131 research outputs found
A Red Teaming Framework for Securing AI in Maritime Autonomous Systems
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being ubiquitously adopted to automate
processes in science and industry. However, due to its often intricate and
opaque nature, AI has been shown to possess inherent vulnerabilities which can
be maliciously exploited with adversarial AI, potentially putting AI users and
developers at both cyber and physical risk. In addition, there is insufficient
comprehension of the real-world effects of adversarial AI and an inadequacy of
AI security examinations; therefore, the growing threat landscape is unknown
for many AI solutions. To mitigate this issue, we propose one of the first red
team frameworks for evaluating the AI security of maritime autonomous systems.
The framework provides operators with a proactive (secure by design) and
reactive (post-deployment evaluation) response to securing AI technology today
and in the future. This framework is a multi-part checklist, which can be
tailored to different systems and requirements. We demonstrate this framework
to be highly effective for a red team to use to uncover numerous
vulnerabilities within a real-world maritime autonomous systems AI, ranging
from poisoning to adversarial patch attacks. The lessons learned from
systematic AI red teaming can help prevent MAS-related catastrophic events in a
world with increasing uptake and reliance on mission-critical AI
Physicochemical Characterization and Biocompatibility of Alginate-Polycation Microcapsules Designed for Islet Transplantation
RĂSUMĂ
La microencapsulation représente une stratégie visant à protéger les cellules ou les tissus
thĂ©rapeutiques du rejet de greffe Ă lâaide dâune barriĂšre physique. Cette approche est
avantageuse puisquâelle ne nĂ©cessite pas lâadministration dâimmunosuppresseurs Ă long terme et
quâelle permet lâoption dâexploiter des sources de cellules non-cadavĂ©riques (ex. les cellules
dâanimaux). Les microcapsules que nous Ă©tudions sont conçues pour lâimmunoprotection des
Ăźlots de Langerhans (qui sont responsables de sĂ©crĂ©ter lâinsuline) dans le but de traiter le diabĂšte
insulino-dépendant.
La transplantation dâĂźlots microencapsulĂ©s nâest pas encore utilisĂ©e rĂ©guliĂšrement en
clinique parce que la survie et le fonctionnement des cellules greffées restent limités. Un facteur
qui contribue Ă lâĂ©chec de la greffe est la biocompatibilitĂ© inadĂ©quate des microcapsules ellesmĂȘmes.
Dans ce cas, les cellules immunitaires adhÚrent à la surface du dispositif et sécrÚtent des
substances cytotoxiques pouvant pĂ©nĂ©trer la barriĂšre protectrice et endommager les cellules Ă
lâintĂ©rieur. Ensuite, du tissu fibrotique se dĂ©veloppe autour de lâimplant, ce qui peut obstruer ou
limiter la diffusion des nutriments, de lâoxygĂšne, du glucose et de lâinsuline Ă travers la
membrane et ultimement mener au dysfonctionnement et/ou la mort des cellules encapsulées.
Au moins deux groupes de recherche ont démontré la faisabilité, sous conditions
optimales, de fabriquer des microcapsules dâalginate-polycation biocompatibles. Cependant, la
plupart des laboratoires ont de la difficulté à reproduire de tels résultats. Ceci souligne notre
manque de connaissances à propos des paramÚtres importants qui déterminent la
biocompatibilitĂ© de la microcapsule. Cette situation est fortement reliĂ©e au fait quâaucun
standard nâexiste pouvant nous guider dans la fabrication des microcapsules afin dâatteindre une
biocompatibilité et une bioperformance optimales.
A lâaide des techniques dâanalyses physicochimiques, cette recherche cherchait Ă
comprendre quelles propriétés de la microcapsule sont importantes pour déterminer sa
biocompatibilitĂ©. Lâobjectif de ce travail Ă©tait dâĂ©lucider les corrĂ©lations entre la structure
chimique, les propriĂ©tĂ©s physicochimiques, et la biocompatibilitĂ© in vivo des microcapsules Ă
base dâalginate. Ces informations aideront la communautĂ© scientifique Ă comprendre les facteurs----------ABSTRACT
Microencapsulation represents a method for immunoprotecting transplanted therapeutic
cells or tissues from graft rejection using a physical barrier. This approach is advantageous in
that it eliminates the need to induce long-term immunosuppression and allows the option of
transplanting non-cadaveric cell sources, such as animal cells and stem cell-derived tissues. The
microcapsules that we have investigated are designed to immunoprotect islets of Langerhans
(i.e. clusters of insulin-secreting cells), with the goal of treating insulin-dependent diabetes.
Microencapsulated islet transplantation has not yet reached regular clinical application
because graft survival and function remains limited and variable. One of the main factors that
contribute to graft failure is an inadequate biocompatibility of the microcapsule itself. Upon
recognition of the microcapsule, host immune cells adhere to the device and secrete cytotoxic
substances that are small enough to penetrate the protective barrier and potentially harm the
cells within. As the inflammatory response persists, fibrotic tissue develops around the implant
and can hinder the diffusion of cell nutrients, oxygen, glucose and insulin into and out of the
microcapsule, thereby leading to encapsulated cell dysfunction and death.
At least two research groups have demonstrated the feasibility of producing alginatepolycation
microcapsules that are biocompatible. However, most labs have had difficulty
reproducing such results. This underlines our lack of understanding about the parameters that
are important for determining the biocompatibility of the microcapsule. This situation is
intimately related to the fact that no standards currently exist to guide the fabrication process of
microcapsules in order to achieve optimal biocompatibility and bioperformance.
With the aid of techniques for physicochemical analysis, this research focused on
understanding which properties of the microcapsule are the most important for determining its
biocompatibility. The objective of this work was to elucidate correlations between the chemical
make-up, physicochemical properties, and in vivo biocompatibility of alginate-based
microcapsules. This information is expected to help the research community understand what
factors must be controlled and standardized in order to achieve optimal biocompatibility. Our
approach was based on the hypothesis that the immune response to the microcapsules i
Situational Awareness: Examining Factors that Affect Cyber-Risks in the Maritime Sector
Standard risk assessments are used to define and prioritize threats within a sector. However, the rising number of cybersecurity risks in maritime are often temperamental to a range of environmental, technical, and social factors. A change during an incident can significantly alter the risks and, consequently, the incident outcomes. Therefore, agile, changing risk profiles are becoming more necessary in the modern world. In addition to static and dynamic, maritime operational risks can be affected by cyber, cyber-physical, or physical elements. This demonstrates the equal use of information and operational technology (IT/OT); however, most quantitative risk assessment frameworks focus on one or the other. This is not ideal, based on technological trends in the maritime sector. This article explores the factors that affect maritime cyber-risk and examines popular risk frameworks to see whether important maritime-related elements are unaccounted for. These findings are further examined with the results of a survey we conducted to assess the situational awareness of the sector around cyber-risks in maritime. Suggestions for future work on are then made based on our findings
Cyber-SHIP: Developing Next Generation Maritime Cyber Research Capabilities
As a growing global threat, cyber-attacks can cost millions of dollars or endanger national stability and human lives. While relatively well understood in most sectors, it is becoming clear that, although the maritime sector is becoming more digitally advanced (e.g., autonomy), it is not well protected against cyber or cyber-physical attacks and accidents. To help improve sector-wide safety and resiliency, the University of Plymouth (UoP) is creating a specialised maritime-cyber lab, which combines maritime technology and traditional cyber-security labs. This is in response to the lack of research and mitigation capabilities and will create a new resource capability for academia, government, and industry research into maritime cybersecurity risks and threats. These lab capabilities will also enhance existing maritime-cyber capabilities across the world, including risk assessment frameworks, cybersecurity ranges/labs, ship simulators, mariner training programmes, autonomous ships, etc. The goal of this paper is to explain the need for next generation maritime-cyber research capabilities, and demonstrate how something like the proposed Cyber-SHIP Lab (Hardware, Software, Information and Protections) will help industry, government, and academia understand and mitigate cyber threats in the maritime sector. The authors believe a next generation cyber-secure lab should host a range of real, non-simulated, maritime systems. With multiple configurations to mirror existing bridge system set-ups, the technology can be studied for individual system weakness as well as the system-of-systems vulnerabilities. Such as lab would support a range of research that cannot be achieved with simulators alone and help support the next generation of cyber-secure marine systems
A Cyber-Security Review of Emerging Technology in the Maritime Industry
The maritime industry is a complex cornerstone of global transportation infrastructure. To ensure smooth, safe and timely operations, technologies have been created or adapted over time to aid the maritime sector. Agile adaptations are an important part of maintaining safe operational standards despite economic, environmental, and technological changes. As ship-based systems and port infrastructure become more technologically advanced and complex, it is important to understand how emerging technology can both improve, and hinder, maritime operations. One of the main drawbacks of evolving technology is the increase of cyber-security vulnerabilities, as these systems become more complex and inter-connected. Maritime technology has the added complexity of hosting both information technology and operational technology (IT and OT) nearly equally. This paper gives an overview of emerging or growing technologies within maritime, specifically how they work, the benefits they bring, as well as cyber-security concerns to consider when accepting them into regular practice
Extinction Coefficient of Gold Nanostars
Gold nanostars (NStars) are highly attractive for biological applications due to their surface chemistry, facile synthesis, and optical properties. Here, we synthesize NStars in HEPES buffer at different HEPES/Au ratios, producing NStars of different sizes and shapes and therefore varying optical properties. We measure the extinction coefficient of the synthesized NStars at their maximum surface plasmon resonances (SPRs), which range from 5.7 Ă 10âž to 26.8 Ă 10âž Mâ»Âč cmâ»Âč. Measured values correlate with those obtained from theoretical models of the NStars using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA), which we use to simulate the extinction spectra of the nanostars. Finally, because NStars are typically used in biological applications, we conjugate DNA and antibodies to the NStars and calculate the footprint of the bound biomolecules.United States. National Institutes of Health (AI100190
Investigating the Security and Accessibility of Voyage Data Recorder Data using a USB attack
Voyage Data Recorders (VDR) or 'black boxes' for ships hold critical navigational and sensor data that can be used as evidence in an investigation. These systems have proven extremely useful in determining the cause of several previous shipping accidents. Considering the importance of the VDR and the increasing number of cyber-attacks in the maritime sector, the likelihood of it being attacked is high. This paper examines the security and accessibility of VDR data through a malicious USB device. A USB device is used after a series of tests, detailed in this paper, found it to be a viable way to compromise a VDR system. Intensive penetration testing was performed on a VDR, and this paper presents the four key highlights from the authorsâ tests. The results show that real-world VDR data might not be secure from an insider threat with little to no cyber knowledge, and future VDRs may open that up to more outsider attackers. For a device like VDR, where confidentiality, integrity and availability of data are critical, a cyber-attack could therefore lead to serious repercussions.cyber-SHIP (Research England
A Conceptual Cyber-Risk Assessment of Port Infastructure
Cyber-security is a growing issue across the world, however increasing concerns are being directed at ports, as they are a hub for multiple transport operations. Ransomware has shown its potential effects in recent events, infecting logistic infrastructure at Maersk and United States of America oil pipelines. As a part of a European Union Project called Cyber-MAR, researchers have been given data from several ports on the cyber-environment of their facilities. The main goal is to raise awareness of cyber-risks in ports and potential mitigations with the novel application of a dynamic risk assessment tool (Maritine Cyber Risk Assessment or MaCRA) to ports. MaCRA methodology uses a dynamic risk model to analyse maritime risks specifically, as cyber-attacks on ships and at the ports can have hard implications in both the cyber and real world. This paper uses generalised port data to create a preliminary, conceptual cyber risk assessment of ports, to raise awareness by building general risk profiles without revealing real port vulnerabilities. From this risk assessment, the authors expect to find several high-level cyber-risks that ports may need to address, as well as some scenarios that could increase or decrease those risks. The limitation of this research is the availability of data, which is somewhat mitigated by Cyber-MAR port partners. The main goal is to raise awareness of cyber-risks in ports and potential mitigation measures with the novel application of a dynamic risk assessment tool (MaCRA) to ports. This also provides a basis for further research in Cyber-MAR, as the authors will be using simulation and more real-world data to enhance the findings in this conceptual paper
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