2,263 research outputs found
SUTMS - Unified Threat Management Framework for Home Networks
Home networks were initially designed for web browsing and non-business critical applications. As infrastructure improved, internet broadband costs decreased, and home internet usage transferred to e-commerce and business-critical applications. Today’s home computers host personnel identifiable information and financial data and act as a bridge to corporate networks via remote access technologies like VPN. The expansion of remote work and the transition to cloud computing have broadened the attack surface for potential threats. Home networks have become the extension of critical networks and services, hackers can get access to corporate data by compromising devices attacked to broad- band routers. All these challenges depict the importance of home-based Unified Threat Management (UTM) systems. There is a need of unified threat management framework that is developed specifically for home and small networks to address emerging security challenges. In this research, the proposed Smart Unified Threat Management (SUTMS) framework serves as a comprehensive solution for implementing home network security, incorporating firewall, anti-bot, intrusion detection, and anomaly detection engines into a unified system. SUTMS is able to provide 99.99% accuracy with 56.83% memory improvements. IPS stands out as the most resource-intensive UTM service, SUTMS successfully reduces the performance overhead of IDS by integrating it with the flow detection mod- ule. The artifact employs flow analysis to identify network anomalies and categorizes encrypted traffic according to its abnormalities. SUTMS can be scaled by introducing optional functions, i.e., routing and smart logging (utilizing Apriori algorithms). The research also tackles one of the limitations identified by SUTMS through the introduction of a second artifact called Secure Centralized Management System (SCMS). SCMS is a lightweight asset management platform with built-in security intelligence that can seamlessly integrate with a cloud for real-time updates
A Survey on Enterprise Network Security: Asset Behavioral Monitoring and Distributed Attack Detection
Enterprise networks that host valuable assets and services are popular and
frequent targets of distributed network attacks. In order to cope with the
ever-increasing threats, industrial and research communities develop systems
and methods to monitor the behaviors of their assets and protect them from
critical attacks. In this paper, we systematically survey related research
articles and industrial systems to highlight the current status of this arms
race in enterprise network security. First, we discuss the taxonomy of
distributed network attacks on enterprise assets, including distributed
denial-of-service (DDoS) and reconnaissance attacks. Second, we review existing
methods in monitoring and classifying network behavior of enterprise hosts to
verify their benign activities and isolate potential anomalies. Third,
state-of-the-art detection methods for distributed network attacks sourced from
external attackers are elaborated, highlighting their merits and bottlenecks.
Fourth, as programmable networks and machine learning (ML) techniques are
increasingly becoming adopted by the community, their current applications in
network security are discussed. Finally, we highlight several research gaps on
enterprise network security to inspire future research.Comment: Journal paper submitted to Elseive
Formal assurance of security policies in automated network orchestration (SDN/NFV)
1noL'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmentopen677. INGEGNERIA INFORMATInoopenYusupov, Jalolliddi
Automation for network security configuration: state of the art and research trends
The size and complexity of modern computer networks are progressively increasing, as a consequence of novel architectural paradigms such as the Internet of Things and network virtualization. Consequently, a manual orchestration and configuration of network security functions is no more feasible, in an environment where cyber attacks can dramatically exploit breaches related to any minimum configuration error. A new frontier is then the introduction of automation in network security configuration, i.e., automatically designing the architecture of security services and the configurations of network security functions, such as firewalls, VPN gateways, etc. This opportunity has been enabled by modern computer networks technologies, such as virtualization. In view of these considerations, the motivations for the introduction of automation in network security configuration are first introduced, alongside with the key automation enablers. Then, the current state of the art in this context is surveyed, focusing on both the achieved improvements and the current limitations. Finally, possible future trends in the field are illustrated
A critical review of cyber-physical security for building automation systems
Modern Building Automation Systems (BASs), as the brain that enables the
smartness of a smart building, often require increased connectivity both among
system components as well as with outside entities, such as optimized
automation via outsourced cloud analytics and increased building-grid
integrations. However, increased connectivity and accessibility come with
increased cyber security threats. BASs were historically developed as closed
environments with limited cyber-security considerations. As a result, BASs in
many buildings are vulnerable to cyber-attacks that may cause adverse
consequences, such as occupant discomfort, excessive energy usage, and
unexpected equipment downtime. Therefore, there is a strong need to advance the
state-of-the-art in cyber-physical security for BASs and provide practical
solutions for attack mitigation in buildings. However, an inclusive and
systematic review of BAS vulnerabilities, potential cyber-attacks with impact
assessment, detection & defense approaches, and cyber-secure resilient control
strategies is currently lacking in the literature. This review paper fills the
gap by providing a comprehensive up-to-date review of cyber-physical security
for BASs at three levels in commercial buildings: management level, automation
level, and field level. The general BASs vulnerabilities and protocol-specific
vulnerabilities for the four dominant BAS protocols are reviewed, followed by a
discussion on four attack targets and seven potential attack scenarios. The
impact of cyber-attacks on BASs is summarized as signal corruption, signal
delaying, and signal blocking. The typical cyber-attack detection and defense
approaches are identified at the three levels. Cyber-secure resilient control
strategies for BASs under attack are categorized into passive and active
resilient control schemes. Open challenges and future opportunities are finally
discussed.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables, submitted to Annual Reviews in Contro
Evaluating Resilience of Cyber-Physical-Social Systems
Nowadays, protecting the network is not the only security concern. Still, in cyber security,
websites and servers are becoming more popular as targets due to the ease with which
they can be accessed when compared to communication networks. Another threat in
cyber physical social systems with human interactions is that they can be attacked and
manipulated not only by technical hacking through networks, but also by manipulating
people and stealing users’ credentials. Therefore, systems should be evaluated beyond cy-
ber security, which means measuring their resilience as a piece of evidence that a system
works properly under cyber-attacks or incidents. In that way, cyber resilience is increas-
ingly discussed and described as the capacity of a system to maintain state awareness for
detecting cyber-attacks. All the tasks for making a system resilient should proactively
maintain a safe level of operational normalcy through rapid system reconfiguration to
detect attacks that would impact system performance. In this work, we broadly studied
a new paradigm of cyber physical social systems and defined a uniform definition of it.
To overcome the complexity of evaluating cyber resilience, especially in these inhomo-
geneous systems, we proposed a framework including applying Attack Tree refinements
and Hierarchical Timed Coloured Petri Nets to model intruder and defender behaviors
and evaluate the impact of each action on the behavior and performance of the system.Hoje em dia, proteger a rede não é a única preocupação de segurança. Ainda assim, na
segurança cibernética, sites e servidores estão se tornando mais populares como alvos
devido à facilidade com que podem ser acessados quando comparados às redes de comu-
nicação. Outra ameaça em sistemas sociais ciberfisicos com interações humanas é que eles
podem ser atacados e manipulados não apenas por hackers técnicos através de redes, mas
também pela manipulação de pessoas e roubo de credenciais de utilizadores. Portanto, os
sistemas devem ser avaliados para além da segurança cibernética, o que significa medir
sua resiliência como uma evidência de que um sistema funciona adequadamente sob
ataques ou incidentes cibernéticos. Dessa forma, a resiliência cibernética é cada vez mais
discutida e descrita como a capacidade de um sistema manter a consciência do estado para
detectar ataques cibernéticos. Todas as tarefas para tornar um sistema resiliente devem
manter proativamente um nível seguro de normalidade operacional por meio da reconfi-
guração rápida do sistema para detectar ataques que afetariam o desempenho do sistema.
Neste trabalho, um novo paradigma de sistemas sociais ciberfisicos é amplamente estu-
dado e uma definição uniforme é proposta. Para superar a complexidade de avaliar a
resiliência cibernética, especialmente nesses sistemas não homogéneos, é proposta uma
estrutura que inclui a aplicação de refinamentos de Árvores de Ataque e Redes de Petri
Coloridas Temporizadas Hierárquicas para modelar comportamentos de invasores e de-
fensores e avaliar o impacto de cada ação no comportamento e desempenho do sistema
Cyber Defense Remediation in Energy Delivery Systems
The integration of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) has resulted in increased efficiency and facilitated real-time information acquisition, processing, and decision making. However, the increase in automation technology and the use of the internet for connecting, remote controlling, and supervising systems and facilities has also increased the likelihood of cybersecurity threats that can impact safety of humans and property. There is a need to assess cybersecurity risks in the power grid, nuclear plants, chemical factories, etc. to gain insight into the likelihood of safety hazards. Quantitative cybersecurity risk assessment will lead to informed cyber defense remediation and will ensure the presence of a mitigation plan to prevent safety hazards. In this dissertation, using Energy Delivery Systems (EDS) as a use case to contextualize a CPS, we address key research challenges in managing cyber risk for cyber defense remediation.
First, we developed a platform for modeling and analyzing the effect of cyber threats and random system faults on EDS\u27s safety that could lead to catastrophic damages. We developed a data-driven attack graph and fault graph-based model to characterize the exploitability and impact of threats in EDS. We created an operational impact assessment to quantify the damages. Finally, we developed a strategic response decision capability that presents optimal mitigation actions and policies that balance the tradeoff between operational resilience (tactical risk) and strategic risk.
Next, we addressed the challenge of management of tactical risk based on a prioritized cyber defense remediation plan. A prioritized cyber defense remediation plan is critical for effective risk management in EDS. Due to EDS\u27s complexity in terms of the heterogeneous nature of blending IT and OT and Industrial Control System (ICS), scale, and critical processes tasks, prioritized remediation should be applied gradually to protect critical assets. We proposed a methodology for prioritizing cyber risk remediation plans by detecting and evaluating critical EDS nodes\u27 paths. We conducted evaluation of critical nodes characteristics based on nodes\u27 architectural positions, measure of centrality based on nodes\u27 connectivity and frequency of network traffic, as well as the controlled amount of electrical power. The model also examines the relationship between cost models of budget allocation for removing vulnerabilities on critical nodes and their impact on gradual readiness. The proposed cost models were empirically validated in an existing network ICS test-bed computing nodes criticality. Two cost models were examined, and although varied, we concluded the lack of correlation between types of cost models to most damageable attack path and critical nodes readiness.
Finally, we proposed a time-varying dynamical model for the cyber defense remediation in EDS. We utilize the stochastic evolutionary game model to simulate the dynamic adversary of cyber-attack-defense. We leveraged the Logit Quantal Response Dynamics (LQRD) model to quantify real-world players\u27 cognitive differences. We proposed the optimal decision making approach by calculating the stable evolutionary equilibrium and balancing defense costs and benefits. Case studies on EDS indicate that the proposed method can help the defender predict possible attack action, select the related optimal defense strategy over time, and gain the maximum defense payoffs. We also leveraged software-defined networking (SDN) in EDS for dynamical cyber defense remediation. We presented an approach to aid the selection security controls dynamically in an SDN-enabled EDS and achieve tradeoffs between providing security and Quality of Service (QoS). We modeled the security costs based on end-to-end packet delay and throughput. We proposed a non-dominated sorting based multi-objective optimization framework which can be implemented within an SDN controller to address the joint problem of optimizing between security and QoS parameters by alleviating time complexity at O(MN2). The M is the number of objective functions, and N is the population for each generation, respectively. We presented simulation results that illustrate how data availability and data integrity can be achieved while maintaining QoS constraints
Applying Formal Methods to Networking: Theory, Techniques and Applications
Despite its great importance, modern network infrastructure is remarkable for
the lack of rigor in its engineering. The Internet which began as a research
experiment was never designed to handle the users and applications it hosts
today. The lack of formalization of the Internet architecture meant limited
abstractions and modularity, especially for the control and management planes,
thus requiring for every new need a new protocol built from scratch. This led
to an unwieldy ossified Internet architecture resistant to any attempts at
formal verification, and an Internet culture where expediency and pragmatism
are favored over formal correctness. Fortunately, recent work in the space of
clean slate Internet design---especially, the software defined networking (SDN)
paradigm---offers the Internet community another chance to develop the right
kind of architecture and abstractions. This has also led to a great resurgence
in interest of applying formal methods to specification, verification, and
synthesis of networking protocols and applications. In this paper, we present a
self-contained tutorial of the formidable amount of work that has been done in
formal methods, and present a survey of its applications to networking.Comment: 30 pages, submitted to IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorial
- …