Automatic Dataset Labelling and Feature Selection for Intrusion Detection Systems

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Correctly labelled datasets are commonly required. Three particular scenarios are highlighted, which showcase this need. When using supervised Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs), these systems need labelled datasets to be trained. Also, the real nature of the analysed datasets must be known when evaluating the efficiency of the IDSs when detecting intrusions. Another scenario is the use of feature selection that works only if the processed datasets are labelled. In normal conditions, collecting labelled datasets from real networks is impossible. Currently, datasets are mainly labelled by implementing off-line forensic analysis, which is impractical because it does not allow real-time implementation. We have developed a novel approach to automatically generate labelled network traffic datasets using an unsupervised anomaly based IDS. The resulting labelled datasets are subsets of the original unlabelled datasets. The labelled dataset is then processed using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based approach, which performs the task of feature selection. The GA has been implemented to automatically provide the set of metrics that generate the most appropriate intrusion detection results

Return to Tourist Destination. Is it Reputation, After All?

In this paper we study the hypothesis that the repeated purchases in the tourism markets could be considered as a consequence of asymmetrical information problems. We analyze this hypothesis with the case study of the Island of Tenerife by the estimation of a count data model. We obtain that the length of the stay and the information obtained from previous visits and/or relatives and friends might increase the return to a destination suggesting the presence of a reputation mechanism as proposed by Shapiro (1983). We also estimate the determinants of the willingness to return confirming the main results.reputation, tourism, count data, logit

Correction:Carbonyl trapping and antiglycative activities of olive oil mill wastewater

Correction for ‘Carbonyl trapping and antiglycative activities of olive oil mill wastewater’ by Marta Navarro et al., Food Funct., 2015, 6, 574–583

Adding Contextual Information to Intrusion Detection Systems Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.In the last few years there has been considerable increase in the efficiency of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs). However, networks are still the victim of attacks. As the complexity of these attacks keeps increasing, new and more robust detection mechanisms need to be developed. The next generation of IDSs should be designed incorporating reasoning engines supported by contextual information about the network, cognitive information and situational awareness to improve their detection results. In this paper, we propose the use of a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) in conjunction with an IDS to incorporate contextual information into the detection process. We have evaluated the use of FCMs to adjust the Basic Probability Assignment (BPA) values defined prior to the data fusion process, which is crucial for the IDS that we have developed. The experimental results that we present verify that FCMs can improve the efficiency of our IDS by reducing the number of false alarms, while not affecting the number of correct detections

A look into the information your smartphone leaks

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Some smartphone applications (apps) pose a risk to users’ personal information. Events of apps leaking information stored in smartphones illustrate the danger that they present. In this paper, we investigate the amount of personal information leaked during the installation and use of apps when accessing the Internet. We have opted for the implementation of a Man-in-the-Middle proxy to intercept the network traffic generated by 20 popular free apps installed on different smartphones of distinctive vendors. This work describes the technical considerations and requirements for the deployment of the monitoring WiFi network employed during the conducted experiments. The presented results show that numerous mobile and personal unique identifiers, along with personal information are leaked by several of the evaluated apps, commonly during the installation process

Explorative investigation of the anti-glycative effect of a rapeseed by-product extract

Formation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) in biological systems are increased during hyperglycaemia due to higher levels of circulating glucose, as well as carbonyl reactive species. AGEs are causative factors of common chronic diseases. Since synthetic AGE-inhibitors exert unwanted side effects and polyphenols act as potent antiglycative agents, vegetables (fruits, seeds and related by-products) are good candidates for searching natural inhibitors. The aim of this research is to explore the suitability of a polyphenol-rich rapeseed cake extract (RCext) to decrease the formation of AGEs in an in vitro model. Total Phenolic Content, antioxidant, anti-glycative activity, specific inhibition of AGEs (pentosidine and argypyrimidine), and methylglyoxal trapping capacity of the RCext were evaluated. The metabolomic profile of the extract was also analysed through GC-MS. Different phenols, amino acids, carbohydrates, organic acids and fatty acids are identified in the RCE by GC-MS. Results confirm the high concentration of polyphenols correlated with the antioxidant capacity and anti-glycative activity in a dose dependent manner. Rapeseed cake extract (3.7 mg mL−1) significantly reduced the formation of free fluorescent AGEs and pentosidine up to 34.85%. The anti-glycative activity of the extract is likely to be due to the high concentration of sinapinic acid in its metabolic profile, and the mechanism of action is mediated by methylglyoxal trapping. Results show a promising potential for using rapeseed cake extract as a food supplement to ameliorate the formation of AGEs. Rapeseed cake extract should therefore be considered a potential candidate for the prevention of glycation-associated complications of age-related pathologie

Violence perception in Mexico related to subjective and social well-being

El presente estudio evalúa las actitudes hacia la violencia social en México y las contrasta con medidas de satisfacción como son; el bienestar subjetivo desde la perspectiva cognitiva de satisfacción con la vida (Diener, 1980) y el bienestar social (Keyes, 1998). Para evaluar las actitudes frente a la violencia social, exploramos la Escala de Actitudes ante la Violencia Social (Navarro, 2010). Muestra de 101 participantes (77 M, 24 H) del estado de Colima, México. Las tres subescalas de las Actitudes ante la Violencia Social muestran consistencia interna y correlacionan de manera negativa en relación al Bienestar Subjetivo y Bienestar Social. Los resultados indican efectos negativos generados por la percepción de violencia pero sobre todo incongruencia entre una elevada alarma social ante la violencia y una relativamente baja reacción conductual. Las medias en satisfacción con la vida y en las subescalas de bienestar social son relativamente elevadas como se viene observando en estudios anteriores sobre estos constructos en la población mexicana.The present study evaluates attitudes towards social violence in Mexico and contrasts them with satisfaction measures, such as; satisfaction with life (Diener, 1980) and social well-being (Keyes, 1998). To evaluate attitudes originated from violence we explored the attitudes towards social violence scale (Navarro, 2010). Sample 101 subjects (77 W, 24 M) residents of the state of Colima, Mexico. The three subscales composing the attitudes originated from social violence scale show internal consistence and correlate negatively to subjective and social well-being. These results indicate some negative effects of attitudes originated from violence. There is no congruence between high social alarm and low behavioral responses. Satisfaction with life and social well-being are relatively high as usual in Mexican population

Using the Pattern-of-Life in Networks to Improve the Effectiveness of Intrusion Detection Systems

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.As the complexity of cyber-attacks keeps increasing, new and more robust detection mechanisms need to be developed. The next generation of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) should be able to adapt their detection characteristics based not only on the measureable network traffic, but also on the available high- level information related to the protected network to improve their detection results. We make use of the Pattern-of-Life (PoL) of a network as the main source of high-level information, which is correlated with the time of the day and the usage of the network resources. We propose the use of a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) to incorporate the PoL into the detection process. The main aim of this work is to evidence the improved the detection performance of an IDS using an FCM to leverage on network related contextual information. The results that we present verify that the proposed method improves the effectiveness of our IDS by reducing the total number of false alarms; providing an improvement of 9.68% when all the considered metrics are combined and a peak improvement of up to 35.64%, depending on particular metric combination

Current status of las tablas de daimiel national park wetland and actions required for conservation

Wetlands are complex ecosystems that play multiple roles. ‘Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park’ (TDNP) undoubtedly plays a role in several ecosystem services and provides a connection between nature, farmers, scientists, residents, and other stakeholders. The state of degradation and/or vulnerability of this ecosystem (with a series of socio-economic implications) have led the publication of numerous articles. The work reported here provides a description of the growing importance of this wetland within the rural landscapes of La Mancha and emphasizes its state of degradation, mainly since pedological point of view. In this way, particular attention is required to assure the conservation of the Tablas of Daimiel Wetland; thus, several measures are proposed to improve the conservation of this area as to control and prohibit any dumping of any type of waste in the park or in its vicinityThis Research was funded by Organismo Autonomo Parques Nacionales (Autonomous Organism National Parks) of Spain (OAPN

Using metrics from multiple layers to detect attacks in wireless networks

The IEEE 802.11 networks are vulnerable to numerous wireless-specific attacks. Attackers can implement MAC address spoofing techniques to launch these attacks, while masquerading themselves behind a false MAC address. The implementation of Intrusion Detection Systems has become fundamental in the development of security infrastructures for wireless networks. This thesis proposes the designing a novel security system that makes use of metrics from multiple layers of observation to produce a collective decision on whether an attack is taking place. The Dempster-Shafer Theory of Evidence is the data fusion technique used to combine the evidences from the different layers. A novel, unsupervised and self- adaptive Basic Probability Assignment (BPA) approach able to automatically adapt its beliefs assignment to the current characteristics of the wireless network is proposed. This BPA approach is composed of three different and independent statistical techniques, which are capable to identify the presence of attacks in real time. Despite the lightweight processing requirements, the proposed security system produces outstanding detection results, generating high intrusion detection accuracy and very low number of false alarms. A thorough description of the generated results, for all the considered datasets is presented in this thesis. The effectiveness of the proposed system is evaluated using different types of injection attacks. Regarding one of these attacks, to the best of the author knowledge, the security system presented in this thesis is the first one able to efficiently identify the Airpwn attack