Blockchain Enabled Platforms for the Internet of Things

The Blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) have gained a lot of attention in the last few years, since both technologies enable the possibility of creating a more connected and independent world. This combination enables the design of computing systems and cyber-physical environments without the need of centralized trusted entities, giving users the freedom and control of their operations, in a decentralized ledger model. By using storing and logging mechanisms supported by the Blockchain, data is immutable and independently audited, guaranteeing that it is neither modified nor deleted. At the same time, applications can benefit from the reliability and fault-tolerance assumptions provided by the Blockchain in supporting transactions between users and involved devices. In this thesis, it was studied and proposed a generic solution for a Blockchain-enabled IoT software architecture. The proposed solution enables the advantages of using decentralized logging and ledgering, without the interference of central authorities, inherently supported by the base Blockchain reliability, availability and security foundations. These capabilities are envisaged as key-benefits for a new generation of clean-slate approaches for IoT applications with the required scalability criteria. The research conducted in the dissertation work, studied the base software foundations, relevant components and implementation options that enable the identified advantages of using Blockchain components and services, to leverage more scalable and trustable IoT platforms. Our proposed solution aims to provide an architecture that contributes to a more appropriate design for secure and reliable IoT systems. In this trend we propose a better use of edge-based support for local-enabled processing environments supporting IoT devices and users’ interactions, with operations intermediated by proximity hubs acting as gateways to the Blockchain, where the operations are regulated and controlled by verifiable smart-contracts involving data and transactions

Security Aspects of Mobile Based E Wallet

An Electronic-wallet(e-wallet) is an electronic application that enables online e-commerce transactions like purchasing goods, paying utility bills, transferring money, booking flight etc. with a financial gadget (credit card/digital currency) using smart phones or computers. Electronic wallet is a very young concept that has taken on consumer psyche rapidly. Post Demonetization resulted in sudden surge in the customer base of e wallet companies. In the current scenario, it is easy for individual to download an e wallet app to make their e-payments conveniently. Since the transactions are done through mobile, it is preferred by most of the people for their online and offline cash transactions. It is gaining the attention due to its unique advantageous features. This paper tries answer for certain queries related to operational procedure of e wallet, kinds of e wallet and concluded with the security issues of e wallet

Ransomware in High-Risk Environments

In today’s modern world, cybercrime is skyrocketing globally, which impacts a variety of organizations and endpoint users. Hackers are using a multitude of approaches and tools, including ransomware threats, to take over targeted systems. These acts of cybercrime lead to huge damages in areas of business, healthcare systems, industry sectors, and other fields. Ransomware is considered as a high risk threat, which is designed to hijack the data. This paper is demonstrating the ransomware types, and how they are evolved from the malware and trojan codes, which is used to attack previous incidents, and explains the most common encryption algorithms such as AES, and RSA, ransomware uses them during infection process in order to produce complex threats. The practical approach for data encryption uses python programming language to show the efficiency of those algorithms in real attacks by executing this section on Ubuntu virtual machine. Furthermore, this paper analyzes programming languages, which is used to build ransomware. An example of ransomware code is being demonstrated in this paper, which is written specifically in C sharp language, and it has been tested out on windows operating system using MS visual studio. So, it is very important to recognize the system vulnerability, which can be very useful to prevent the ransomware. In contrast, this threat might sneak into the system easily, allowing for a ransom to be demanded. Therefore, understanding ransomware anatomy can help us to find a better solution in different situations. Consequently, this paper shows a number of outstanding removal techniques to get rid from ransomware attacks in the system

Ransomware in High-Risk Environments

In today’s modern world, cybercrime is skyrocketing globally, which impacts a variety of organizations and endpoint users. Hackers are using a multitude of approaches and tools, including ransomware threats, to take over targeted systems. These acts of cybercrime lead to huge damages in areas of business, healthcare systems, industry sectors, and other fields. Ransomware is considered as a high risk threat, which is designed to hijack the data. This paper is demonstrating the ransomware types, and how they are evolved from the malware and trojan codes, which is used to attack previous incidents, and explains the most common encryption algorithms such as AES, and RSA, ransomware uses them during infection process in order to produce complex threats. The practical approach for data encryption uses python programming language to show the efficiency of those algorithms in real attacks by executing this section on Ubuntu virtual machine. Furthermore, this paper analyzes programming languages, which is used to build ransomware. An example of ransomware code is being demonstrated in this paper, which is written specifically in C sharp language, and it has been tested out on windows operating system using MS visual studio. So, it is very important to recognize the system vulnerability, which can be very useful to prevent the ransomware. In contrast, this threat might sneak into the system easily, allowing for a ransom to be demanded. Therefore, understanding ransomware anatomy can help us to find a better solution in different situations. Consequently, this paper shows a number of outstanding removal techniques to get rid from ransomware attacks in the system

Innovation in last mile delivery : meeting evolving customer demands : the case of In-Car Delivery

Parcel delivery today is in urgent need for innovation driven by the imbalance between two forces that can be observed in the market environment. First, the volume of parcels between businesses and consumers is growing rapidly, mainly driven through e-commerce. Second, consumer habits and lifestyles are changing in a way that demands more flexibility and convenience. Ultimately, the feasibility of the delivery moment, reaching consumers at home, is shrinking. Therefore, this thesis deals with service innovations in the Last Mile Delivery of parcels that seek to enhance customer experience and address the insufficiencies of existing delivery models. The emphasis in this work is on In-Car Delivery - a method in which a parcel is delivered to the trunk of a consumer’s car. The objective of the paper is to examine whether consumers would accept In-Car Delivery as a novel way to receive parcels. Key findings suggest that In-Car Delivery can solve the deficiencies of today’s delivery methods, and consumers are willing to use trunk delivery. Yet, the research also shows that In-Car Delivery brings along an unprecedented set of concerns in parcel delivery, namely customer data and privacy concerns. As the exploration of innovative delivery solutions - beyond In-Car Delivery - is continuing, this research helps parcel companies to prioritize and concentrate their resources on the main value drivers. This study identified the following five factors most important to consumers when receiving a parcel: flexibility, convenience, cost, speed, and variety.A entrega de encomendas hoje passa por uma necessidade urgente de inovação, impulsionada pelo desequilíbrio entre duas forças que podem ser observadas no mercado. Primeiro, o volume das encomendas entre empresas e consumidores está crescendo rapidamente, principalmente através do e-commerce. Segundo, os hábitos de consumo e estilos de vida estão mudando de forma a exigir mais flexibilidade e conveniência. E por ultimo, a viabilidade de entrega, de a encomenda chegar às mãos dos consumidores em casa, está diminuindo. Portanto, esta tese trata de inovações de serviços na entrega de encomendas da Last-Mile Delivery que buscam aprimorar a experiência do cliente e abordar as insuficiências dos modelos de entrega atuais e existentes. A ênfase deste trabalho está no In-Car Delivery – um método onde a encomenda é entregue ao porta-malas do carro do consumidor. O objetivo deste trabalho é examinar se os consumidores aceitariam ou não o serviço In-Car Delivery como uma nova maneira de receber suas encomendas. Alem disso, este estudo identificou os seguintes cinco fatores mais importantes para os consumidores quando se trata de receber uma encomenda: flexibilidade, conveniência, custo, velocidade, e variedade. As principais conclusões sugerem que o serviço In-Car Delivery pode resolver as deficiências dos métodos de entrega atuais, e em geral, os consumidores estão dispostos a usar este serviço como método de recebimento de encomendas. No entanto, a pesquisa também mostra que o In-Car Delivery traz consigo preocupações sem precedentes quando se trata da entrega de encomendas, principalmente preocupações com os dados e privacidade dos clientes

Teacher in Space Project

No abstract availabl

The implications of big data and privacy on competition analysis in merger control and the controversial competition-data protection interface

The article examines the implications of big data for competition law, with a focus on personal data and the privacy concerns that such data may give rise to, especially in the area of merger control. Today, one of the biggest challenges for competition authorities in data-driven markets is how to deal with issues related to personal data and the protection of privacy in their analysis. A key question is the role of competition law in protecting consumers from potential data privacy risks arising in the context of mergers in digital markets. The article also engages with one of the currently most debated topics in the competition community, namely the competition-privacy interface, and considers how personal data in the digital economy is considered a currency in exchange for online offerings, and how a loss of privacy can be factored into quality competition. The article addresses some of the challenges with incorporating privacy as a non-price parameter into competition analysis and offers food for thought by discussing relevant methodologies to assign monetary values to personal data. © 2019 Kluwer Law International BV, The Netherlands.Peer reviewe

Stanley in Cyberspace: Why the Privacy Protection of the First Amendment Should Be More Like That of the Fourth

The 1969 case Stanley v. Georgia forbade the government from restricting the books that an individual may read or the films he may watch “in the privacy of his own home.” Since that time, the Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that Stanley’s protection applies solely within the physical boundaries of the home: While obscene books or films are protected inside of the home, they are not protected en route to it—whether in a package sent by mail, in a suitcase one is carrying to one’s house, or in a stream of data obtained through the Internet. However adequate this narrow reading of Stanley may have been in the four decades since the case was decided, it is ill-suited to the twenty-first century, where the in-home cultural life protected by the Court in Stanley inevitably spills over into, or connects with, electronic realms beyond it. Individuals increasingly watch films not, as the defendant in Stanley did, by bringing an eight millimeter film or other physical copy of the film into their house, but by streaming it through the Internet. Especially as eReaders, such as the Kindle, and tablets, such as the iPad, proliferate, individuals read books by downloading digital copies of them. They store their own artistic and written work not in a desk drawer or in a safe, but in the “cloud” of data storage offered to them on far-away servers. Thus, I argue that courts should revisit and revise their understanding of Stanley v. Georgia in the same way that Katz v. United States revised Fourth Amendment law in 1967—by holding that the privacy it protected is not limited to the physical boundaries of the home (as United States v. Olmstead had held in 1928) but covers wire-line communications and other electronic environments in which individuals have an expectation of privacy. This is not to say that the Court’s understanding of Stanley v. Georgia should be revised in precisely the same way. However, Stanley v. Georgia should, at a minimum, be extended to protect web-based interactions, where use of an electronic resource outside of the home, such as the Internet, is an integral component of the act of possessing, viewing, or reading cultural material