On a Generic Security Game Model

To protect the systems exposed to the Internet against attacks, a security system with the capability to engage with the attacker is needed. There have been attempts to model the engagement/interactions between users, both benign and malicious, and network administrators as games. Building on such works, we present a game model which is generic enough to capture various modes of such interactions. The model facilitates stochastic games with imperfect information. The information is imperfect due to erroneous sensors leading to incorrect perception of the current state by the players. To model this error in perception distributed over other multiple states, we use Euclidean distances between the outputs of the sensors. We build a 5-state game to represent the interaction of the administrator with the user. The states correspond to 1) the user being out of the system in the Internet, and after logging in to the system; 2) having low privileges; 3) having high privileges; 4) when he successfully attacks and 5) gets trapped in a honeypot by the administrator. Each state has its own action set. We present the game with a distinct perceived action set corresponding to each distinct information set of these states. The model facilitates stochastic games with imperfect information. The imperfect information is due to erroneous sensors leading to incorrect perception of the current state by the players. To model this error in perception distributed over the states, we use Euclidean distances between outputs of the sensors. A numerical simulation of an example game is presented to show the evaluation of rewards to the players and the preferred strategies. We also present the conditions for formulating the strategies when dealing with more than one attacker and making collaborations.Comment: 31 page

Construction of dynamic stochastic simulation models using knowledge-based techniques

Over the past three decades, computer-based simulation models have proven themselves to be cost-effective alternatives to the more structured deterministic methods of systems analysis. During this time, many techniques, tools and languages for constructing computer-based simulation models have been developed. More recently, advances in knowledge-based system technology have led many researchers to note the similarities between knowledge-based programming and simulation technologies and to investigate the potential application of knowledge-based programming techniques to simulation modeling. The integration of conventional simulation techniques with knowledge-based programming techniques is discussed to provide a development environment for constructing knowledge-based simulation models. A comparison of the techniques used in the construction of dynamic stochastic simulation models and those used in the construction of knowledge-based systems provides the requirements for the environment. This leads to the design and implementation of a knowledge-based simulation development environment. These techniques were used in the construction of several knowledge-based simulation models including the Advanced Launch System Model (ALSYM)

The nexus of local and international extremist networks in Bangladesh

The Dhaka attack is the biggest act of terrorism Bangladesh has seen in recent times, but it was not an isolated incident. Sajjan Gohel discusses the wider context of extremism and writes that Bangladesh is in the grips of a battle between the JMB and ABT, affiliated with ISIS and Al-Queda respectively

Afghanistan: losses, setbacks and impending challenges (part 2)

Ahead of the critical NATO Summit in Belgium on 25 May, 2017, Dr Sajjan Gohel discusses the security conditions and challenges in Afghanistan. In this post, he discussed how the Haqqani Network and the ISIS-affiliated Wilayat Khorasan are making their sizeable presence felt, and the geo-strategic agendas of Afghanistan’s neighbours which are further complicating the situation. In this context, he stresses the political and military decisions made by NATO leaders in 2017 could well decide Afghanistan’s future direction in what remains one of the longest lasting protracted conflicts in the world. This is the second part of of Dr Gohel’s two-part analysis. Read Part 1 on the Taliban’s recent expansion and proposals by the U.S. commander of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, General John W. Nicholson Jr. to stem the deterioration here

As the Taliban increase the tempo of violence in Afghanistan they face new competition from the rising Wilayat Khorasan

The recent attack on the Hazara Shiite community was claimed by ISIS, revealing the growing penetration of its Afghan affiliate Wilayat Khorasan. In this article, Sajjan Gohel discusses the significance of the latest attack, outlines the origins of Wilayat Khorasan and discusses the escalating rivalry between the new group and the Afghan Taliban

As the Baloch issue continues to be handled militarily rather than politically a peaceful resolution is unlikely

Following the attack on a police training college in Quetta, Sajjan Gohel discusses the security challenges in Balochistan and the wider implications for Pakistan. He writes that given that the province is important to broader regional peace it should be accorded more attention in academic and policy discourse

Despite security challenges, Afghanistan's education system has come a long way

On 10 July 2017, the LSE's Department of International Development hosted an event on The Role of Higher Education in Ensuring Afghanistan's Prosperous Future. The participants included Dr Kenneth Holland, President at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF); Dr Said Tayeb Jawad, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the UK; and award winning anchor and correspondent Yalda Hakim. Here, the co-chair of the event Dr Sajjan Gohel discusses the role education can serve to build the human capital necessary to place the country on a secure and stable path, and what role the international community can play to support Afghanistan at this critical juncture

Bearings of Perceived Product Quality, Skepticism towards Store Promotion and Price Orientation on Online Purchase Intention: A First-Hand Reconnaissance

Online shopping, also known as e-tailing, is gaining importance every day. There are more people who are using the internet to make apurchase than ever before. This has resulted in competition between online retailers and physical stores. The literature on the subject brings out that perceived product quality influences online purchase intention. In fact perceived product quality is agauge of consumer purchase conduct once consumers have evaluated the product. However, efforts to promote the products by sellers face skepticism of potential buyers which ultimately affects purchase intention. Consumers have diverse shopping orientations which influence purchase intention and price is one of them. It is true that the buyers expect the prices to be lower when buying online but this is also true that in thecase of customized and conspicuous consumption price plays a limited role. For the customized products buyers are willing to pay extra.The data for this project was collected with the help of a questionnaire. The questions were constructed with the help of published literature and standardized statements were considered. A five point Likert type scale was used to get responses.Reliability and validity tests were run on the constructs for testing the consistency before multiple regression was employed to arrive at results. The results show that perceived product quality, price orientation and skepticism towards online promotion have a significant effect on online Purchase intentio

Privacy and Security Implications in COVID-19 Tracking/Tracing Apps

The problem addressed by this research paper is the lack of data security and privacy in COVID-19 tracking and tracing mobile applications. There have been reports of countless COVID-19 tracking and tracing apps leaking data and making use of geo location, which has left users fearful of their data being misused. This research intends to examine and investigate those mobile applications, their features, and their working mechanisms to disclose potential threats to user data. In case the personal user data gets in the hands of people with ill intentions, the data can be misused to commit illegal activities, putting the lives and legal records of users directly in harm. Hence, this is a crucial topic to be studied and solved in the current times. This research paper will firstly be explaining terms like tracking and tracing in order to make the concept of these mobile applications clearer to the readers. Additionally, this research paper will be presenting a list of all the COVID-19 tracking and tracing that have been available and are active around the world, including the USA. Furthermore, this research paper will be presenting cases of COVID-19 tracking and tracing apps that have been found to have violated user privacy and data security. Then, this research paper will be investigating the features of these faulty covid-19 tracking and tracing applications for flaws that result in unauthorized data sharing. After that, this research paper will be making educating recommendations and suggestions to users to prevent unauthorized data sharing and disruption of their data privacy. Lastly, this research paper will be studying multiple researches done on the same topic previously by researchers around the world and will be providing critical review on those research papers published before this one. By performing research on all the previously mentioned topics, this research paper intends to contribute to the process of solving user privacy and data security issues in COVID-19 tracking and tracing applications

Model Advancement And Hil Setup For Testing A P2 Phev Supervisory Controller

Teams participating in Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions such as EcoCAR3 are often bound by limited time and resources. Moreover, vehicle and component downtime due to mechanical and electrical issues reduce the time available for testing activities demanded by the Controls/Systems Modeling and Simulation teams. Therefore, the teams would benefit from identifying new approaches and being more pragmatic and productive in order to achieve satisfactory progress in the competition. This thesis summarizes the approach taken to improve the simulation accuracy of the Wayne State University EcoCAR3 team’s Pre-transmission Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle plant model and HIL setup. Focus is on testing the Hybrid Supervisory Controller energy management and diagnostic functionality to be successful in the emissions and energy consumption event. After thorough literature research it is determined that a varying fidelity forward dynamic HEV plant model can produce accurate energy consumption simulation results. Initially, data obtained from manufacturers is used to model the components such as IC Engine, Electric Machine, Energy Storage System (ESS), transmission, differential, chassis and the ECUs. Later, test benches are setup to optimize and refine the individual model parameters by comparing the simulated results with the actual results obtained from component testing and on-road vehicle testing. Finally, the total vehicle plant model is validated by comparing the simulated results with the P2 PHEV on-road test data. The accuracy of the plant model determines the ability to optimize the Hybrid Supervisory Controller code to achieve maximum energy efficiency. Apart from model accuracy improvement, the Hardware In Loop (HIL) test setup is also discussed. HIL system is essential for validating the Hybrid Supervisory Controller’s functionalities in real time. The challenges during modeling and HIL setup are discussed and more improvements that can be done during the final year are recommended based on the research