Group key establishment protocols: Pairing cryptography and verifiable secret sharing scheme

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Computer Engineering, Izmir, 2013Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 97-103)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishx, 154 leavesThe aim of this study is to establish a common secret key over an open network for a group of user to be used then symmetrical secure communication between them. There are two methods of GKE protocol which are key agreement and key distribution. Key agreement is a mechanism whereby the parties jointly establish a common secret. As to key distribution, it is a mechanism whereby one of the parties creates or obtains a secret value and then securely distributes it to other parties. In this study, both methods is applied and analyzed in two different GKE protocols. Desirable properties of a GKE are security and efficiency. Security is attributed in terms of preventing attacks against passive and active adversary. Efficiency is quantified in terms of computation, communication and round complexity. When constructing a GKE, the challenge is to provide security and efficiency according to attributed and quantified terms. Two main cryptographic tools are selected in order to handle the defined challenge. One of them is bilinear pairing which is based on elliptic curve cryptography and another is verifiable secret sharing which is based on multiparty computation. In this thesis, constructions of these two GKE protocols are studied along with their communication models, security and efficiency analysis. Also, an implementation of four-user group size is developed utilizing PBC, GMP and OpenSSL Libraries for both two protocols

Advanced space system concepts and their orbital support needs (1980 - 2000). Volume 3: Detailed data. Part 1: Catalog of initiatives, functional options, and future environments and goals

The following areas were discussed in relation to a study of the commonality of space vehicle applications to future national needs: (1) index of initiatives (civilian observation, communication, support), brief illustrated description of each initiative, time periods (from 1980 to 2000+) for implementation of these initiatives; (2) data bank of functional system options, presented in the form of data sheets, one for each of the major functions, with the system option for near-term, midterm, and far-term space projects applicable to each subcategory of functions to be fulfilled; (3) table relating initiatives and desired goals (public service and humanistic, materialistic, scientific and intellectual); and (4) data on size, weight and cost estimations

Money & Trust in Digital Society, Bitcoin and Stablecoins in ML enabled Metaverse Telecollaboration

We present a state of the art and positioning book, about Digital society tools, namely; Web3, Bitcoin, Metaverse, AI/ML, accessibility, safeguarding and telecollaboration. A high level overview of Web3 technologies leads to a description of blockchain, and the Bitcoin network is specifically selected for detailed examination. Suitable components of the extended Bitcoin ecosystem are described in more depth. Other mechanisms for native digital value transfer are described, with a focus on `money'. Metaverse technology is over-viewed, primarily from the perspective of Bitcoin and extended reality. Bitcoin is selected as the best contender for value transfer in metaverses because of it's free and open source nature, and network effect. Challenges and risks of this approach are identified. A cloud deployable virtual machine based technology stack deployment guide with a focus on cybersecurity best practice can be downloaded from GitHub to experiment with the technologies. This deployable lab is designed to inform development of secure value transaction, for small and medium sized companies

An ICMetric based multiparty communication framework

Cryptographic algorithms have always relied on stored keys for the provision of security services. Since these keys are stored on a system this makes them prone to attack. Efforts to increase the key size makes brute forcing difficult but does not eliminate key theft. This thesis proposes a comprehensive security framework for groups of devices. The research makes four major contributions to improve the security of devices in the multiparty environment. The proposed framework uses the novel Integrated Circuit Metric (ICMetric) technology which proposes utilizing measurable properties and features of a device to create a device identification. This device identification called the ICMetric is used to create cryptographic keys which are then used in the designed cryptosystems. The first contribution of the thesis is the creation of an ICMetric using sensors found in modern smart devices. The research explores both explicit and implicit features which can be used to generate of an ICMetric. The second contribution of this research is the creation of a group ICMetric which is computed using the device ICMetric. The computation of the device ICMetric is a particular challenge as it has to be computed without violating the properties of the ICMetric technology. The third contribution is the demonstration that an ICMetric can be used for the creation of symmetric key. The fourth contribution of this research is an efficient RSA based asymmetric key generation scheme for the multiparty environment. Designing a system using widely accepted cryptographic primitives does not guarantee a secure system therefore the security of proposed schemes has been studied under the standard model. The schemes presented in this thesis attempt to improve the security of devices in the group environment. The schemes demonstrate that key theft deterrent technologies can be incorporated into cryptographic schemes to offer higher levels of security and privacy

Keeping the Barbarians outside the Gate: Toward a Comprehensive International Agreement Protecting Cultural Property

Nations feel an obligation to provide-indeed, a nation\u27s citizens may demand-protection for their cultural property : the works of art or architecture, religious or historical artifacts, or other physical embodiments of a nation\u27s cultural output. When, however, such property is transported abroad, reclaiming the property may be difficult, at best, and all but impossible by nonviolent means, at worst. This Comment proposes a framework for a new international treaty governing both the treatment of cultural property and the creation of an international body to resolve disputes and promote the protection of cultural property. This is not a new goal, of course, but the Comment\u27s main contention is that it is possible to resolve the conflicts that have prevented past efforts in this regard from achieving meaningful success. In order to understand, much less resolve, the challenges inherent to this undertaking, a good deal of background is necessary. The term cultural property is difficult to define and the concept has a substantial history, so Section I briefly discusses this topic. Additionally, the challenges facing any international agreement regarding cultural property in the proposal, ratification, and application stages are legion, and numerous such challenges have proven their capacity as deal breakers, so these problems will be examined in Section II. A number of proposed agreements have been adopted or have fallen short of meaningful adoption; there is agreement that none of these proposals is adequate, so an examination of these failed proposals is prerequisite to understanding the reasons why proposed agreements obtain ratification or fail. Sections III and IV examine these historical agreements and various proposals. Section V proposes the framework for a new, comprehensive solution to international cultural-property disputes. Finally, Section VI offers conclusions about the potential for implementing, either in whole or in part, the Comment\u27s recommendations. [CONT

Low Cost Video For Distance Education

A distance education system has been designed for Nova Southeastern University (NSU) . The design was based on emerging low cost video technology. The report presented the design and summarizes existing distance education efforts and technologies. The design supported multimedia electronic classrooms, and enabled students to participate in multimedia classes using standard telephone networks. Results were presented in three areas: management, courseware, and, systems. In the area of management, the report recommended that the University separately establish, fund, and staff the distance education project. Supporting rationale was included. In the area of courseware, the importance of quality courseware was highlighted. It was found that the development of distance education courseware was difficult; nevertheless, quality courseware was the key to a successful distance education program. In the area of systems, component level designs were presented for a student system, a university host, and a support system. Networks connecting the systems were addressed. The student system was based on widely available multimedia systems. The host system supported up to sixteen participants in a single class. The support system was designed for the development of courseware and the support of future projects in distance education. The report included supporting Proof of Principle demonstrations. These demonstrations showed that low cost video systems had utility at speeds as low as 7. 2 kbps. They also showed that high quality student images were not crucial to the system. The report included three alternate implementation strategies. The initial capability could be operational in 1997. A multi-session, 2000 user system was projected for early in the next century

The design, implementation and evaluation of a web-based learning environment for distance education

In this study, the need was emphasised to investigate the effects of using the Web in teaching students at a distance using a multi-level evaluation framework. A Web-based learning environment was designed, developed, implemented and evaluated for this purpose. Constructivist epistemology provided the basis for developing various components and developing problem-centred and interactive activities. Management, tutorial, interaction and support components were designed to work with each other to construct the learning environment, deliver course content, facilitate interaction and monitor student progress.A methodology was designed to describe and assess the learning environment in terms of access (standardisation, speed, resources, the tutor and peers), costs (types, structure, factors influencing, etc.), teaching and learning functions (quality of course objectives, materials and resources, learning approach and student achievement), interactivity (quantity and quality of student-tutor and student-peer interaction), user-friendliness (user-interface design, ease of use and navigation design) and organisational issues. The learners were Egyptian first-grade secondary school students (32), assigned randomly, and the topic selected for the course being developed was mathematics. Feedback was obtained from both learners and experts in distance education and on-line learning during the developmental and field-testing of the learning environment. Quantitative and qualitative methods (on-line student and expert questionnaires, students' logs, performance in formative evaluation, content analysis of peer discussions, achievement test and cost-analysis) were combined to gain insights into students' satisfaction with the different instructional and technical features and capabilities of the learning environment, achievement of course objectives in comparison with conventional classroom students, factors influencing their learning and perceptions and the unit cost per student study hour.The results indicated that although the learning environment and course materials were accessible, interactive, well-structured, user-friendly and achievement was successful for the on-line group, no significant differences were identified between the on-line students and traditional classroom students in overall achievement or achievement of low-order and high-order learning objectives. In addition, it is unlikely any cost saving would be made from shifting to the Internet to deliver instruction and many major factors were found to influence the development and support costs of on-line learning

Distributed multimedia systems

A distributed multimedia system (DMS) is an integrated communication, computing, and information system that enables the processing, management, delivery, and presentation of synchronized multimedia information with quality-of-service guarantees. Multimedia information may include discrete media data, such as text, data, and images, and continuous media data, such as video and audio. Such a system enhances human communications by exploiting both visual and aural senses and provides the ultimate flexibility in work and entertainment, allowing one to collaborate with remote participants, view movies on demand, access on-line digital libraries from the desktop, and so forth. In this paper, we present a technical survey of a DMS. We give an overview of distributed multimedia systems, examine the fundamental concept of digital media, identify the applications, and survey the important enabling technologies.published_or_final_versio