Combating Attacks and Abuse in Large Online Communities

Internet users today are connected more widely and ubiquitously than ever before. As a result, various online communities are formed, ranging from online social networks (Facebook, Twitter), to mobile communities (Foursquare, Waze), to content/interests based networks (Wikipedia, Yelp, Quora). While users are benefiting from the ease of access to information and social interactions, there is a growing concern for users' security and privacy against various attacks such as spam, phishing, malware infection and identity theft. Combating attacks and abuse in online communities is challenging. First, today’s online communities are increasingly dependent on users and user-generated content. Securing online systems demands a deep understanding of the complex and often unpredictable human behaviors. Second, online communities can easily have millions or even billions of users, which requires the corresponding security mechanisms to be highly scalable. Finally, cybercriminals are constantly evolving to launch new types of attacks. This further demands high robustness of security defenses. In this thesis, we take concrete steps towards measuring, understanding, and defending against attacks and abuse in online communities. We begin with a series of empirical measurements to understand user behaviors in different online services and the uniquesecurity and privacy challenges that users are facing with. This effort covers a broad set of popular online services including social networks for question and answering (Quora), anonymous social networks (Whisper), and crowdsourced mobile communities (Waze). Despite the differences of specific online communities, our study provides a first look at their user activity patterns based on empirical data, and reveals the need for reliable mechanisms to curate user content, protect privacy, and defend against emerging attacks. Next, we turn our attention to attacks targeting online communities, with focus on spam campaigns. While traditional spam is mostly generated by automated software, attackers today start to introduce "human intelligence" to implement attacks. This is maliciouscrowdsourcing (or crowdturfing) where a large group of real-users are organized to carry out malicious campaigns, such as writing fake reviews or spreading rumors on social media. Using collective human efforts, attackers can easily bypass many existing defenses (e.g.,CAPTCHA). To understand the ecosystem of crowdturfing, we first use measurements to examine their detailed campaign organization, workers and revenue. Based on insights from empirical data, we develop effective machine learning classifiers to detect crowdturfingactivities. In the meantime, considering the adversarial nature of crowdturfing, we also build practical adversarial models to simulate how attackers can evade or disrupt machine learning based defenses. To aid in this effort, we next explore using user behavior models to detect a wider range of attacks. Instead of making assumptions about attacker behavior, our idea is to model normal user behaviors and capture (malicious) behaviors that are deviated from norm. In this way, we can detect previously unknown attacks. Our behavior model is based on detailed clickstream data, which are sequences of click events generated by users when using the service. We build a similarity graph where each user is a node and the edges are weightedby clickstream similarity. By partitioning this graph, we obtain "clusters" of users with similar behaviors. We then use a small set of known good users to "color" these clusters to differentiate the malicious ones. This technique has been adopted by real-world social networks (Renren and LinkedIn), and already detected unexpected attacks. Finally, we extend clickstream model to understanding more-grained behaviors of attackers (and real users), and tracking how user behavior changes over time. In summary, this thesis illustrates a data-driven approach to understanding and defending against attacks and abuse in online communities. Our measurements have revealed new insights about how attackers are evolving to bypass existing security defenses today. Inaddition, our data-driven systems provide new solutions for online services to gain a deep understanding of their users, and defend them from emerging attacks and abuse

When Law Frees Us to Speak

A central aim of online abuse is to silence victims. That effort is as regrettable as it is successful. In the face of cyberharassment and sexualprivacy invasions, women and marginalized groups retreat from online engagement. These documented chilling effects, however, are not inevitable. Beyond its deterrent function, the law has an equally important expressive role. In this Article, we highlight law’s capacity to shape social norms and behavior through education. We focus on a neglected dimension of law’s expressive role: its capacity to empower victims to express their truths and engage with others. Our argument is theoretical and empirical. We present new empirical research showing cyberharassment law’s salutary effects on women’s online expression. We then consider the implications of those findings for victims of sexual-privacy invasions

Hate crimes against the LGBT community in the Commonwealth: a situational analysis

This report outlines the nature and extent of anti-LGBT hate crime and its impact on individuals and societies in the Commonwealth. Section 1 outlines the methodology and approach of this report, and sets out the legal and social context in which hate crimes are committed against LGBT people. Section 2 assesses the extent and nature of anti-LGBT hate crimes, exploring trends across the Commonwealth and surveying regional and country-specific case examples. Information on the perpetrators of anti-LGBT victimisation is also outlined. Section 3 examines the impacts that anti-LGBT hate crimes have on individuals, communities and society. Commonalities and differences in experiences across different sectors of LGBT communities are described. Section 4 of the report concludes with recommendations on how Commonwealth states should legislate against anti-LGBT hate crime, and why statutory agencies must implement monitoring tools to ensure that anti-LGBT victimisation becomes visible and is measured

Human Trafficking and Terrorism: Utilizing National Security Resources to Prevent Human Trafficking in the Islamic State

This is a report of a Master’s thesis done in behalf of the local network in Stockholm, under Fortum Distribution AB. The thesis was to conduct a review of a distribution station named Fs Myrängen located in Täby. A model was created for the 11 kV network linked to the secondary side of Fs Myrängen. Based on this model and using symmetrical components, theoretical fault currents (short circuit and ground fault) could be calculated. The results of these fault currents are used to investigate and develop new settings for relay protection and ground equipment in the station. The results of the calculated fault currents were also used to investigate unwanted voltages that occurs for grounded parts due to earth faults. The value of these unwanted voltages was then compared to heavy current regulations developed by the Electrical Safety Authority in Sweden. Another element of the work was to create a rehabilitation plan for the structure on the 11 kV side of Fs Myrängen, the main goal regarding the rehabilitation plan was to investigate the advantages and disadvantages that exist at a possible transition to numerical protection relays. This was done by making a market overview of the different types of numerical protection relays and compare these with the existing analog protective device in Fs Myrängen. The study showed that protective relay settings should be revised according to the recommendations in the report, ground equipment should be replaced with a self-regulating type, transformers should be replaced due to age and capacity limitations. Regarding a switch to numerical protection relays the type REF615 from ABB was recommended, in that case the control board in the station should be replaced to a station computer. Furthermore should current transformers be replaced to recive a desired sensitivity regarding detection of ground faults. The report also showed that Fs Myrängen meets the regulations of unwanted voltages over grounded parts in distribution stations due to earth faults.Detta är en rapport av ett examensarbete utfört i uppdrag av lokalnät Stockholm under Fortum Distribution AB. Examensarbetet gick ut på att göra en översyn av en fördelningsstation vid namn Fs Myrängen som är belägen i Täby. En modell skapades av 11 kV nätet kopplat till Fs Myrängen, utifrån denna modell samt med hjälp av symmetriska komponenter beräknades teoretiska felströmmar både för kortslutning och jordslutning. Resultaten av dessa felströmmar användes för att utreda och ta fram inställningar på reläskydd och nollpunktsutrustning i stationen. Resultaten på framräknade jordfelsströmmar användes även för att utreda vilken spänningssättning som uppstår vid jordfel, i de nätstationer som matas av Fs Myrängen. Spänningssättningen på nätstationerna jämfördes sedan med de starkströmsföreskrifter som är framtagna av elsäkerhetsverket. Ett annat moment i arbetet var att skapa en upprustningsplan för skyddsanordningen på 11 kV sidan i Fs Myrängen, huvudmålet för den biten var att utreda vilka fördelar och nackdelar som finns vid en eventuell övergång till numeriska skydd. Detta gjordes genom att göra en marknadsöversikt över olika typer av numeriska reläskydd, samt jämföra dessa med den befintliga skyddsanordningen i Myrängen som är av analog typ. Studien visade att reläskyddsinställningar bör ses över enligt rekommendationer i rapporten, nollpunktsutrustningen bör bytas ut till självreglerande typ, transformatorerna bör bytas ut p.g.a. ålder och kapacitetsbegränsning. Gällande skyddsanordningen rekommenderas en övergång till numeriska skydd av typen REF615, och i samband med detta byta ut den befintliga kontrolltavlan i stationen till en stationsdator. Vidare bör även strömtransformatorer för jordfelsskydden bytas ut för att uppnå önskad känslighet gällande detektering av jordfel. För spänningssättning av nätstationer vid jordfel, visar resultaten att stationen uppfyller kraven enligt starkströmsföreskrifterna från elsäkerhetsverket

Combating Cyber-Victimization

In today’s interconnected society, high profile examples of online victimization abound. Cyber-bullies, stalkers and harassers launch attacks on the less powerful, causing a variety of harms. Recent scholarship has identified some of the more salient damage, including reputational harms, severe emotional distress, loss of employment, and physical assault. Extreme cases of online abuse have resulted in death through suicide or as a result of targeted attacks. This article makes two major contributions to the cyber-victimization literature. It proposes specific reforms to criminal and tort laws to address this conduct more effectively. Further, it situates those reforms within a new multi-modal regulatory framework. This new approach advocates a combination of enhanced public education initiatives, enhanced access to effective reputation management services, the development of more pro-bono reputation management strategies, reporting hotlines, social norms, and industry self-regulation. The goal is to combine law with other regulatory modalities in order to facilitate the development of a more civil and accountable global online society

National anti-racism strategy and Racism. It stops with me: summary evaluation and future direction

Executive summary Background and context In 2011, the Australian Government made a commitment to a comprehensive National Anti-Racism Strategy (the Strategy). The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) was provided with a budget of $1.7 million over four years to develop and implement the Strategy. The Strategy was launched in August 2012, along with a nationwide public awareness campaign Racism. It Stops with Me (the campaign). The aim of the Strategy is “to promote a clear understanding in the Australian community of what racism is, and how it can be prevented and reduced.” Its objectives are to: Create awareness of racism and its effects on individuals and the broader community Identify, promote and build on good practice initiatives to prevent and reduce racism, and Empower communities and individuals to take action to prevent and reduce racism and to seek redress when it occurs. The National Anti-Racism Strategy is a partnership-based strategy with a focus on public awareness, education resources and youth engagement. The Commission worked to meet these objectives through two separate, but related, streams of activity: The Racism. It Stops with Me campaign, intended to encourage and coordinate the efforts of individuals, organisations and communities that have an interest in anti-racism initiatives, and A series of strategic projects designed to reduce racism, support diversity and build social cohesion in priority areas identified during development of the Strategy. About this report This report provides a snapshot of progress under the Strategy and campaign. It details the process and findings of the three year evaluation of the Strategy and campaign, which aimed to answer three key questions: What was delivered? How well was it delivered? What difference did it make? The evaluation included: A theory of change and logic model Meta-analysis of projects and documents A survey of over 280 campaign supporters Interviews with 15 key campaign informants, and Seven in depth case studies of campaign supporters. National Anti-Racism Strategy projects Six strategic projects have been developed and delivered to date, targeting priority areas identified in the Strategy. Given the resourcing and breadth of the Strategy, we have largely focused on creating resources that could be widely used within target sectors and which built on and reinforced existing good practice. Considerable preparatory research and consultation was undertaken before these projects were developed to ensure they met the target audience needs. The projects are: What You Say Matters, an online anti-racism resource for young people. Strengthening Connections, a training resource addressing systemic racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using government services. The Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool, an audit tool for employers. RightsED, education resources for schools on racism and race relations curriculum. A National Forum on Diversity Training for police, and Building Social Cohesion in Our Communities, a resource for local government. As the resources and products produced by a number of these projects are still in the early implementation stage it is not yet possible to fully assess outcomes. However, they will be reviewed or evaluated where feasible. Racism. It Stops with Me campaign The Racism. It Stops with Me campaign has three objectives - to: Ensure more Australians recognise that racism is unacceptable in our community Create tools and resources to support practical action against racism, and Empower individuals and organisations to prevent and respond effectively to racism. To achieve these objectives, the Commission adopted a partnership approach. At the time of writing, 364 organisations have joined the campaign as supporters. They have each been asked to: Endorse the campaign publicly; Promote the campaign through their communications channels, and Identify activities that their organisation could undertake to support their stance against racism. The campaign outputs have been reviewed, including the website, resources, and social media activity. A detailed analysis of feedback from surveys, interviews and case studies has also helped to determine the campaign’s impact and the extent to which it has met the campaign and Strategy objectives. Activities and outputs The activities and outputs of the Strategy are documented in detail through the body of the report.  How well was the Strategy implemented, and what difference did it make? As the Strategy projects are still in the early implementation stage it is too early to answer this question in relation to these initiatives – they will be considered as each project is evaluated. Much of the data at this stage focusses on the reach of impact of the Racism. It Stops with Me campaign. Supporter survey findings The most recent annual survey of campaign supporters was sent to over 280 organisations in 2014 and had a response rate of 21 per cent. It found that 84 per cent of respondents felt the campaign had had a positive impact. No respondents indicated a negative impact. Other key findings were: Since joining the campaign, respondents had done, or were planning to do, the following: Informed their staff or volunteers (93 per cent) and/or clients or service users about their support for the campaign (80 per cent) Used the campaign to initiate anti-racism policies, training or other initiatives in their organisation (58 per cent) Held an event to launch their support for the campaign (35 per cent Held another kind of event or activity to promote their support for the campaign (50 per cent). 57 per cent of respondents had anti-racism policies, procedures or projects in place prior to joining the campaign. 70 per cent of these thought that the campaign had been beneficial in reinforcing or leveraging support for these. 76 per cent of respondents thought the campaign had been useful to their staff/volunteers and 65 per cent thought it had been useful to their clients/ service users. Thematic analysis of impact A thematic analysis was used to assess the impact of activities to date. The thematic findings link to the evaluation questions and relate back to the Strategy’s objectives. Theme 1: Starting conversations Data suggests the Strategy, particularly the campaign, has been successful in starting conversations about racism. In the words of online survey respondents: The campaign almost legitimises people to feel more comfortable in talking about racism. The campaign helps to bring the issue of racism to a conversational level. I talk about the campaign wherever I go. In some cases, joining the campaign mandated conversations about racism and an organisation’s response to it. Referees were obliged to discuss zero tolerance to racism and talk about what players and spectators could do if an incident occurred. (Football Federation Victoria) Theme 2: Sending a clear message The rationale for the campaign slogan Racism. It Stops with Me was to encourage individuals and organisations to take responsibility for ensuring that racism does not occur, or for doing something about it when it does. Many organisations joined the campaign to send a message – to their staff, or their community – that they would not condone racism. Being a part of this campaign sends a strong message to our community that we support its cultural diversity and we, as a community, will bear no tolerance for racism. Our cultural diversity is our strength and the Shire will continue to employ methods to ensure that racism does not have a place in our community. (Online survey respondent) Some case study participants identified resources provided by the Commission as particularly beneficial, while many supporters produced their own resources. For example, developing and displaying campaign posters on transport networks was the most popular activity undertaken by the campaign’s transport supporters, enabling them to effectively and efficiently communicate a strong anti-racism message to commuters. Theme 3: Providing leadership There was broad recognition of the leadership displayed by the Commission in developing a national strategy: This is an excellent initiative. We commend the Commission for its leadership. (Online survey respondent) Also evident was the ways in which the Strategy, particularly the campaign, assisted supporter organisations to demonstrate leadership against racism. As Metro Tasmania’s chief executive officer said, “We want to be out there in the public face and show that if there is any racism out there we’ve got to stop it and we don’t want it.”  Similarly, the Newington Gunners Football Club wanted to show their community that “anti-racism and diversity are a part of our culture – this is nothing special – it’s the way we do business around here.” Theme 4: Empowering action One of the most consistent findings was the extent to which the Strategy provided leverage to initiate anti-racism activities, or to build on and strengthen existing activities. This was clearly highlighted in both the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Racism. It Stops with Me campaign. Being part of a national campaign and the national Strategy demonstrates that we are not lone wolves and gives added strength to what we are saying. (Supporter key informant 12) Sometimes a specific incident prompted an organisation to join the campaign and take action. For example, the NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities and the Member for Coogee announced the rollout of Racism. It Stops with Me posters on buses and bus stops in eastern Sydney following a racial attack against schoolchildren on a Sydney bus. Conclusion  This evaluation report demonstrates that the Commission has done ‘a lot with a little’ by creating a network of partners and supporters taking action against racism and by encouraging communities to use the national campaign to support their individual and organisational efforts. With greater resources, more could have been achieved, such as broader reach and greater systemic change. However, our approach has been to share responsibility and resources and to use our status and leadership to encourage and support local initiatives. There is good evidence that some short to medium term outcomes of the Strategy have been achieved in a relatively short timeframe. That is, awareness of racism and how best to respond to it is growing, and behaviour change is occurring, within individuals, organisations and communities reached by the Strategy. Future directions This evaluation has been critical to the National Anti-Racism Partnership in planning the future direction of the Strategy. In leading the next stage of the Strategy and campaign, the Commission will build on its efforts in the areas of: Employment Education Media Government service provision Sport, and the online environment We will also focus on communities and public places. Work will fall under two distinct but complementary themes: Combating racism and discrimination, and Supporting diversity and inclusion. We will prioritise the following activities: Developing and promoting education, training and resources aimed at addressing systemic issues of racism and racial discrimination Supporting research and good practice in racism prevention and reduction Building and strengthening partnerships with those committed to combating racism and discrimination and supporting diversity and inclusion, and Promoting community awareness of racism and how to prevent and respond to it.  The National Anti-Racism Partnership will continue to support the implementation of the Strategy and campaign, and will be expanded to enable more effective engagement with priority sectors