Machine-assisted Cyber Threat Analysis using Conceptual Knowledge Discovery

Over the last years, computer networks have evolved into highly dynamic and interconnected environments, involving multiple heterogeneous devices and providing a myriad of services on top of them. This complex landscape has made it extremely difficult for security administrators to keep accurate and be effective in protecting their systems against cyber threats. In this paper, we describe our vision and scientific posture on how artificial intelligence techniques and a smart use of security knowledge may assist system administrators in better defending their networks. To that end, we put forward a research roadmap involving three complimentary axes, namely, (I) the use of FCA-based mechanisms for managing configuration vulnerabilities, (II) the exploitation of knowledge representation techniques for automated security reasoning, and (III) the design of a cyber threat intelligence mechanism as a CKDD process. Then, we describe a machine-assisted process for cyber threat analysis which provides a holistic perspective of how these three research axes are integrated together

Pattern for malware remediation – A last line of defence tool against Malware in the global communication platform

Malware is becoming a major problem to every organization that operates on the global communication platform. The malicious software programs are advancing in sophistication in many ways in order to defeat harden deployed defenses. When an organization’s defense fails to keep this malice invasion out, the organization would incur significant amount of risks and damages. Risks include data leakage, inability to operate and tarnished corporate image. Damages include compensation costs to customers and partners, service unavailability and loss of customers’ and partners’ confidence in the organization. This in turn will affect the organization’s business continuity. In order to manage the risks and damages induced by Malware incidents, incident responders are called upon to be the last line of defense against the digital onslaught assault. However incident responders are challenged too by the deep levels of knowledge, skills and experience required to contain the ever advancing and persistent Malware. This paper proposes the establishment of a Pattern template for Malware Remediation to aid incident responders to overcome their competency limitations in order to provide organizations the tool to repel Malware and to reduce the associated risks. Examples and details of the proposed patters are provided with discussions on future direction of the research work

Progress and Historical Reflection in Philosophy

What is the epistemic significance of reflecting on a discipline’s past for making progress in that discipline? I assume that the answer to this question negatively correlates with that discipline’s degree of progress over time. If and only if a science is progressive, then what people think or argue in that discipline ceases to be up-to-date. In this paper, I will distinguish different dimensions of disciplinary progress and consequently argue that veritic progress, i.e. collective convergence to truth, is the most important dimension for disciplines with scientific ambitions. I will then argue that, on the one hand, veritic progress in philosophy is more significant than many current philosophers believe, but that, on the other hand, it also has severe limitations. I will offer an explanation of these limitations that suggests that the history of philosophy should play some role, though only a minor one, in systematic philosophy