DYNAMIC DATA EXFILTRATION OVER COMMON PROTOCOLS VIA SOCKET LAYER PROTOCOL CUSTOMIZATION

Obfuscated data exfiltration perpetrated by malicious actors presents a significant threat to organizations looking to protect sensitive data. Socket layer protocol customization presents the potential to enhance obfuscated data exfiltration by providing a protocol-agnostic means of embedding targeted data within application payloads of established socket connections. Fully evaluating and characterizing this technique will serve as an important step in the development of suitable mitigations. This thesis evaluated the performance of this method of data exfiltration through experimentation to determine its viability and identify its limitations. The evaluation assessed the effectiveness of exfiltration via socket layer customization with various application protocols and characterized its use to determine the most suitable protocols. Basic host-based and network-based security controls were introduced to test the exfiltration method’s ability to bypass typical security controls implemented to prevent data exfiltration. The experimentation results indicate that this exfiltration method is both viable and applicable across multiple application protocols. It proved flexible enough in its design and configuration to bypass basic host-based access controls and general network intrusion prevention system packet inspection. Deep packet inspection was identified as a potential solution; however, the required inspection and filtering granularity might make implementation infeasible.Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA 22203-1995Outstanding ThesisPetty Officer First Class, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Rapid target selection of object categories based on verbs: Implications for language-categorization interactions

Although much is known about how nouns facilitate object categorization, very little is known about how verbs (e.g., posture verbs such as stand or lie) facilitate object categorization. Native Dutch speakers are a unique population to investigate this issue with because the configurational categories distinguished by staan (to stand) and liggen (to lie) are inherent in everyday Dutch language. Using an ERP component (N2pc), four experiments demonstrate that selection of posture verb categories is rapid (between 220–320 ms). The effect was attenuated, though present, when removing the perceptual distinction between categories. A similar attenuated effect was obtained in native English speakers, where the category distinction is less familiar, and when category labels were implicit for native Dutch speakers. Our results are among the first to demonstrate that category search based on verbs can be rapid, although extensive linguistic experience and explicit labels may not be necessary to facilitate categorization in this case

Activity Build-Up Control by High pH Coolant. A Literature Survey

A survey was made of unclassified literature dealing with the control of activity build-up in pressurized water reactors by high-pH coolants. Survey results indicate that a high-pH coolant is desirable for control of induced radioactivity build-up in pressurized water reactors containing significant amounts of stainless steel and that no significant hazards are introduced by adoption of a high-pH coolant. Lithium hydroxide was found to be the most acceptable agent for coolant pH control. Strong-base-form mixed-bed resin is effective in maintaining both coolant pH and coolant purity. (auth

Learning on electrical circuits while playing 'E&E electrical endeavours' : design research on a serious game optimizing for conceptual understanding

In a two year design research project, a serious game was developed in a close collaboration of educational researchers, game-designers and secondary school teachers. In a first round, the game was used in classroom employing an open-inquiry format. It was found that the game had a strong impact on the student’s conceptual development but that it provoked the construction of misconceptions. The game was then adapted and partially redesigned on the basis of the evaluation outcomes and additional expert-review. Also the way of using the game in classroom was redesigned and written down in a teachers’ guide. In a second round this pedagogical approach to using the game in classroom alternating open inquiry type gaming-episodes with guided reflection and internalisation episodes, was used. Again a strong impact on students’ conceptual understanding of electrical circuits was found. Significantly less misconceptions occurred. The results indicate that the close collaboration of school teachers, educational experts and game designers was fruitful for improving the serious game and its use in school practice. Moreover it became clear that serious games have a potential to strongly contribute to students’ conceptual understanding, in particular by the mental model implicitly represented in the game´s layout and structure

Blur discrimination and its relation to blur-mediated depth perception

Retinal images of three-dimensional scenes often contain regions that are spatially blurred by different amounts, owing to depth variation in the scene and depth-of-focus limitations in the eye. Variations in blur between regions in the retinal image therefore offer a cue to their relative physical depths. In the first experiment we investigated apparent depth ordering in images containing two regions of random texture separated by a vertical sinusoidal border. The texture was sharp on one side of the border, and blurred on the other side. In some presentations the border itself was also blurred. Results showed that blur variation alone is sufficient to determine the apparent depth ordering. A subsequent series of experiments measured blur-discrimination thresholds with stimuli similar to those used in the depth-ordering experiment. Weber fractions for blur discrimination ranged from 0.28 to 0.56. It is concluded that the utility of blur variation as a depth cue is constrained by the relatively mediocre ability of observers to discriminate different levels of blur. Blur is best viewed as a relatively coarse, qualitative depth cue

Perceived discrimination against Dutch Muslim youths in the school context and its relation with externalising behavior

The role of the source of discrimination in relation to minority Muslim youths’ psychosocial well-being has received remarkably little attention in the post-9/11 climate. We have examined one of the aspects of psychosocial well-being that is given prominent attention in the media and public discourse, namely externalising behaviour. The article reports whether perceived discrimination by four sources (school peers and teachers, peers, and adults outside the school) is related to externalising behaviour. Links between perceived discrimination sources and externalising behaviour among Dutch Muslim youths (n = 308, ages 14–18) were examined through surveys. The quantitative findings guided our qualitative analyses of interviews with 10 Muslim Dutch youths on their accounts of discrimination in the school context. When comparing different discrimination sources, only teacher discrimination was found to predict externalising behaviour significantly (explaining 15% of the variance). The qualitative follow-up illustrated the significance of teacher discrimination: Some Muslim youths felt that their teachers held back their school progress, while others reported receiving insults from teachers about their parents’ native country and their religion. We argue that students’ perceived powerlessness within the teacher-student relationship deserves further attention, as some Dutch Muslim youths reported painful experiences, with perceived teacher discrimination linked to higher levels of externalising behaviour

Telehealth and Occupational Therapy Education

Accredited occupational therapy education programs are required to include telehealth technology in their curricula as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. An innovative Doctor of Occupational Therapy program piloted a telehealth module with first- and second-year students. Both dynamic lecture content and active learning lab exercises were created to advance student knowledge in the use of telehealth technology and to inform occupational therapy telehealth education. The teaching approaches in lecture and lab were assessed using a mixed methods approach. A quantitative pre and posttest assessment of student self-efficacy and knowledge was collected at three time points. At the final timepoint, a post survey was also completed to collect qualitative perspectives of student experiences after the lecture content and lab exercise, to further explain quantitative findings. Results indicated that the students’ knowledge significantly improved after the module. In addition, engaging in lab after lecture did add a significant improvement in self-efficacy of students’ perception of their knowledge regarding telehealth as well as confidence in their ability to use telehealth. The outcomes of this study assist and inform occupational therapy education programs in determining an effective teaching format for instruction on the use of telehealth technology in practice