Multilevel adaptive security system

Recent trends show increased demand for content-rich media such as images, videos and text in ad-hoc communication. Since such content often tends to be private, sensitive, or paid for, there exists a requirement for securing such information over resource constrained ad hoc networks. In this work, traditional data security mechanisms, existing ad hoc secure routing protocols and multilevel security are first reviewed. Then a new system, called the Multilevel Adaptive Security System, which incorporates the multilevel security concept at both the application layer and the network layer, is proposed to provide adaptive security services for data and routing processes. MLASS is composed of two subsystems: Content-Based Multi-level Data Security (CB-MLDS) for content-rich data protection and Multi-Level On-demand Secure Mobile Ad hoc Routing (MOSAR) for secure route selection. The structure of each sub-system is explained in detail; experiments for each sub-system were conducted and the performance was analyzed. It is shown that MLASS is a practical security solution that is flexible enough to adapt to a range of security requirements and applies appropriate level of security services to data and its distribution over ad hoc networks. MLASS provides a balance between security, performance and resource

Minimization of DDoS false alarm rate in Network Security; Refining fusion through correlation

Intrusion Detection Systems are designed to monitor a network environment and generate alerts whenever abnormal activities are detected. However, the number of these alerts can be very large making their evaluation a difficult task for a security analyst. Alert management techniques reduce alert volume significantly and potentially improve detection performance of an Intrusion Detection System. This thesis work presents a framework to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of an Intrusion Detection System by significantly reducing the false positive alerts and increasing the ability to spot an actual intrusion for Distributed Denial of Service attacks. Proposed sensor fusion technique addresses the issues relating the optimality of decision-making through correlation in multiple sensors framework. The fusion process is based on combining belief through Dempster Shafer rule of combination along with associating belief with each type of alert and combining them by using Subjective Logic based on Jøsang theory. Moreover, the reliability factor for any Intrusion Detection System is also addressed accordingly in order to minimize the chance of false diagnose of the final network state. A considerable number of simulations are conducted in order to determine the optimal performance of the proposed prototype

Secure object-oriented databases

D.Phil. (Computer Science)The need for security in a database is obvious. Object-orientation enables databases to be used in applications where other database models are not adequate. It is thus clear that security of object-oriented databases must be investigated..

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

‘Enhanced Encryption and Fine-Grained Authorization for Database Systems

The aim of this research is to enhance fine-grained authorization and encryption so that database systems are equipped with the controls necessary to help enterprises adhere to zero-trust security more effectively. For fine-grained authorization, this thesis has extended database systems with three new concepts: Row permissions, column masks and trusted contexts. Row permissions and column masks provide data-centric security so the security policy cannot be bypassed as with database views, for example. They also coexist in harmony with the rest of the database core tenets so that enterprises are not forced to compromise neither security nor database functionality. Trusted contexts provide applications in multitiered environments with a secure and controlled manner to propagate user identities to the database and therefore enable such applications to delegate the security policy to the database system where it is enforced more effectively. Trusted contexts also protect against application bypass so the application credentials cannot be abused to make database changes outside the scope of the application’s business logic. For encryption, this thesis has introduced a holistic database encryption solution to address the limitations of traditional database encryption methods. It too coexists in harmony with the rest of the database core tenets so that enterprises are not forced to choose between security and performance as with column encryption, for example. Lastly, row permissions, column masks, trusted contexts and holistic database encryption have all been implemented IBM DB2, where they are relied upon by thousands of organizations from around the world to protect critical data and adhere to zero-trust security more effectively

Design and implementation of a prototype to include security activities as part of application systems design

M.Com. (Information systems)This study has its origin in the growing need for information systems to be classified as 'secure'. With the increasing use of Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools in the design of application systems for commercial use, the risks that exist in terms of information security have become more prominent. The importance of considering security during the analysis and design of an information system, in other words, on a logical level, is increasing daily. Usually security features are added to existing application systems on an ad hoc basis. Security design activities should become such an integrated part of systems analysis and design activities on a logical level, that a complete integration of the two fields, security and computer aided software engineering, can be achieved. The aim of this dissertation is to study the literature to discover existing approaches to this integration, and to extract the strengths from them and expand on those strengths in order to compile an approach that is completely implementable in the form of a prototype data flow design tool (DFD tool). The proposed approach to the secure analysis and design of an application system of a logical level, which is presented in Chapter 4, is designed in conjunction with H.A.S. Booysen [Booysen, Kasselman, Eloff - 1994]. Existing CASE-tools have also been studied by the author to determine their current capabilities, especially in terms of security definition activities, but also in terms of their support to the systems analyst during the analysis and design phases of the project life cycle when developing a target application system

A Cloud-Oriented Cross-Domain Security Architecture

The Monterey Security Architecture addresses the need to share high-value data across multiple domains of different classification levels while enforcing information flow policies. The architecture allows users with different security authorizations to securely collaborate and exchange information using commodity computers and familiar commercial client software that generally lack the prerequisite assurance and functional security protections. MYSEA seeks to meet two compelling requirements, often assumed to be at odds: enforcing critical, mandatory security policies, and allowing access and collaboration in a familiar work environment. Recent additions to the MYSEA design expand the architecture to support a cloud of cross-domain services, hosted within a federation of multilevel secure (MLS) MYSEA servers. The MYSEA cloud supports single-sign on, service replication, and network-layer quality of security service. This new cross domain, distributed architecture follows the consumption and delivery model for cloud services, while maintaining the federated control model necessary to support and protect cross domain collaboration within the enterprise. The resulting architecture shows the feasibility of high-assurance, cross-domain services hosted within a community cloud suitable for interagency, or joint, collaboration. This paper summarizes the MYSEA architecture and discusses MYSEA's approach to provide an MLS-constrained cloud computing environment.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited