A DEVSECOPS APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING AND DEPLOYING CONTAINERIZED CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE ON SUBMARINES

There are unique challenges for using secure cloud services in disconnected resource-constrained environments and with controlled data. To address those challenges, this thesis introduces a tactical-edge platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solution with a declarative-delivery method for submarine Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise Services (CANES) operating systems. The PaaS is adapted from the Department of Defense’s Big Bang core elements for submarine-focused outcomes. Using the Team Submarine Project Blue initiative as a case study, this thesis consists of a feasibility study for running containerized applications on different submarine-compatible baselines and applying a prototype declarative software-delivery method called ZARF. We demonstrated the feasibility of using ZARF for packaging and automated deployment of the Project Blue PaaS and its software to the submarine CANES infrastructure. This research culminated in successful integration tests on a current and future submarine hardware and software baseline. The thesis documents the execution of the research, lessons learned, and recommendations for the Navy’s path forward for development of secure software and declarative deployment in air-gapped environments.Outstanding ThesisLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Many-Core Architectures: Hardware-Software Optimization and Modeling Techniques

During the last few decades an unprecedented technological growth has been at the center of the embedded systems design paramount, with Moore’s Law being the leading factor of this trend. Today in fact an ever increasing number of cores can be integrated on the same die, marking the transition from state-of-the-art multi-core chips to the new many-core design paradigm. Despite the extraordinarily high computing power, the complexity of many-core chips opens the door to several challenges. As a result of the increased silicon density of modern Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC), the design space exploration needed to find the best design has exploded and hardware designers are in fact facing the problem of a huge design space. Virtual Platforms have always been used to enable hardware-software co-design, but today they are facing with the huge complexity of both hardware and software systems. In this thesis two different research works on Virtual Platforms are presented: the first one is intended for the hardware developer, to easily allow complex cycle accurate simulations of many-core SoCs. The second work exploits the parallel computing power of off-the-shelf General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs), with the goal of an increased simulation speed. The term Virtualization can be used in the context of many-core systems not only to refer to the aforementioned hardware emulation tools (Virtual Platforms), but also for two other main purposes: 1) to help the programmer to achieve the maximum possible performance of an application, by hiding the complexity of the underlying hardware. 2) to efficiently exploit the high parallel hardware of many-core chips in environments with multiple active Virtual Machines. This thesis is focused on virtualization techniques with the goal to mitigate, and overtake when possible, some of the challenges introduced by the many-core design paradigm

Novel Missions for Next Generation Microsatellites: The Results of a Joint AFRL/JPL Study

The development of technologies for miniature, low-mass, high density components and of systems that efficiently utilize these teclmologies has enabled a path to the next generation of highly capable microsatellites in the range of 10 - 100-kg. The characteristics and capabilities of this emerging class of satellites are briefly described. These satellites have the potential for revolutionizing space missions owing to their small size, low cost, significant capability, and good return on investment. This paper documents conceptual microsatellite mission scenarios examined in a collaborative effort between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology (JPL). Six areas of mutual interest were selected from an initial set of about 30 microsatellite mission areas. Each of the selected areas was examined in more depth. The concepts explored include a remote sensing microsatellite, an on-orbit servicing microsatellite, a micronavigation and communication system, an adjunct microsatellite, and two distributed microsatellite systems; one for surveillance and one for space weather and physics observations. These missions are described briefly. A unique characteristic of these microsatellites, exploited in some of the mission scenarios, is the potential for low cost and rapid launch using non-traditional methods. One method examined involves using air-to-space missile technology

A Study of Automotive Security : CAN Bus Intrusion detection Systems, Attack Surface, and Regulations

The innovation in the automotive sector enhanced the technology implemented in vehicles by the manufacturers. Consequently, the overall driving experience improved, thanks to the introduction of better safety, utility, and entertainment systems. Moreover, automobiles began collecting and exchanging data with the external world through different communication protocols. However, these additions have started to attract attention from security experts. More importantly, malevolent attackers have exploited the technologies and their related attack points to carry out malicious activities to cause data security and safety issues. These issues have led to establishing standards and regulations (ISO 21434, UNECE 155, etc.) that redefine vehicle design and development by incorporating security protocols and requirements necessary to create secure automobiles. However, these documents analyze the problem at a high level and do not dwell on practical solutions implementation analysis. This work presents an in-depth study of in-vehicle communication concerns via Controller Area Network (CAN) bus safety problems analysis with different proposed solutions. Specifically, a survey of Intrusion Detection Systems developed in the literature is brought up: simulation of three CAN bus intrusion detection systems against various attacks. The results show effectiveness against disruptive attacks, i.e., with numerous messages sent in a short period of time, but conversely have difficulty detecting more targeted attacks with few transmitted packets. The solutions analysis is an excellent starting point for security engineers to be able to develop Intrusion Detection Systems for the CAN bus capable of detecting attacks that will become increasingly complex and difficult to counter over time

Embedded System Design

A unique feature of this open access textbook is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental knowledge in embedded systems, with applications in cyber-physical systems and the Internet of things. It starts with an introduction to the field and a survey of specification models and languages for embedded and cyber-physical systems. It provides a brief overview of hardware devices used for such systems and presents the essentials of system software for embedded systems, including real-time operating systems. The author also discusses evaluation and validation techniques for embedded systems and provides an overview of techniques for mapping applications to execution platforms, including multi-core platforms. Embedded systems have to operate under tight constraints and, hence, the book also contains a selected set of optimization techniques, including software optimization techniques. The book closes with a brief survey on testing. This fourth edition has been updated and revised to reflect new trends and technologies, such as the importance of cyber-physical systems (CPS) and the Internet of things (IoT), the evolution of single-core processors to multi-core processors, and the increased importance of energy efficiency and thermal issues

Air Force Institute of Technology Research Report 1999

This report summarizes the research activities of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. It describes research interests and faculty expertise; lists student theses/dissertations; identifies research sponsors and contributions; and outlines the procedures for contacting the school. Included in the report are: faculty publications, conference presentations, consultations, and funded research projects. Research was conducted in the areas of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electro-Optics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Systems and Engineering Management, Operational Sciences, and Engineering Physics

Embedded System Design

A unique feature of this open access textbook is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental knowledge in embedded systems, with applications in cyber-physical systems and the Internet of things. It starts with an introduction to the field and a survey of specification models and languages for embedded and cyber-physical systems. It provides a brief overview of hardware devices used for such systems and presents the essentials of system software for embedded systems, including real-time operating systems. The author also discusses evaluation and validation techniques for embedded systems and provides an overview of techniques for mapping applications to execution platforms, including multi-core platforms. Embedded systems have to operate under tight constraints and, hence, the book also contains a selected set of optimization techniques, including software optimization techniques. The book closes with a brief survey on testing. This fourth edition has been updated and revised to reflect new trends and technologies, such as the importance of cyber-physical systems (CPS) and the Internet of things (IoT), the evolution of single-core processors to multi-core processors, and the increased importance of energy efficiency and thermal issues

Determining the Specific Transition Needs of Military and Veteran Students (MVS), A Qualitative/Mixed Methods Study

A number of challenges await military and veteran students (MVS) as they make their way to college campuses. These non-traditional students will transition to an environment different from the one they experienced while serving. This problem exists because a majority of the post-secondary schools across the country are not prepared to assist with their transition. An initial review of the literature related to a veteran student’s transition to college has shown that very few colleges and universities offer a transition program developed specifically for this non-traditional student group. This has led to the formulation of two research questions: 1. What support services do MVS identify as the most critical to their academic success? 2. What support elements do MVS identify as currently successful or lacking? There were 214 MVS attending Duquesne University in the spring of 2017. I contend that survey feedback from representative participants will provide key data that highlights the essential services these warriors need and deserve to succeed, and help postsecondary service providers develop an effective transition program for the MVS community. Helping MVS through the initial phases of the college transition depends on a great start. The individuals who possess the information unlocking those critical first steps are the MVS themselves. Their input is essential in the construction of an orientation program that will elevate their potential to transition successfully

The impact of market orientation on research-based spin off performance: emerging issues from an exploratory study

The paper addresses the relationship between Market Orientation (MO) and Research based spin offs' business performance, using a sample of 90 Italian RBSOs present in the Netval (Italian association for the valorisation of results from public research) database. The findings of the study may be useful for researchers and academics, advancing knowledge on Research based spin-offs (RBSOs) and the impact of MO on their performance, but also professionals from new high tech ventures and technology transfer offices may use these results to plan and design market-focused actions and support activities that will lead to improved business performance.The results could in fact indicate to entrepreneurs (or the entrepreneurial team) of this kind of firms which dimensions of MO deserve more attention in order to obtain a higher business performance