FORWARD Threat Report

This document is the compilation of the three threat reports that were producedindependently by the three FORWARD working groups during the second phaseof the project. These working groups were established after the first FORWARDworkshop that was held in Goteborg, Sweden in April 2008. They are briefly describedin the following paragraphs:The Malware and Fraud working group is concerned with the malware andfraud-related threats on the Internet. It covers topics that range from novel malwaredevelopments over botnets to cyber crime and Internet fraud.The Smart Environments working group is concerned with ordinary environmentsthat have been enhanced by interconnected computer equipment. There isgeneral expectation that a large number of small devices such as sensors and mobilephones will be interconnected. The group aims to identify emerging trendswith respect to security in this domain.The Critical Systems working group focuses on critical systems whose disruptionof operation can lead to significant material loss or threaten human life. Itattempts to identify emerging threats in this area.For our work, we introduce the following definition of threat:Threat - Definition : A threat is any indication, circumstance, or event with thepotential to cause harm to an ICT infrastructure and the assets that dependon this infrastructure.Our version is related to a variety of other definitions that exist in the literature,such as the ones provided by ISO/IEC and the EU Green Paper for Criticalinfrastructure protection, 2005 [20]. In both cases, a threat is described as a event,circumstance, or incident that has the potential to cause destruction or, more general,harm to the system or organization that is exposed to the threat. We adapt ourdefinition to explicitly refer to ICT infrastructures and assets, as this is the scope of the project. However, we observe that the definition is reasonably general toaccommodate a wide range of possible threats and scenarios. This is necessary toallow different working groups to identify interesting threats without being constrainedby an overly narrow, initial definition.Creating a list of emerging and future threats is a challenging endeavor. Thepast has witnessed many stunning scientific and technical advances, and these advanceshave transformed society and the way people use and rely on informationtechnology. Of course, also attackers are creative and constantly invent new waysof abusing technologies and applications for financial profit or simply because theyenjoy virtual vandalism. Thus, trying to imagine potential developments is alwaysat risk of failing to accurately predict the future. Nevertheless, it is important toactively think about the potential risks and threats that emerging technologies andtheir applications entail. Otherwise, one would simply concede to the adversariesand, at most, react to their new attacks.One way to think about emerging and future threats is to bring together a groupof domain experts and let them enter a dialogue in which they will (hopefully)come up with a set of possible threats. This is one possible way, and in part an approachthat FORWARD leverages through its working groups. However, it wouldbe desirable to introduce a more systematic methodology to think about emergingthreats. In FORWARD, we attempt to do this by introducing a number of “axes”along which developments can happen (or are currently unfolding). These axesserve as the main drivers of development in general, and allow us to set a frameworkin which each working group can systematically explore threats. [...

Imaging mass spectrometry reveals complex lipid distributions across Staphylococcus aureus biofilm layers

Introduction: Although Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of biofilm-related infections, the lipidomic distributions within these biofilms is poorly understood. Here, lipidomic mapping of S. aureus biofilm cross-sections was performed to investigate heterogeneity between horizontal biofilm layers. Methods: S. aureus biofilms were grown statically, embedded in a mixture of carboxymethylcellulose/gelatin, and prepared for downstream matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS). Trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) was also applied prior to mass analysis. Results: Implementation of TIMS led to a ∼ threefold increase in the number of lipid species detected. Washing biofilm samples with ammonium formate (150 mM) increased signal intensity for some bacterial lipids by as much as tenfold, with minimal disruption of the biofilm structure. MALDI TIMS IMS revealed that most lipids localize primarily to a single biofilm layer, and species from the same lipid class such as cardiolipins CL(57:0) – CL(66:0) display starkly different localizations, exhibiting between 1.5 and 6.3-fold intensity differences between layers (n = 3, p < 0.03). No horizontal layers were observed within biofilms grown anaerobically, and lipids were distributed homogenously. Conclusions: High spatial resolution analysis of S. aureus biofilm cross-sections by MALDI TIMS IMS revealed stark lipidomic heterogeneity between horizontal S. aureus biofilm layers demonstrating that each layer was molecularly distinct. Finally, this workflow uncovered an absence of layers in biofilms grown under anaerobic conditions, possibly indicating that oxygen contributes to the observed heterogeneity under aerobic conditions. Future applications of this workflow to study spatially localized molecular responses to antimicrobials could provide new therapeutic strategies.Team Raf Van de Pla

The chromatin landscape of healthy and injured cell types in the human kidney

There is a need to define regions of gene activation or repression that control human kidney cells in states of health, injury, and repair to understand the molecular pathogenesis of kidney disease and design therapeutic strategies. Comprehensive integration of gene expression with epigenetic features that define regulatory elements remains a significant challenge. We measure dual single nucleus RNA expression and chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and H3K27ac, H3K4me1, H3K4me3, and H3K27me3 histone modifications to decipher the chromatin landscape and gene regulation of the kidney in reference and adaptive injury states. We establish a spatially-anchored epigenomic atlas to define the kidney’s active, silent, and regulatory accessible chromatin regions across the genome. Using this atlas, we note distinct control of adaptive injury in different epithelial cell types. A proximal tubule cell transcription factor network of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 regulates the transition between health and injury, while in thick ascending limb cells this transition is regulated by NR2F1. Further, combined perturbation of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 distinguishes two adaptive proximal tubular cell subtypes, one of which manifested a repair trajectory after knockout. This atlas will serve as a foundation to facilitate targeted cell-specific therapeutics by reprogramming gene regulatory networks. © 2024, The Author(s).Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]