SANA - Network Protection through artificial Immunity

Current network protection systems use a collection of intelligent components - e.g. classifiers or rule-based firewall systems to detect intrusions and anomalies and to secure a network against viruses, worms, or trojans. However, these network systems rely on individuality and support an architecture with less collaborative work of the protection components. They give less administration support for maintenance, but offer a large number of individual single points of failures - an ideal situation for network attacks to succeed. In this work, we discuss the required features, the performance, and the problems of a distributed protection system called SANA. It consists of a cooperative architecture, it is motivated by the human immune system, where the components correspond to artificial immune cells that are connected for their collaborative work. SANA promises a better protection against intruders than common known protection systems through an adaptive self-management while keeping the resources efficiently by an intelligent reduction of redundant tasks. We introduce a library of several novel and common used protection components and evaluate the performance of SANA by a proof-of-concept implementation.Comment: 5 page

Hardware support for memory protection in sensor nodes

With reference to the typical hardware configuration of a sensor node, we present the architecture of a memory protection unit (MPU) designed as a low-complexity addition to the microcontroller. The MPU is aimed at supporting memory protection and the privileged execution mode. It is connected to the system buses, and is seen by the processor as a memory-mapped input/output device. The contents of the internal MPU registers specify the composition of the protection contexts of the running program in terms of access rights for the memory pages. The MPU generates a hardware interrupt to the processor when it detects a protection violation. The proposed MPU architecture is evaluated from a number of salient viewpoints, which include the distribution, review and revocation of access permissions, and the support for important memory protection paradigms, including hierarchical contexts and protection rings

Optimization Model of Adaptive Decision Taking Support System for Distributed Systems Cyber Security Facilities Placement

Abstract— An article herein presents an optimization model, designated for computational core of decision-taking support system (DTSS). DTSS is necessary for system analysis and search of optimal versions for cybersecurity facilities placement and information protection of an enterprise or organization distributed computational network (DCN). DTSS and a model allow automize the analysis of information protection and cybersecurity systems in different versions. It is possible to consider, how separate elements, influence at DCN protection factors and their combinations. Offered model, in distinction from existing, has allowed implementing both the principles of information protection equivalency to a concrete threat and a system complex approach to forming a highly effective protection system for DCN. Hereby we have presented the outcomes of computational experiments on selecting the rational program algorithm of implementing the developed optimization model. It has been offered to use genetic algorithm modification (GAM). Based on the offered model, there has been implemented the module for adaptive DTSS. DTSS module might be applied upon designing protected DCN, based on preset architecture and available sets of information protection and cybersecurity systems in the network

Optimization Model of Adaptive Decision Taking Support System for Distributed Systems Cyber Security Facilities Placement

Abstract— An article herein presents an optimization model, designated for computational core of decision-taking support system (DTSS). DTSS is necessary for system analysis and search of optimal versions for cybersecurity facilities placement and information protection of an enterprise or organization distributed computational network (DCN). DTSS and a model allow automize the analysis of information protection and cybersecurity systems in different versions. It is possible to consider, how separate elements, influence at DCN protection factors and their combinations. Offered model, in distinction from existing, has allowed implementing both the principles of information protection equivalency to a concrete threat and a system complex approach to forming a highly effective protection system for DCN. Hereby we have presented the outcomes of computational experiments on selecting the rational program algorithm of implementing the developed optimization model. It has been offered to use genetic algorithm modification (GAM). Based on the offered model, there has been implemented the module for adaptive DTSS. DTSS module might be applied upon designing protected DCN, based on preset architecture and available sets of information protection and cybersecurity systems in the network

Modelling methods for determining fault management requirements in future MEA and MEE platforms

This paper presents a modular transient modelling tool which provides model-based support for the design and technology selection within future MEE and MEA electrical systems. The developed tool is a Matlab/Simulink library consisting of functional sub-system units, which can be rapidly integrated to build complex system architecture models. The paper focusses on the ability of the tool to assess the thermally-defined fault withstand capability of power electronic converters in order to inform on technology trades and derive the operating requirements of the associated power system protection/fault management devices

Overload Protection for CORBA Systems with Time Constraints

Scalable and reliable distributed object-oriented computing (DOC) middleware systems is an important technology in, for example, telecommunications service logic and distributed web servers. The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), developed by the Object Management Group (OMG) is a speci cation of a common platform for DOC systems. CORBA acts as middleware, by inserting itself between the Operating System (OS) layer and the Application layer on a host. CORBA provides support for transparent interaction of objects situated on different nodes. The original CORBA specications had no support for timing constraints in applications and very little support in the terms of performance optimizations. Present extension to CORBA include support for real-time applications and a number of performance enhancements such as load balancing. However, no work so far address the issue of overload in a CORBA system. This paper presents a discussion of overload issues in distributed CORBA systems with time-constrained tasks. First a performance model of a CORBA system is introduced. Second, overload in distributed CORBA systems is discussed. Third, a number of classic overload protection mechanisms are applied to the performance model and investigated using simulation. The simulations show that even by using very simple protection mechanism, a good throughput can be achieved

Life Support and Habitation and Planetary Protection Workshop

A workshop entitled "Life Support and Habitation and Planetary Protection Workshop" was held in Houston, Texas on April 27-29, 2005 to facilitate the development of planetary protection guidelines for future human Mars exploration missions and to identify the potential effects of these guidelines on the design and selection of related human life support, extravehicular activity and monitoring and control systems. This report provides a summary of the workshop organization, starting assumptions, working group results and recommendations. Specific result topics include the identification of research and technology development gaps, potential forward and back contaminants and pathways, mitigation alternatives, and planetary protection requirements definition needs. Participants concluded that planetary protection and science-based requirements potentially affect system design, technology trade options, development costs and mission architecture. Therefore early and regular coordination between the planetary protection, scientific, planning, engineering, operations and medical communities is needed to develop workable and effective designs for human exploration of Mars

Issues in integrating existing multi-agent systems for power engineering applications

Multi-agent systems (MAS) have proven to be an effective platform for diagnostic and condition monitoring applications in the power industry. For example, a multi-agent system architecture, entitled condition monitoring multi-agent system (COMMAS) (McArthur et al., 2004), has been applied to the ultra high frequency (UHF) monitoring of partial discharge activity inside transformers. Additionally, a multi-agent system, entitled protection engineering diagnostic agents (PEDA) (Hossack et al., 2003), has demonstrated the use of MAS technology for automated and enhanced post-fault analysis of power systems disturbances based on SCADA and digital fault recorder (DFR) data. In this paper, the authors propose the integration of COMMAS and PEDA as a means of offering enhanced decision support to engineers tasked with managing transformer assets. By providing automatically interpreted data related to condition monitoring and power system disturbances, the proposed integrated system offer engineers a more comprehensive picture of the health of a given transformer. Defects and deterioration in performance can be correlated with the operating conditions it experiences. The integration of COMMAS and PEDA has highlighted the issues inherent to the inter-operation of existing multi-agent systems and, in particular, the issues surrounding the use of differing ontologies. The authors believe that these issues need to be addressed if there is to be widespread deployment of MAS technology within the power industry. This paper presents research undertaken to integrate the two MAS and to deal with ontology issues