Rescuing the End-user systems from Vulnerable Applications using Virtualization Techniques

In systems owned by normal end-users, many times security attacks are mounted by sneaking in malicious applications or exploiting existing software vulnerabilities through security non-conforming actions of users. Virtualization approaches can address this problem by providing a quarantine environment for applications, malicious devices, and device drivers, which are mostly used as entry points for security attacks. However, the existing methods to provide quarantine environments using virtualization are not transparent to the user, both in terms of application interface transparency and file system transparency. Further, software configuration level solutions like remote desktops and remote application access mechanisms combined with shared file systems do not meet the user transparency and security requirements. We propose qOS, a VM-based solution combined with certain OS extensions to meet the security requirements of end-point systems owned by normal users, in a transparent and efficient manner. We demonstrate the efficacy of qOS by empirically evaluating the prototype implementation in the Linux+KVM system in terms of efficiency, security, and user transparency.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

A poultry all-hazard threat, vulnerability, and capability assessment with Rockingham County Fire Rescue.

Agriculture is argued to be one of our most critical infrastructures and is vital to human health and survivability. Agriculture is economically important in Virginia as it provides over 350,000 jobs and generates $55 billion annually (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services). This high criticality lends to significant areas of vulnerability in each sector of agriculture. Rockingham County is of particular importance as the top agriculturally producing county in the state and is ranked 5th in the nation for poultry sales (2007 Census of Agriculture). The desire to uphold this high production calls for a need to better understand what vulnerabilities threaten productivity. An examination was conducted to assess the ability to respond to and recover from any threat on this industry. This research employs an all hazard approach which examines intentional attacks of both a criminal and terrorist nature. Three specific areas address these concerns. First, the Potential Threat Elements which may attack the poultry industry, and the industry vulnerabilities they may find most attractive, are examined. Second, vulnerabilities of the poultry farms where primary grow operations take place are analyzed. Third, the capability of Rockingham County Fire Rescue to respond to an agricultural incident is discussed. The Animal Liberation Front was identified as the greatest threat to the industry. Several areas of vulnerability were reported including industry representatives who tend to be resistant to help because they believe it will increase regulation and ultimately their cost of production. Finally, the personnel of Rockingham County Fire Rescue have acknowledged a need for more agricultural incident training including annual exercises to help the agency to prepare for incidents involving poultry as well as other aspects of agriculture

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health From Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, 2008

Examines ten indicators to assess progress in state readiness to respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Evaluates the federal government's and hospitals' preparedness. Makes suggestions for funding, restructuring, and other reforms

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public\u27s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism

While significant progress has been made to better protect the country from health emergencies, funding for essential programs has been cut, putting these improvements in jeopardy. Additionally, a number of critical areas of preparedness still have significant gaps, including surge capacity and biosurveillance systems, and these problems are less likely to be addressed as funding decreases

‘Working the Border’ Risk and Interagency Communication At an International Airport

This thesis seeks to answer the ‘key question’: ‘how is the border worked at an international airport?’ To answer this key question the author, who is employed as a Customs officer, uses participant observation to provide material for an anthropological analysis of this question. The primary anthropological focus that will permeate throughout this thesis is interconnectedness of human and non human actors. This focus on interconnectedness will be linked to the ability of the workers of the border to communicate about risk to one another. Risk at the border is highly political following the terrorist attacks of September 11 (9/11). The attacks are not a focus of this thesis but a study of the border network will shed some light on how the workers of the border make sense of external factors such as these attacks (9/11) in their work world. The thesis accounts for links between the border workers of different government agencies and uses the idea of an occupational community to do so. The thesis will attempt to account for technologies within the border network. The account of technologies will demonstrate through an actor network approach their hybrid nature, and their ability to negotiate and renegotiate the border network. Power is analysed at the border through the ideas of Foucault. Though the idea of occupational community, actor network theory and the ideas of Foucault on power are not linked outside of this thesis in any way, they provide an honest account of the border network as expressed through the case study of risk and interagency communication at an international airport

ECHO Information sharing models

As part of the ECHO project, the Early Warning System (EWS) is one of four technologies under development. The E-EWS will provide the capability to share information to provide up to date information to all constituents involved in the E-EWS. The development of the E-EWS will be rooted in a comprehensive review of information sharing and trust models from within the cyber domain as well as models from other domains

State of Arizona hazard mitigation plan, 2013

abstract: The Plan identifies hazard mitigation actions and projects that have the potential to reduce the loss of life and property, human suffering, economic disruption, and disaster assistance costs resulting from natural and human-caused disasters in Arizona. This Plan also meets requirements of a Standard State Mitigation Plan for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).tableOfContents: Executive summary -- Purpose, authority and approval -- 1. Introduction. What is hazard mitigation? -- DMA 2000 requirements and official adoption and approval -- 2. Planning process -- 3. State and county descriptions. State overview -- County overviews -- Apache County -- Cochise County -- Coconino County -- Gila County -- Graham County -- Greenlee County -- La Paz County -- Maricopa County -- Mohave County -- Navajo County -- Pima County -- Pinal County -- Santa Cruz County -- Yavapai County -- Yuma County -- 4. Risk assessment. Overview -- Hazard profiles -- Dam failure -- Disease -- Drought -- Earthquake -- Extreme heat -- Fissures -- Flooding/flash flooding -- Hazardous materials incidents -- Landslide/mudslides -- Levee failure -- Severe winds -- Subsidence -- Terrorism -- Wildfires -- Winter storms -- 5. Mitigation strategy. Section changes -- Hazard mitigation goals -- State capability assessment -- Local capability assessment -- Mitigation actions -- Funding sources -- Hazard mitigation activity in Arizona -- 6. Coordination of local mitigation planning. Section changes -- Local funding and technical assistance -- Local plan integration -- Prioritizing local assistance -- 7. Plan maintenance procedures. Section changes -- Plan monitoring & evaluation -- Plan updating -- Monitoring progress of mitigation activities -- 8. Plan tools. Acronyms -- Definitions -- Appendix A. Arizona state & federal declared disasters -- Appendix B. Climate change -- Appendix C. NFIP & flood loss data -- Appendix D. Riskmap progress status -- Appendix E. Federal & state regulated dams in Arizona -- Appendix F. Community vulnerability to wildfire los

Análisis de técnicas de aislamiento de procesos (Sandbox) en Linux.

En el presente, la seguridad informatica es uno de los principales problemas a los que se enfrenta toda la sociedad. La seguridad de los sistemas informáticos es muy importante debido a que diariamente aumenta el número de ataques que se realizan. En este trabajo nos centraremos en una de los principales amenazas a las que nos enfrentamos, que es la ejecución de software malicioso. Con el fin de mitigar el daño que provocan estas amenazas, se estudia en este trabajo la tecnología Sandbox. Esta tecnología nos permite ejecutar dicho software malicioso en un entorno aislado, con el fin de comprobar sí dicho software trata de dañar nuestro equipo. A lo largo de este trabajo, se estudian los fundamentos de esta tecnología, así como diferentes herramientas que permiten la implementación de un Sandbox. Estas herramientas han sido probadas mediante el uso de una conjunto de pruebas, que simulan acciones maliciosas realizadas por cualquier malware, con el objetivo de comprobar el funcionamiento de las herramientas, en función de sus características.At present, computer security is one of the main problems facing society as a whole. The security of computer systems is very important because the number of attacks carried out increases daily. In this work we will focus on one of the main threats we face, which is the execution of malicious software. In order to mitigate the damage caused by these threats, the Sandbox technology is studied in this project. This technology allows us to run the malicious software in an isolated environment, in order to see if the software is trying to damage our computer. Throughout this project, we study the fundamentals of this technology, as well as different tools that allow the implementation of a Sandbox. The deployment of these tools have been tested using a set of tests, which simulate malicious actions by any malware, in order to check the operation of the tools, depending on their characteristics.Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Ingeniería de las Tecnologías de Telecomunicació

Seaport Vulnerability to Criminal Networks: A Mixed Method Approach to Measuring Criminological Vulnerability in the Top 30 U.S. Container Ports

Seaports form a unique space for criminological examination. As the locus points for the majority of international and domestic trade criminal network access to a port can provide outsized benefits. While ports are physical spaces they are underlined by complex systems incorporating public and private agencies, companies and small entities. Underlying the administrative and logistical activity at the port is a jurisdictional web of public and private security regulatory agencies. The complexity of the environment creates vulnerabilities that criminal networks can use to gain access to ports. This dissertation developed a Seaport Vulnerability Framework (SVF), developed from the rational choice and situational crime prevention literature with a multi-disciplinary focus that allows security stakeholders to identify whether a port is at risk of utilization by criminal networks. The SVF is used to measure and analyze criminological vulnerability in the top 30 U.S. container seaports and in-depth in a case study at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Finally, I examine the implications of the SVF for port and maritime security policy and port security assessments in the U.S. and worldwide

Compiled and Edited Tennessee Laws Pertaining to Animals

Foreward: The editors have designed this book principally to serve as an edited collection of Tennessee statutes relating to animals. Because these statutes were collected and edited, the collection is necessarily incomplete. The criteria and process used by the editors in selecting statutes of interest to our target audiences were thoughtfully conceived. However, the choices they made may differ from those that you would make. We welcome feedback from you—including suggestions for future editions—as to how we can better edit this resource to serve your needs. Moreover, especially because this book is a selective collection of statutory law available on a specific date, readers should not rely on this book as a source of legal advice. The legislature of the State of Tennessee can and will add, modify, and repeal laws in every legislative session. Additionally, courts have the opportunity to interpret and add to the law with each new case that properly comes before them. Finally, ordinances and other rules serve to make these laws applicable and enforceable on a local level. The interaction of these sources of regulation is complex and the rules of conduct that result from that interaction are best identified and explained by attorneys licensed to practice in the State of Tennessee that are familiar with the applicable statutes, court cases, ordinances, and other rules. We urge you to seek counsel from these legal advisors in interpreting and using the statutes presented in this book; a mere reading of the statutes is not enough to ensure complete understanding