RCVaR: an Economic Approach to Estimate Cyberattacks Costs using Data from Industry Reports

Digitization increases business opportunities and the risk of companies being victims of devastating cyberattacks. Therefore, managing risk exposure and cybersecurity strategies is essential for digitized companies that want to survive in competitive markets. However, understanding company-specific risks and quantifying their associated costs is not trivial. Current approaches fail to provide individualized and quantitative monetary estimations of cybersecurity impacts. Due to limited resources and technical expertise, SMEs and even large companies are affected and struggle to quantify their cyberattack exposure. Therefore, novel approaches must be placed to support the understanding of the financial loss due to cyberattacks. This article introduces the Real Cyber Value at Risk (RCVaR), an economical approach for estimating cybersecurity costs using real-world information from public cybersecurity reports. RCVaR identifies the most significant cyber risk factors from various sources and combines their quantitative results to estimate specific cyberattacks costs for companies. Furthermore, RCVaR extends current methods to achieve cost and risk estimations based on historical real-world data instead of only probability-based simulations. The evaluation of the approach on unseen data shows the accuracy and efficiency of the RCVaR in predicting and managing cyber risks. Thus, it shows that the RCVaR is a valuable addition to cybersecurity planning and risk management processes

On the design and development of emulation platforms for NFV-based infrastructures

Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) presents several advantages over traditional network architectures, such as flexibility, security, and reduced CAPEX/OPEX. In traditional middleboxes, network functions are usually executed on specialised hardware (e.g., firewall, DPI). Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) on the other hand, are executed on commodity hardware, employing Software Defined Networking (SDN) technologies (e.g., OpenFlow, P4). Although platforms for prototyping NFV environments have emerged in recent years, they still present limitations that hinder the evaluation of NFV scenarios such as fog computing and heterogeneous networks. In this work, we present NIEP: a platform for designing and testing NFV-based infrastructures and VNFs. NIEP consists of a network emulator and a platform for Click-based VNFs development. NIEP provides a complete NFV emulation environment, allowing network operators to test their solutions in a controlled scenario prior to deployment in production networks

Visualizações interativas para gerenciamento de funções de rede virtualizada

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is driving a paradigm shift in telecommunications networks and computer networks, by fostering new business models and creating innovation opportunities. In NFV-enabled networks, service providers have the opportunity to build a business model where tenants can purchase Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) that provide distinct network services and functions (e.g., Firewall, NAT, and transcoders). However, the amount of managed data grows in a fast pace. The network operator must understand and manipulate many data to effectively manage the network. To tackle this problem, we introduce VISION, a platform based on visualizations techniques to help network operators to determine the cause of not obvious problems. For this, we provide: (i) an approach to collect and organize data from the NFV environments; (ii) five distinct visualizations that can aid in NFV management tasks, such as in the process of identifying VNFs problems and planning of NFV-enabled businesses; and (iii) a template model that supports new visualization applications. To evaluate our work, we implemented a prototype of VISION platform and each of the proposed visualizations. We then conducted distinct case studies to provide evidence of the feasibility of our visualizations. These case studies cover different scenarios, such as the identification of misplacement of VNFs that are generating bottlenecks in a forwarding graph and the investigation of investment priorities to supply tenants demands. Finally, we present a usability evaluation with network operators to indicate the benefits of the VISION platform. The results obtained show that our visualizations allow the operator to access relevant information and have insights to identify not obvious problems in the context of NFV-enabled networks. In addition, we received positive feedback about general usability aspects related to our prototype.A Virtualização de Funções de Rede (Network Functions Virtualization - NFV) está mudando o paradigma das redes de telecomunicações. Esta nova tecnologia permite diversas oportunidades de inovações e possibilita o desenvolvimento de novos modelos de negócio. Em relação às redes NFV, os provedores de serviços têm a oportunidade de criar modelos de negócio que permitam aos clientes contratarem Funções de Rede Virtualizadas (Virtual Network Functions - VNFs) que proveem diferentes serviços de rede (e.g., Firewall, NAT e transcoders). Porém, nestes modelos, a quantidade de informações a serem gerenciadas cresce rapidamente. Baseado nisso, os operadores de rede devem ser capazes de entender e manipular uma grande quantidade de informação para gerenciar, de forma efetiva, as redes NFV. Para enfrentar esse problema, introduzimos uma plataforma de visualização denominada VISION, a qual tem como principal objetivo ajudar os operadores de rede na identificação da causa raiz de problemas em NFV. Para isso, propusemos: (i) uma abordagem para coleta e organização de dados do ambiente NFV gerenciado; (ii) cinco diferentes visualizações que auxiliam nas tarefas de gerenciamento de NFV como, por exemplo, no processo de identificação de problemas em VNFs e no planejamento de negócios e (iii) um modelo baseado em templates que suporta o desenvolvimento e o reuso de visualizações. Para fins de avaliação desta dissertação, foi desenvolvido um protótipo da plataforma VISION e de todas as visualizações propostas. Após, conduzimos um conjunto de casos de estudo para prover evidências sobre a viabilidade e utilidade de nossas visualizações. Os diferentes casos analisados, abordam por exemplo, a identificação de problemas na alocação de VNFs que estão impactando no desempenho do serviço oferecido e também na investigação de prioridades de investimento para suprir as demandas dos clientes da rede. Por fim, apresentamos uma avaliação de usabilidade realizada juntamente a especialistas em redes de computadores para avaliar os recursos e benefícios da plataforma VISION. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que nossas visualizações possibilitam ao operador de rede um rápido e fácil acesso às informações importantes para o gerenciamento de redes NFV, assim facilitando a obtenção de insights para a identificação de problemas complexos no contexto de redes NFV. Além disso, os resultados demonstram uma avaliação positiva por especialistas sobre os aspectos gerais de usabilidade do protótipo desenvolvido

Visualizações interativas para gerenciamento de funções de rede virtualizada

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is driving a paradigm shift in telecommunications networks and computer networks, by fostering new business models and creating innovation opportunities. In NFV-enabled networks, service providers have the opportunity to build a business model where tenants can purchase Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) that provide distinct network services and functions (e.g., Firewall, NAT, and transcoders). However, the amount of managed data grows in a fast pace. The network operator must understand and manipulate many data to effectively manage the network. To tackle this problem, we introduce VISION, a platform based on visualizations techniques to help network operators to determine the cause of not obvious problems. For this, we provide: (i) an approach to collect and organize data from the NFV environments; (ii) five distinct visualizations that can aid in NFV management tasks, such as in the process of identifying VNFs problems and planning of NFV-enabled businesses; and (iii) a template model that supports new visualization applications. To evaluate our work, we implemented a prototype of VISION platform and each of the proposed visualizations. We then conducted distinct case studies to provide evidence of the feasibility of our visualizations. These case studies cover different scenarios, such as the identification of misplacement of VNFs that are generating bottlenecks in a forwarding graph and the investigation of investment priorities to supply tenants demands. Finally, we present a usability evaluation with network operators to indicate the benefits of the VISION platform. The results obtained show that our visualizations allow the operator to access relevant information and have insights to identify not obvious problems in the context of NFV-enabled networks. In addition, we received positive feedback about general usability aspects related to our prototype.A Virtualização de Funções de Rede (Network Functions Virtualization - NFV) está mudando o paradigma das redes de telecomunicações. Esta nova tecnologia permite diversas oportunidades de inovações e possibilita o desenvolvimento de novos modelos de negócio. Em relação às redes NFV, os provedores de serviços têm a oportunidade de criar modelos de negócio que permitam aos clientes contratarem Funções de Rede Virtualizadas (Virtual Network Functions - VNFs) que proveem diferentes serviços de rede (e.g., Firewall, NAT e transcoders). Porém, nestes modelos, a quantidade de informações a serem gerenciadas cresce rapidamente. Baseado nisso, os operadores de rede devem ser capazes de entender e manipular uma grande quantidade de informação para gerenciar, de forma efetiva, as redes NFV. Para enfrentar esse problema, introduzimos uma plataforma de visualização denominada VISION, a qual tem como principal objetivo ajudar os operadores de rede na identificação da causa raiz de problemas em NFV. Para isso, propusemos: (i) uma abordagem para coleta e organização de dados do ambiente NFV gerenciado; (ii) cinco diferentes visualizações que auxiliam nas tarefas de gerenciamento de NFV como, por exemplo, no processo de identificação de problemas em VNFs e no planejamento de negócios e (iii) um modelo baseado em templates que suporta o desenvolvimento e o reuso de visualizações. Para fins de avaliação desta dissertação, foi desenvolvido um protótipo da plataforma VISION e de todas as visualizações propostas. Após, conduzimos um conjunto de casos de estudo para prover evidências sobre a viabilidade e utilidade de nossas visualizações. Os diferentes casos analisados, abordam por exemplo, a identificação de problemas na alocação de VNFs que estão impactando no desempenho do serviço oferecido e também na investigação de prioridades de investimento para suprir as demandas dos clientes da rede. Por fim, apresentamos uma avaliação de usabilidade realizada juntamente a especialistas em redes de computadores para avaliar os recursos e benefícios da plataforma VISION. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que nossas visualizações possibilitam ao operador de rede um rápido e fácil acesso às informações importantes para o gerenciamento de redes NFV, assim facilitando a obtenção de insights para a identificação de problemas complexos no contexto de redes NFV. Além disso, os resultados demonstram uma avaliação positiva por especialistas sobre os aspectos gerais de usabilidade do protótipo desenvolvido

A Controlled Natural Language to Support Intent-based Blockchain Selection

In the last years, cryptocurrencies have becomeincreasingly popular along with their underlying distributedledger technology, referred to as a Blockchain (BC). Nowadays,a wide variety of BC implementations are available. However,the selection of a suitable implementation for a particularapplication or use case is complex because it requires technicalunderstanding of the underlying BC implementation aspects.Therefore, this paper proposes a Controlled Natural Language(CNL) to extends existing BC selection solutions to abstractunderlying implementation details. The approach allows thespecification abstract high-level policies, referred to as intents, inan English-based language. The approach is inspired by previousapproaches from the network management field. Moreover, astate machine-based refinement technique is proposed to refinethese intents into low-level BC selection policies. The resultsof the performance evaluation of the prototype implementationshow that the refinement process presents a minimal overhead.In addition, the perceived intuitiveness of the CNL by userswas assessed in a survey. The results of the survey suggest thattechnical and non-technical individuals benefit from an intent-based approach equall

Blockchain-based Voting Considered Harmful?

Blockchains (BC) and Distributed Ledgers (DL) offer favorable properties, especially immutability and decentralization, which are suitable for voting systems’ Bulletin Boards (BB). In recent years, an influx of BC-based voting systems have been observed. Distributing trust among multiple trustees is a crucial reason to adopt BCs and DLs in voting systems. The practical deployment must be decentralized, too, and not just done through virtualizing interconnected systems. As discussed widely, adopting a BC or DL can incur threats to a system that assumed a trusted and centralized Public Bulletin Board (PBB). Therefore, the exploitation of BCs or DLs requires careful consideration of cryptographic mechanisms and the overall system design, as well as the adversary model. Besides these operational necessities, the long-term privacy of ballots is essential. Thus, the key question investigated in this article is: Can BC, and DL-based voting systems be considered harmful? Hence, first (i) requirements of BC-based voting systems are provided, followedby (ii) terminology definitions, and (iii) complemented by the design and implementation of a fully decentralized voting system: Æternum, which achieves Unconditional Privacy (UP) and neither relies on computational hardness assumptions nor on a trusted Trusted Third Party (TTP). Achieving UP is crucial because future adversaries may be able to break hardness assumptions. Æternum does not present a Single-Point-of-Failure (SPoF) either, since (i) the PBB in use is based on a permissioned DL, and (ii) the final tally and proofs can be verified by anyone, without requiring trust in any authority