Survey on relational database watermarking techniques

Digital watermarking has been in multimedia data use over the past years. Recently it has become applicable in relational database system not only to secure copyright ownership but also to ensure data contents integrity. Further, it is used in locating tampered and modified places. However, the watermarking relational database has its own requirements, challenges, attacks and limitations. This paper, surveys recent database watermarking techniques focusing on the importance of watermarking relational database, the difference between watermarking relational database and multimedia objects, the issues in watermarking relational database, type of attacks on watermarked database, classifications, distortion introduced and the embedded information. The comparative study shows that watermarking relational database can be an effective tool for copyright protection, tampered detection, and hacker tracing while maintaining the integrity of data contents. In addition, this study explores the current issues in watermarking relational database as well as the significant differences between watermarking multimedia data and relational database contents. Finally, it provides a classification of database watermarking techniques according to the way of selecting the candidate key attributes and tuples, distortion introduced and decoding methods used

Preventing Additive Attacks to Relational Database Watermarking

False ownership claims are carried on through additive and invertibility attacks and, as far as we know, current relational watermarking techniques are not always able to solve the ownership doubts raising from the latter attacks. In this paper, we focus on additive attacks. We extend a conventional image-based relational data watermarking scheme by creating a non-colluded backup of the data owner marks, the so-called secondary marks positions. The technique we propose is able to identify the data owner beyond any doubt

Design and analysis of Discrete Cosine Transform-based watermarking algorithms for digital images. Development and evaluation of blind Discrete Cosine Transform-based watermarking algorithms for copyright protection of digital images using handwritten signatures and mobile phone numbers.

This thesis deals with the development and evaluation of blind discrete cosine transform-based watermarking algorithms for copyright protection of digital still images using handwritten signatures and mobile phone numbers. The new algorithms take into account the perceptual capacity of each low frequency coefficients inside the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) blocks before embedding the watermark information. They are suitable for grey-scale and colour images. Handwritten signatures are used instead of pseudo random numbers. The watermark is inserted in the green channel of the RGB colour images and the luminance channel of the YCrCb images. Mobile phone numbers are used as watermarks for images captured by mobile phone cameras. The information is embedded multiple-times and a shuffling scheme is applied to ensure that no spatial correlation exists between the original host image and the multiple watermark copies. Multiple embedding will increase the robustness of the watermark against attacks since each watermark will be individually reconstructed and verified before applying an averaging process. The averaging process has managed to reduce the amount of errors of the extracted information. The developed watermarking methods are shown to be robust against JPEG compression, removal attack, additive noise, cropping, scaling, small degrees of rotation, affine, contrast enhancements, low-pass, median filtering and Stirmark attacks. The algorithms have been examined using a library of approximately 40 colour images of size 512 512 with 24 bits per pixel and their grey-scale versions. Several evaluation techniques were used in the experiment with different watermarking strengths and different signature sizes. These include the peak signal to noise ratio, normalized correlation and structural similarity index measurements. The performance of the proposed algorithms has been compared to other algorithms and better invisibility qualities with stronger robustness have been achieved

User acceptance of systems for archiving and securing degree certificates and related documents.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Changing economic circumstances have led to the investigation of alternative solutions to economic problems. This has had an impact on communities who see academic qualifications as a solution to securing employment. With the increase in job opportunities requiring suitable qualifications, an increase in ‘qualification competition’ has occurred. This has resulted in academic qualifications being seen as a ‘key’ to securing employment. Unfortunately, such a perception has caused many individuals to pursue opportunities using ‘quick fix’ solutions and acquiring academic qualifications through breaches of security around these qualifications. Higher Education is one of the many sectors that is battling with security issues of this type. In South Africa alone, for the past few years, there has been a considerable increase in cases of persons who have been found to have faked either their senior certificates or university degrees, including doctorates. This is becoming a growing concern as it taints the image of the higher education sector in South Africa, and places at risk international relationshipsin higher education and beyond that the country has enjoyed over many years. Many education sectors are based on security systems in which the basic data of a person’s name and surname, for example, are retained when they graduateand the qualification they have legitimately received is recorded. This data is used when a re-print of a certificate is required. Though this method has been working well for some time, it has developed major flaws, in line with the sophistication of information and communications technology in general. This applies especially to the ability to edit e-versions of a certificate using image processing software. Thus, proper verification of the data captured in an e-version or hardcopy of a certificate (when reprinted, for example), represents an increasing risk, and, in some cases, results in a breach of security. Furthermore, some individuals have found ways to e-edit and print their own certificates, which look effectively identical to the authenticated certificates. While the emerging trend in various sectors is to store all data using the appropriate technology tools as a security measure for protecting information, organizations are becoming exposed to cybercrimes. As a result, data security has increasingly become a cause for concern. What is most disturbing, is that computer security breaches have increased, and in many cases, shown to be the result of ‘insider misuse and abuse’ of the information security measures established by an organization. It is for this reason that the current study and the work reported in this thesis has been undertaken and involves a focus on understanding what causes users to accept and follow an organization’s information systems security measures. The study is informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), as a framework to explore securing and archiving academic transcripts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The results showed that the intention of the UKZN staff to use the system positively, relates to their performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions. The use of UTAUT in a mixed methods study within an academic environment assesses the existing measures of securing and archiving academic transcripts and identifies various weaknesses in the current system. Based on the findings of the study, the steganographic method is demonstrated and suggested as an improved method of securing and archiving academic certificates at UKZN. The original contribution is an in-depth study at UKZN that answered the user acceptance research questions and demonstrated the practical application of the steganographic method in securing and archiving data

An Empirical Analysis to Control Product Counterfeiting in the Automotive Industry\u27s Supply Chains in Pakistan

The counterfeits pose significant health and safety threat to consumers. The quality image of firms is vulnerable to the damage caused by the expanding flow of counterfeit products in today’s global supply chains. The counterfeiting markets are swelling due to globalization and customers’ willingness to buy counterfeits, fueling illicit activities to explode further. Buyers look for the original parts are deceived by the false (deceptive) signals’ communication. The counterfeiting market has become a multi-billion industry but lacks detailed insights into the supply side of counterfeiting (deceptive side). The study aims to investigate and assess the relationship between the anti-counterfeiting strategies and improvement in the firm’s supply performance within the internal and external supply chain quality management context in the auto-parts industry’s supply chains in Pakistan

9th International Conference on Business, Technology and Innovation 2020

Welcome to IC – UBT 2020 UBT Annual International Conference is the 9th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent advancements in different research fields, and provide them with a unique forum to share their experiences. It is also the place to support the new academic staff for doing research and publish their work in international standard level. This conference consists of sub conferences in different fields like: Security Studies Sport, Health and Society Psychology Political Science Pharmaceutical and Natural Sciences Mechatronics, System Engineering and Robotics Medicine and Nursing Modern Music, Digital Production and Management Management, Business and Economics Language and Culture Law Journalism, Media and Communication Information Systems and Security Integrated Design Energy Efficiency Engineering Education and Development Dental Sciences Computer Science and Communication Engineering Civil Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Architecture and Spatial Planning Agriculture, Food Science and Technology Art and Digital Media This conference is the major scientific event of the UBT. It is organizing annually and always in cooperation with the partner universities from the region and Europe. We have to thank all Authors, partners, sponsors and also the conference organizing team making this event a real international scientific event. Edmond Hajrizi, President of UBTUBT – Higher Education Institutio