73 research outputs found
A new approach to deploy a self-adaptive distributed firewall
Distributed firewall systems emerged with the proposal of protecting individual hosts against attacks originating from inside the network. In these systems, firewall rules are centrally created, then distributed and enforced on all servers that compose the firewall, restricting which services will be available. However, this approach lacks protection against software vulnerabilities that can make network services vulnerable to attacks, since firewalls usually do not scan application protocols. In this sense, from the discovery of any vulnerability until the publication and application of patches there is an exposure window that should be reduced. In this context, this article presents Self-Adaptive Distributed Firewall (SADF). Our approach is based on monitoring hosts and using a vulnerability assessment system to detect vulnerable services, integrated with components capable of deciding and applying firewall rules on affected hosts. In this way, SADF can respond to vulnerabilities discovered in these hosts, helping to mitigate the risk of exploiting the vulnerability. Our system was evaluated in the context of a simulated network environment, where the results achieved demonstrate its viability
From ''Chastity as a gift'' to ''Doing it as a sign of love'': a longitudinal analysis of the discourses on female sexuality in popular magazines in Portugal
Female sexuality published in six types of magazines between 1965 and 2006 were content analyzed. The results showed
that Portuguese media’s discourse on sexuality is not only becoming more liberal but is also characterized by ambiguity
and contradiction. Within a “progressive” discursive framework for sexuality, tensions and double standards for women are
still noticeable. The media discourse in Portugal continues to reinforce the established gender hierarchy and inequality in
heterosexual relationships and maintain traditional gender roles
Formal Specification and Validation of Security Policies
International audienceWe propose a formal framework for the specification and validation of security policies. To model a secured system, the evolution of security information in the system is described by transitions triggered by authorization requests and the policy is given by a set of rules describing the way the corresponding decisions are taken. Policy rules are constrained rewrite rules whose constraints are first-order formulas on finite domains, which provides enhanced expressive power compared to classical security policy specification approaches like the ones using Datalog, for example. Our specifications have an operational semantics based on transition and rewriting systems and are thus executable. This framework also provides a common formalism to define, compare and compose security systems and policies. We define transformations over secured systems in order to perform validation of classical security properties
Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA
Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis
The Effect of Religious Beliefs and Attitudes in Intrinsic and Extrinsic Optimism and Pessimism in Players of Games of Chance
Games of chance usually make people feel a whirlwind of emotions, especially in gambling.
While those games depend more on luck than on individuals’ skills, optimism should be a distinctive
feature. Considering the classic literature of the effects of religiosity on risk behaviors, the issue of the
influence of religiosity on optimism in players of games of chance has been less studied, especially
when we considered optimism as a multidimensional concept comprising intrinsic and extrinsic
optimism and pessimism. Aims: To analyze the effect of religious beliefs and attitudes in optimism
and pessimism dimensions in players of games of chance and gambling. Method: The sample
consists of 271 recurring players of games of chance and gambling, who answered a questionnaire
composed of measures of religious beliefs and attitudes, optimism, pessimism, and estimates of future
occurrences, evidencing good psychometric properties. Results: Players are moderately religious and
more optimistic than pessimistic, estimating a chance of 36% of highly unlikely desirable events. The
structural model showed an overall influence of religious beliefs and attitudes higher on optimism
(R2 = 44%) than on pessimism (R2 = 5%). However, the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic
optimism has shown that the players anchor their optimism in different kinds of beliefs. Extrinsic
desirable events, like winning the lottery, were more predicted by religious beliefs and attitudes in
comparison with intrinsic desirable events. Inversely, religious beliefs and attitudes tend to predict
more intrinsic pessimism in comparison with intrinsic optimism. Conclusions: Optimism is not a
one-dimensional construct, should be analyzed considering the dichotomies of optimism/pessimism
and intrinsic/extrinsic. In recurring players of games of chance and gambling, religious beliefs
and attitudes predicted more optimism than pessimism, being more associated with extrinsic than
intrinsic desirable events. More intrinsically pessimistic players seem to recur to religiosity to anchor
their positive expectations
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