Leveraging the heterogeneity of the internet of things devices to improve the security of smart environments

The growing number of devices that are being incorporated into the Internet of Things (IoT) environments leads to a wider presence of a variety of sensors, making these environments heterogeneous. However, the lack of standard input interfaces in such ecosystems poses a challenge in securing them. Among other existing vulnerabilities, the most prevalent are the lack of adequate access control mechanisms and the exploitation of cross-channel interactions between smart devices. In order to tackle the first challenge, I propose a novel behavioral biometric system based on naturally occurring interactions with objects in smart environments. This system is designed to reduce the reliance on existing app-based authentication mechanisms of current smart home platforms and it leverages existing heterogeneous IoT devices to both identify and authenticate users without requiring any hardware modifications of existing smart home devices. To be able to collect the data and evaluate this system, I introduce an end-to-end framework for remote experiments. Such experiments play an important role across multiple fields of studies, from medical science to engineering, as they allow for better representation of human participants and more realistic experimental environments, and ensure research continuity in exceptional circumstances, such as nationwide lockdowns. Yet cyber security has few standards for conducting experiments with human participants, let alone in a remote setting. This framework systematizes design and deployment practices while preserving realistic, reproducible data collection and the safety and privacy of participants. Using this methodology, I conduct two experiments. The first one is a multi-user study taking place in six households composed of 25 participants. The second experiment involves 13 participants in a company environment and is used to study mimicry attacks on the biometric system proposed in this thesis. I demonstrate that this system can identify users in multi-user environments with an accuracy of at least 98% for a single object interaction without requiring any sensors on the object itself. I also show that it can provide seamless and unobtrusive authentication while remaining highly resistant to zero-effort, video, and in-person observation-based mimicry attacks. Even when at most 1% of the strongest type of mimicry attacks are successful, this system does not require the user to take out their phone to approve legitimate transactions in more than 80% of cases for a single interaction. This increases to 92% of transactions when interactions with more objects are considered. To mitigate the second vulnerability, where an attacker exploits multiple heterogeneous devices in a chain such that each one triggers the next, I propose a novel approach that uses only dynamic analysis to examine such interactions in smart ecosystems. I use real-time device data to generate a knowledge graph that models the interactions between devices and enables the system to identify attack chains and vulnerable automations. I evaluate this approach in a smart home environment with 8 devices and 10 automations, with and without the presence of an active user. I demonstrate that such a system can accurately detect 10 cross-channel interactions that lead to 30 different cross-channel interaction chains in the unoccupied environment and 6 such interactions that result in 13 interaction chains in the occupied environment

Protecting Password Databases using Trusted Hardware

Peer reviewe

Rysunek osób z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną – twórcze medium i fundament autorehabilitacji

The key task of a special education teacher working with people with intellectual disabilities isto initiate the process of autorehabilitation. An important role is played by a process of self-creationof people with intellectual disabilities and one of the possible impacts play the plastic arts andespecially those drawings. This article is an attempt at an in-depth reflection on the characteristicsand the process of shaping the autorehabilitation based on the value of drawing as a fundamentalmedium of one’s art. Life confronts people with intellectual disabilities and higher requirements.Any attempt to change their own destiny therefore requires much effort, hard work on yourselfand infinite self-confidence. Creative activities therefore are designed to help these individuals tobe more potent than the external conditions – and the more we appreciate their importance, thehigher they will be placed on the current drawing creation process, thus making it the foundation ofautorehabilitation.Sztuka plastyczna posiada już swego rodzaju historię w koncepcjach kształcenia i wychowania, terapii i rehabilitacji. Przyjmuje różne funkcje od czysto utylitarnych do poznawczych i wychowawczych. Mieści się w obrębie wychowania estetycznego, wychowania przez sztukę. Wyznacza tym samym obraz osoby, która w danym systemie oddziaływania jest mniej lub bardziej twórcza i świadoma roli wartości artystycznych oraz estetycznych w życiu człowieka. Tradycyjnym jej celem jest natomiast kształcenie twórczej postawy w zakresie dyspozycji poznawczych i emocjonalnych oraz przygotowanie do aktywnego uczestnictwa w życiu kulturalnym. Kluczowym zadaniem pedagoga specjalnego pracującego z osobami z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną jest inicjowanie procesu autorehabilitacji. Istotną rolę odgrywa tutaj proces autokreacji osoby z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną, zaś jednym z możliwych oddziaływań jest twórczość plastyczna, a w szczególności działalność rysunkowa. Artykuł jest próbą pogłębionej refleksji nad charakterystyką i procesem kształtowania przestrzeni autorehabilitacyjnej na podstawie wartości rysunku jako fundamentalnego medium twórczości plastycznej. Zwrócono uwagę na podstawowe aspekty, które potwierdzają, że jednostka z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną potrafi być aktywna twórczo, a dzięki temu nadawać swoim działaniom charakter rehabilitacyjny – wzmacniać niezaburzone funkcje psychiczne, intelektualne i fizyczne, korygować nieprawidłowości rozwojowe oraz rozwijać zainteresowania i uzdolnienia

Evaluation of the oral cavity state and Candida occurence in generally healthy Polish and foreign dental students

Aim of the study. This study aimed at comparing the oral cavity condition and Candida prevalence in generally healthy Polish and foreign dentistry students and evaluating the relationship between Candida occurrence and the oral cavity condition. Material and methods. 79 dentistry students with no systemic diseases, aged 20–25 (mean 23.5), were examined in the present study. Two groups of examined subjects were specified: 43 Polish students (group I) and 36 foreign students (group II). Group II has been divided into subgroups: IIa – students from Taiwan and IIb – students from Europe and USA. Occurence of oral mucosa lesions, periodontal treatment needs (CPITN), caries prevalence (DMFT) and oral hygiene (OHIs) were investigated. Evaluation of Candida occurrence on the oral mucosa was included in the study. Results. Comparison of the oral cavity condition in Polish and foreign students showed no significant difference, with the exception of the number of teeth with active caries, that was significantly higher in foreign students (D 1,2) than in Polish students (D 0.4). Mean indices rates in the group I were: CPITN 0.9; PUWz 8.7; OHI-s 0.4 in the group II 1.0; 7.0; 0,5, respectively. The most commonly observed oral mucosa lesions, in both groups, were white coated tongue and buccal white line. Candida was found in 38,0% of the subjects, its prevalence was similar in both groups (I – 34.9%, II – 41.7%). No correlation between Candida occurence and oral cavity state was detected. Higher frequency of active caries in Candida carriers was the exception

Evaluation of humoral immune response against mycobacterial antigens in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis confirmed by genetic and culture methods

Wstęp: Celem pracy była ocena stężenia przeciwciał przeciwko antygenom prątka gruźlicy w płynie uzyskanym podczas płukania oskrzelowo-pęcherzykowego u chorych na gruźlicę płuc potwierdzoną bakteriologicznie oraz porównanie przydatności metod serologicznych i metod genetycznych (łańcuchowa reakcja polimerazy) w rozpoznawaniu gruźlicy u tych chorych. Materiał i metody: Odpowiedź humoralną na antygeny prątka oceniono za pomocą testu immunoenzymatycznego, porównując stężenia przeciwciał różnych klas przeciwko rekombinowanym antygenom prątka 38kDa, 16kDa i LAM w materiale pochodzącym z płukania oskrzelowo-pęcherzykowego. Grupę badaną stanowili chorzy na gruźlicę płuc zdiagnozowaną przy użyciu metody BACTEC, a grupę kontrolną chorzy na inne choroby układu oddechowego. Przeprowadzono analizę czułości i swoistości zastosowanych testów. Wyniki: Czułość dla testu IgG anty38kDa + 16kDa wynosiła 49%, IgG anty38kDa + LAM - 33%, IgA anty38kDa + LAM - 100%, IgM anty38kDa + LAM - 35%. Swoistość użytych testów wyniosła dla antygenu IgA anty38kDa + LAM - 13%, IgM anty38kDa + LAM - 75%, IgG anty38kDa + 16kDa - 87%, IgG anty38kDa + LAM - 93%. Wnioski: Badane testy, oparte na przeciwciałach klasy IgG, mogą być przydatne, łącznie z innymi metodami diagnostycznymi, w rozpoznawaniu gruźlicy.Introduction: The resistance to TB is cells-mediated but humoral response is common and may be correlated with the lack of effective local cellular defence mechanisms. The goal of the study was to evaluate IgG, IgA and IgM mediated humoral immune response against 38kDa plus 16kDa and 38kDa plus lipoarabinomannan (LAM) mycobacterial antigens in BALF from patients with culture confirmed and PCR positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) compared to non-tuberculous controls (NTB). Material and methods: 79 BALF samples (46 TB and 30 NTB) were examined. In 25 BALF samples from TB patients nucleic acids from M. tuberculosis were detected by PCR method. Commercially available ELISA - based assays against proteins 38kDa and 16kDa or 38kDa plus LAM were used. Three different dilutions of BALF: 1 : 1 and 1 : 10 were tested. Mean IgG level against 38 + LAM was significantly higher in TB group compared to control (p < 0,0001). No difference was observed between TB and NTB group in titer of IgM antibodies. Results: Sensitivity of the tests based on IgG anti38kDa + 16kDa was 49%, IgG anti38kDa + LAM - 33%, IgA anti38kDa + LAM - 100%, IgM anti38kDa + LAM - 35%. Specificity of examined assays: IgA anti38kDa + LAM - 13%, IgM anti38kDa + LAM - 75%, IgG anti38kDa + 16kDa - 87%, IgG anti38kDa + LAM - 93%. The findings of the study indicate that TB is associated with the presence of detectable levels of antibodies in the BALF. Conclusions: Examined tests detecting IgG in BALF can be used in combination with other diagnostic methods to increase diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary TB