovernamental contra el Canvi Climàtic (edificació, transport, forestal, etc.), un desenvolupament informàtic per al back-end del sistema i set implementacions com a casos d'estudi representatius, a diferents escales, amb els diferents enfocaments metodològics i aplicats sobre diferents sectors. Això queda descrit en sis capítols. Aquestes implementacions a diferents escales i sectors demostren el potencial del sistema com a eina de suport en la presa de decisió contra el canvi climàtic a nivell regional i local. Les diferents implementacions en casos pilot representatius, tant a nivell regional a la Comunitat Valenciana com a nivell local en municipis grans (València) i mitjans (Quart de Poblet i Llíria,) mostren el potencial d'adaptació territorial i sectorial que té l'eina. Les metodologies desenvolupades per als sectors específics de trànsit rodat, edificació i forestal, ofereixen quantificacions amb una resolució espacial amb gran capacitat d'optimitzar les polítiques locals i regionals. Per tant, l'eina compta amb un gran potencial d'escalabilitat i gran capacitat de millora contínua mitjançant la inclusió de nous enfocaments metodològics, adaptació de les metodologies a la disponibilitat de dades, metodologies concretes per a sectors clau, i actualització a les millors metodologies disponibles derivades de activitats de investigació de la comunitat científica.[EN] Currently, regional and local decision-makers lack of tools to achieve greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions inventories with enough rigor, accuracy and completeness in order to prioritize available resources efficiently against climate change. Thus, in this thesis the development of a territorial and sectoral information system (SITE) to monitor GHG emissions as a local and regional climate governance tool is exposed. This system combines the advantages of both, top-down and bottom-up approaches, to achieve an innovative hybrid approach to account and manage efficiently GHG emissions. Furthermore, this thesis defines the methodologies developed, a computer proposal for the back-end of the system and seven implementations as representative case studies at different scales (local and regional level), with the different methodological approaches and applied to different sectors. Thus, these implementations demonstrate the potential of the system as decision-making tool against climate change at the regional and local level as climate governance tool. The different implementations in representative pilot cases, both at the regional level in the Valencian Community and at the local level in large (Valencia) and medium-sized municipalities (Quart de Poblet and Llíria) demonstrate the potential for territorial and sectoral adaptation of the system developed. The methodologies developed for the specific sectors of road transport, building and forestry, offer quantifications with a spatial resolution with a great capacity to optimize local and regional policies. Therefore, the tool has a great potential for scalability and a great capacity for continuous improvement through the inclusion of new methodological approaches, adapting the methodologies to the availability of data, specific methodologies for key sectors, and updating to the best methodologies available in the scientific community.Lorenzo Sáez, E. (2022). Desarrollo de una herramienta integral de gestión de gases de efecto invernadero para la toma de decisión contra el cambio climático a nivel regional y local en la Comunitat Valenciana [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/181662TESISCompendi

    Educating Sub-Saharan Africa:Assessing Mobile Application Use in a Higher Learning Engineering Programme

    Get PDF
    In the institution where I teach, insufficient laboratory equipment for engineering education pushed students to learn via mobile phones or devices. Using mobile technologies to learn and practice is not the issue, but the more important question lies in finding out where and how they use mobile tools for learning. Through the lens of Kearney et al.’s (2012) pedagogical model, using authenticity, personalisation, and collaboration as constructs, this case study adopts a mixed-method approach to investigate the mobile learning activities of students and find out their experiences of what works and what does not work. Four questions are borne out of the over-arching research question, ‘How do students studying at a University in Nigeria perceive mobile learning in electrical and electronic engineering education?’ The first three questions are answered from qualitative, interview data analysed using thematic analysis. The fourth question investigates their collaborations on two mobile social networks using social network and message analysis. The study found how students’ mobile learning relates to the real-world practice of engineering and explained ways of adapting and overcoming the mobile tools’ limitations, and the nature of the collaborations that the students adopted, naturally, when they learn in mobile social networks. It found that mobile engineering learning can be possibly located in an offline mobile zone. It also demonstrates that investigating the effectiveness of mobile learning in the mobile social environment is possible by examining users’ interactions. The study shows how mobile learning personalisation that leads to impactful engineering learning can be achieved. The study shows how to manage most interface and technical challenges associated with mobile engineering learning and provides a new guide for educators on where and how mobile learning can be harnessed. And it revealed how engineering education can be successfully implemented through mobile tools

    From wallet to mobile: exploring how mobile payments create customer value in the service experience

    Get PDF
    This study explores how mobile proximity payments (MPP) (e.g., Apple Pay) create customer value in the service experience compared to traditional payment methods (e.g. cash and card). The main objectives were firstly to understand how customer value manifests as an outcome in the MPP service experience, and secondly to understand how the customer activities in the process of using MPP create customer value. To achieve these objectives a conceptual framework is built upon the Grönroos-Voima Value Model (Grönroos and Voima, 2013), and uses the Theory of Consumption Value (Sheth et al., 1991) to determine the customer value constructs for MPP, which is complimented with Script theory (Abelson, 1981) to determine the value creating activities the consumer does in the process of paying with MPP. The study uses a sequential exploratory mixed methods design, wherein the first qualitative stage uses two methods, self-observations (n=200) and semi-structured interviews (n=18). The subsequent second quantitative stage uses an online survey (n=441) and Structural Equation Modelling analysis to further examine the relationships and effect between the value creating activities and customer value constructs identified in stage one. The academic contributions include the development of a model of mobile payment services value creation in the service experience, introducing the concept of in-use barriers which occur after adoption and constrains the consumers existing use of MPP, and revealing the importance of the mobile in-hand momentary condition as an antecedent state. Additionally, the customer value perspective of this thesis demonstrates an alternative to the dominant Information Technology approaches to researching mobile payments and broadens the view of technology from purely an object a user interacts with to an object that is immersed in consumers’ daily life
    • …
    corecore