DATS - data containers for web applications

Data containers enable users to control access to their data while untrusted applications compute on it. However, they require replicating an application inside each container - compromising functionality, programmability, and performance. We propose DATS - a system to run web applications that retains application usability and efficiency through a mix of hardware capability enhanced containers and the introduction of two new primitives modeled after the popular model-view-controller (MVC) pattern. (1) DATS introduces a templating language to create views that compose data across data containers. (2) DATS uses authenticated storage and confinement to enable an untrusted storage service, such as memcached and deduplication, to operate on plain-text data across containers. These two primitives act as robust declassifiers that allow DATS to enforce non-interference across containers, taking large applications out of the trusted computing base (TCB). We showcase eight different web applications including Gitlab and a Slack-like chat, significantly improve the worst-case overheads due to application replication, and demonstrate usable performance for common-case usage

Attribute Based Encryption for Secure Data Access in Cloud

Cloud computing is a progressive computing worldview, which empowers adaptable, on-request, and ease use of Information Technology assets. However, the information transmitted to some cloud servers, and various protection concerns are arising out of it. Different plans given the property-based encryption have been proposed to secure the Cloud Storage. In any case, most work spotlights on the information substance security and the get to control, while less consideration towards the benefit control and the character protection. In this paper, a semi-anonymous benefit control conspires AnonyControl to address the information protection, as well as the client character security in existing access control plans. AnonyControl decentralizes the central authority to restrain the character spillage and accordingly accomplishes semi-anonymity. Furthermore, it likewise sums up the document get to control to the benefit control, by which advantages of all operations on the cloud information managed in a fine-grained way. Along these lines, display the AnonyControl-F, which ultimately keeps the character spillage and accomplish the full secrecy. Our security assessment demonstrates that both AnonyControl and AnonyControl-F are secure under the decisional bilinear Diffie-Hellman presumption, and our execution assessment shows the attainability of our plans. Index Terms: Anonymity, multi-authority, attribute-based encryption

Analysing the Design of Privacy-Preserving Data-Sharing Architecture

Privacy has become an essential software quality to consider in a software system. Privacy practices should be adopted from the early stages of the system design to safeguard personal data from privacy violations. Privacy patterns are proposed in industry and academia as reusable design solutions to address different privacy issues. However, the diverse types and granularity of the patterns lead to difficulty for the practitioner to select and adopt them in the architecture. First, the fragmented information about the system actors in the patterns does not align with the regulatory entities and interactions between them. Second, these privacy patterns lack architectural perspectives that could help weave patterns into concrete software designs. Third, the consequences of applying the patterns have not covered the impacts on software quality attributes. This thesis aims to provide guidance to software architects and practitioners for considering and applying privacy patterns in their design, by adding new perspectives to the existing patterns. First, the research provides an analysis of the relationships between regulatory entities and their responsibility in adopting the patterns in a software design. Then, the research reports studies that were conducted using architectural-level modelling-based approaches, to analyse the architectural views of privacy patterns. The analyses aim to improve understanding of how privacy patterns are applied in software designs and how such a design affects software quality attributes, including privacy, performance, and modifiability. Finally, in an effort to harmonise and unite the extended view of privacy patterns that have a close relation to system architecture, this research proposes an enhanced pattern catalogue and a systematic privacy-by-design (PbD) pattern-selection model that aims to aid and guide software architects in pattern selection during software design. The enhanced pattern catalogue offers consolidated information on the extended view of privacy patterns. The selection model provides a structured way for the practitioner to know when and how to use the pattern catalogue in the system-design process. Two industry case studies are used to evaluate the proposed pattern catalogue and selection model. The findings demonstrate how the proposed frameworks are applicable to different types of data-sharing software systems and their usability in supporting pattern selection decisions in the privacy design

An Acceptable Cloud Computing Model for Public Sectors

Cloud computing enables information technology (IT) leaders to shift from passive business support to active value creators. However, social economic-communication barriers inhibit individual users from strategic use of the cloud. Grounded in the theory of technology acceptance, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies IT leaders in public sector organizations implement to utilize cloud computing. The participants included nine IT leaders from public sector organizations in Texas, USA. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, field notes, and publicly available artifacts documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis: five themes emerged (a) user-centric and data-driven cloud model; (b) multi-cloud, (c) visibility, (d) integrations, and (e) innovation and agility due to cloud. A key recommendation is for IT leaders to strategize for individual user behavior through the top-down approach. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve civic services, civic engagement, collaborations between the public and government, policymaking, and added socioeconomic value

Austrian High-Performance-Computing meeting (AHPC2020)

This booklet is a collection of abstracts presented at the AHPC conference

Gla-moo-rous

T he contention of this thesis is that architecture designed for consumption currently contributes to distancing consumers from a relationship with food (speci fi cally looking at beef) by emphasizing commercial attitudes and commodities and failing to participate in earlier production and processing phases. If architecture and spatial or visual relationships have the ability to entice through masking, then there must be potential for design throughout the food chain- from farm to fork- with the agency to do the opposite: contribute to a more transparent food system and perhaps even more sustainable alternatives. With increasing demand for a transparent food system by concerned consumers, architecture can respond to that demand in some capacity. Thus far, the project has undergone two progressive phases with the goal of creating a narrative that subversively exposes and critiques the conventional food system and challenges of recently proposed alternatives which may ultimately lead to the implementation of new alternatives

'Pro' social media : using key social psychological theories to increase prosocial engagement on social media sites

Prosocial Behaviour has a strong history rooted in Social Psychology. However, it has yet to be researched in the realm of social media. This line of research aims to better understand Prosocial Behaviour in social media environments and learn how to increase positive engagement online through the theoretical framework of Walther’s (1996) hyperpersonal model of computer-mediated communication. Four studies were conducted to obtain this goal. The first two studies explore what factors affect prosocial behaviour on social media sites. In particular, study one examines how gender, appearance, and number of social media friends affect whether or not individuals will give aid to their friends. The outcome suggested that the less social media friends a person had, the less likely the individual would help. Study two delves into whether the bystander effect and personalisation affect Prosocial Behaviour on social media sites. The bystander effect did not affect helping but personalising a message made it more than two times more likely that an individual would receive help. The third study looks at some barriers that prevent prosocial behaviour on social media sites. Three main barriers resulted including ‘Information Overload,’ ‘Can’t Live with It, Can’t Live without It,’ and ‘Privacy and Permanence of Information.’ The final study examines Prosocial Behaviour in a social media context through the means of two events where social media played an important role in helping behaviour. These events exemplified that social media is a powerful tool and can be used to effectively promote Prosocial Behaviour and also provided support for Walther’s hyperpersonal model. As the first to delve into helping behaviour on social media sites, this thesis advances the current body of knowledge on Prosocial Behaviour. In addition, the four studies provide vital knowledge on how to increase prosocial behaviour online using Walther’s (1996) hyperpersonal model on CMC. With the current Social Media Revolution and time spent online, it is vital to make social media engagement more positive and user friendly. The three main ways to increase positive online engagement gleaned from this thesis are 1) Make things personal, 2) Create a social media group with a hierarchical structure, and 3) Edit privacy settings and friend/follower settings on personal social media pages to fit one’s individual need