Cyber Security

This open access book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th International Annual Conference on Cyber Security, CNCERT 2020, held in Beijing, China, in August 2020. The 17 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 58 submissions. The papers are organized according to the following topical sections: access control; cryptography; denial-of-service attacks; hardware security implementation; intrusion/anomaly detection and malware mitigation; social network security and privacy; systems security

Cyber Security

This open access book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th International Annual Conference on Cyber Security, CNCERT 2020, held in Beijing, China, in August 2020. The 17 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 58 submissions. The papers are organized according to the following topical sections: access control; cryptography; denial-of-service attacks; hardware security implementation; intrusion/anomaly detection and malware mitigation; social network security and privacy; systems security

A Game Theoretic approach based virtual machine migration for cloud environment security

In cloud computing environment, static configurations can provide for the attackers an environment too easy for exploitation and discovering the network vulnerabilities in order to compromise the network and launching intrusions; while dynamic reconfiguration seeks to develop a virtual machine (VM) migration over the cloud by applying unpredictability of network configuration’s change, and thus improving the system security. In this work a novel approach that performs proactive and reactive measures to ensure a high availability and to minimize the attack surface using VM migration is proposed. This interaction between attack and defense systems was formulated as game model. As result, we have calculated the Nash equilibrium and the utilities for the both attacker and defender, evaluate the parameters which can maximize the defender’s utility when the VM migration was planned and identify the potential attack paths. Therefore, the effectiveness of the game model was validated by some numerical results that determine optimal migration strategies in order to ensure the security of the system

Internet of Nano-Things, Things and Everything: Future Growth Trends

The current statuses and future promises of the Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Everything (IoE) and Internet of Nano-Things (IoNT) are extensively reviewed and a summarized survey is presented. The analysis clearly distinguishes between IoT and IoE, which are wrongly considered to be the same by many commentators. After evaluating the current trends of advancement in the fields of IoT, IoE and IoNT, this paper identifies the 21 most significant current and future challenges as well as scenarios for the possible future expansion of their applications. Despite possible negative aspects of these developments, there are grounds for general optimism about the coming technologies. Certainly, many tedious tasks can be taken over by IoT devices. However, the dangers of criminal and other nefarious activities, plus those of hardware and software errors, pose major challenges that are a priority for further research. Major specific priority issues for research are identified

Information-Centric Design and Implementation for Underwater Acoustic Networks

Over the past decade, Underwater Acoustic Networks (UANs) have received extensive attention due to their vast benefits in academia and industry alike. However, due to the overall magnitude and harsh characteristics of underwater environments, standard wireless network techniques will fail because current technology and energy restrictions limit underwater devices due to delayed acoustic communications. To help manage these limitations we utilize Information-Centric Networking (ICN). More importantly, we look at ICN\u27s paradigm shift from traditional TCP/IP architecture to improve data handling and enhance network efficiency. By utilizing some of ICN\u27s techniques, such as data naming hierarchy, we can reevaluate each component of the network\u27s protocol stack given current underwater limitations to study the vast solutions and perspectives Information-Centric architectures can provide to UANs. First, we propose a routing strategy used to manage and route large data files in a network prone to high mobility. Therefore, due to UANs limited transmitting capability, we passively store sensed data and adaptively find the best path. Furthermore, we introduce adapted Named Data Networking (NDN) components to improve upon routing robustness and adaptiveness. Beyond naming data, we use tracers to assist in tracking stored data locations without using other excess means such as flooding. By collaborating tracer consistency with routing path awareness our protocol can adaptively manage faulty or high mobility nodes. Through this incorporation of varied NDN techniques, we are able to see notable improvements in routing efficiency. Second, we analyze the effects of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks on upper layer protocols. Since UANs are typically resource restrained, malicious users can advantageously create fake traffic to burden the already constrained network. While ICN techniques only provide basic DoS restriction we must expand our detection and restriction technique to meet the unique demands of UANs. To provide enhanced security against DoS we construct an algorithm to detect and restrict against these types of attacks while adapting to meet acoustic characteristics. To better extend this work we incorporate three node behavior techniques using probabilistic, adaptive, and predictive approaches for detecting malicious traits. Thirdly, to depict and test protocols in UANs, simulators are commonly used due to their accessibility and controlled testing aspects. For this section, we review Aqua-Sim, a discrete event-driven open-source underwater simulator. To enhance the core aspect of this simulator we first rewrite the current architecture and transition Aqua-Sim to the newest core simulator, NS-3. Following this, we clean up redundant features spread out between the various underwater layers. Additionally, we fully integrate the diverse NS-3 API within our simulator. By revamping previous code layout we are able to improve architecture modularity and child class expandability. New features are also introduced including localization and synchronization support, busy terminal problem support, multi-channel support, transmission range uncertainty modules, external noise generators, channel trace-driven support, security module, and an adapted NDN module. Additionally, we provide extended documentation to assist in user development. Simulation testing shows improved memory management and continuous validity in comparison to other underwater simulators and past iterations of Aqua-Sim

Investigating the Security of EV Charging Mobile Applications As an Attack Surface

The adoption rate of EVs has witnessed a significant increase in recent years driven by multiple factors, chief among which is the increased flexibility and ease of access to charging infrastructure. To improve user experience, increase system flexibility and commercialize the charging process, mobile applications have been incorporated into the EV charging ecosystem. EV charging mobile applications allow consumers to remotely trigger actions on charging stations and use functionalities such as start/stop charging sessions, pay for usage, and locate charging stations, to name a few. In this paper, we study the security posture of the EV charging ecosystem against remote attacks, which exploit the insecurity of the EV charging mobile applications as an attack surface. We leverage a combination of static and dynamic analysis techniques to analyze the security of widely used EV charging mobile applications. Our analysis of 31 widely used mobile applications and their interactions with various components such as the cloud management systems indicate the lack of user/vehicle verification and improper authorization for critical functions, which lead to remote (dis)charging session hijacking and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks against the EV charging station. Indeed, we discuss specific remote attack scenarios and their impact on the EV users. More importantly, our analysis results demonstrate the feasibility of leveraging existing vulnerabilities across various EV charging mobile applications to perform wide-scale coordinated remote charging/discharging attacks against the connected critical infrastructure (e.g., power grid), with significant undesired economical and operational implications. Finally, we propose counter measures to secure the infrastructure and impede adversaries from performing reconnaissance and launching remote attacks using compromised accounts

A patient agent controlled customized blockchain based framework for internet of things

Although Blockchain implementations have emerged as revolutionary technologies for various industrial applications including cryptocurrencies, they have not been widely deployed to store data streaming from sensors to remote servers in architectures known as Internet of Things. New Blockchain for the Internet of Things models promise secure solutions for eHealth, smart cities, and other applications. These models pave the way for continuous monitoring of patient’s physiological signs with wearable sensors to augment traditional medical practice without recourse to storing data with a trusted authority. However, existing Blockchain algorithms cannot accommodate the huge volumes, security, and privacy requirements of health data. In this thesis, our first contribution is an End-to-End secure eHealth architecture that introduces an intelligent Patient Centric Agent. The Patient Centric Agent executing on dedicated hardware manages the storage and access of streams of sensors generated health data, into a customized Blockchain and other less secure repositories. As IoT devices cannot host Blockchain technology due to their limited memory, power, and computational resources, the Patient Centric Agent coordinates and communicates with a private customized Blockchain on behalf of the wearable devices. While the adoption of a Patient Centric Agent offers solutions for addressing continuous monitoring of patients’ health, dealing with storage, data privacy and network security issues, the architecture is vulnerable to Denial of Services(DoS) and single point of failure attacks. To address this issue, we advance a second contribution; a decentralised eHealth system in which the Patient Centric Agent is replicated at three levels: Sensing Layer, NEAR Processing Layer and FAR Processing Layer. The functionalities of the Patient Centric Agent are customized to manage the tasks of the three levels. Simulations confirm protection of the architecture against DoS attacks. Few patients require all their health data to be stored in Blockchain repositories but instead need to select an appropriate storage medium for each chunk of data by matching their personal needs and preferences with features of candidate storage mediums. Motivated by this context, we advance third contribution; a recommendation model for health data storage that can accommodate patient preferences and make storage decisions rapidly, in real-time, even with streamed data. The mapping between health data features and characteristics of each repository is learned using machine learning. The Blockchain’s capacity to make transactions and store records without central oversight enables its application for IoT networks outside health such as underwater IoT networks where the unattended nature of the nodes threatens their security and privacy. However, underwater IoT differs from ground IoT as acoustics signals are the communication media leading to high propagation delays, high error rates exacerbated by turbulent water currents. Our fourth contribution is a customized Blockchain leveraged framework with the model of Patient-Centric Agent renamed as Smart Agent for securely monitoring underwater IoT. Finally, the smart Agent has been investigated in developing an IoT smart home or cities monitoring framework. The key algorithms underpinning to each contribution have been implemented and analysed using simulators.Doctor of Philosoph

Capability-based access control for cyber physical systems

Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) couple digital systems with the physical environment, creating technical, usability, and economic security challenges beyond those of information systems. Their distributed and hierarchical nature, real-time and safety-critical requirements, and limited resources create new vulnerability classes and severely constrain the security solution space. This dissertation explores these challenges, focusing on Industrial Control Systems (ICS), but demonstrating broader applicability to the whole domain. We begin by systematising the usability and economic challenges to secure ICS. We fingerprint and track more than 10\,000 Internet-connected devices over four years and show the population is growing, continuously-connected, and unpatched. We then explore adversarial interest in this vulnerable population. We track 150\,000 botnet hosts, sift 70 million underground forum posts, and perform the largest ICS honeypot study to date to demonstrate that the cybercrime community has little competence or interest in the domain. We show that the current heterogeneity, cost, and level of expertise required for large-scale attacks on ICS are economic deterrents when targets in the IoT domain are available. The ICS landscape is changing, however, and we demonstrate the imminent convergence with the IoT domain as inexpensive hardware, commodity operating Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) couple digital systems with the physical environment, creating technical, usability, and economic security challenges beyond those of information systems. Their distributed and hierarchical nature, real-time and safety-critical requirements, and limited resources create new vulnerability classes and severely constrain the security solution space. This dissertation explores these challenges, focusing on Industrial Control Systems (ICS), but demonstrating broader applicability to the whole domain. We begin by systematising the usability and economic challenges to secure ICS. We fingerprint and track more than 10,000 Internet-connected devices over four years and show the population is growing, continuously-connected, and unpatched. We then explore adversarial interest in this vulnerable population. We track 150,000 botnet hosts, sift 70 million underground forum posts, and perform the largest ICS honeypot study to date to demonstrate that the cybercrime community has little competence or interest in the domain. We show that the current heterogeneity, cost, and level of expertise required for large-scale attacks on ICS are economic deterrents when targets in the IoT domain are available. The ICS landscape is changing, however, and we demonstrate the imminent convergence with the IoT domain as inexpensive hardware, commodity operating systems, and wireless connectivity become standard. Industry's security solution is boundary defence, pushing privilege to firewalls and anomaly detectors; however, this propagates rather than minimises privilege and leaves the hierarchy vulnerable to a single boundary compromise. In contrast, we propose, implement, and evaluate a security architecture based on distributed capabilities. Specifically, we show that object capabilities, representing physical resources, can be constructed, delegated, and used anywhere in a distributed CPS by composing hardware-enforced architectural capabilities and cryptographic network tokens. Our architecture provides defence-in-depth, minimising privilege at every level of the CPS hierarchy, and both supports and adds integrity protection to legacy CPS protocols. We implement distributed capabilities in robotics and ICS demonstrators, and we show that our architecture adds negligible overhead to realistic integrations and can be implemented without significant modification to existing source code. In contrast, we propose, implement, and evaluate a security architecture based on distributed capabilities. Specifically, we show that object capabilities, representing physical resources, can be constructed, delegated, and used anywhere in a distributed CPS by composing hardware-enforced architectural capabilities and cryptographic network tokens. Our architecture provides defence-in-depth, minimising privilege at every level of the CPS hierarchy, and both supports and adds integrity protection to legacy CPS protocols. We implement distributed capabilities in robotics and ICS demonstrators, and we show that our architecture adds negligible overhead to realistic integrations and can be implemented without significant modification to existing source code