Vulnerability Analysis Case Studies of Control Systems Human Machine Interfaces

This dissertation describes vulnerability research in the area of critical infrastructure security. The intent of this research is to develop a set of recommendations and guidelines for improving the security of Industrial Control System (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems software. Specifically, this research focuses on the Human- Machine Interface (HMI) software that is used on control panel workstations. This document covers a brief introduction to control systems security terminology in order to define the research area, a hypothesis for the research, and a discussion of the contribution that this research will provide to the field. Previous work in the area by other researchers is summarized, followed by a description of the vulnerability research, analysis, and creation of deliverables. Technical information on the details of a number of vulnerabilities is presented for a number of HMI vulnerabilities, for which either the author has performed the analysis, or from public vulnerability disclosures where sufficient information about the vulnerabilities is available. Following the body of technical vulnerability information, the common features and characteristics of known vulnerabilities in HMI software are discussed, and that information is used to propose a taxonomy of HMI vulnerabilities. Such a taxonomy can be used to classify HMI vulnerabilities and organize future work on identifying and mitigating such vulnerabilities in the future. Finally, the contributions of this work are presented, along with a summary of areas that have been identified as interesting future work

Exploring Extensions Of Traditional Honeypot Systems And Testing The Impact On Attack Profiling

This thesis explores possibilities for extending the features of honeypot systems to decrease the chance of an attacker discovering that they have compromised a honeypot. It is proposed that by extending the period of time that an attacker spends on a honeypot oblivious to its status, more information relevant to profiling the attacker can be gained. Honeypots are computer systems that are deployed in a way that attackers can easily compromise them. These systems, which contain no production data, are useful both as early warning systems for attacks on production systems, and for studying the tools, techniques, and motives of attackers. Current honeypot systems mitigate the risks of running a honeypot by restricting out-bound traffic in a way that might be obvious to an attacker. The extensions proposed for honeypots will be tested in a controlled laboratory environment

Fourth Report on Chicken Genes and Chromosomes 2022

International audienc

Dual endothelin antagonist aprocitentan for resistant hypertension (PRECISION): a multicentre, blinded, randomised, parallel-group, phase 3 trial

Auteurs : the PRECISION investigatorsInternational audienceBackground Resistant hypertension is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The endothelin pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension, but it is currently not targeted therapeutically, thereby leaving this relevant pathophysiological pathway unopposed with currently available drugs. The aim of the study was to assess the blood pressure lowering efficacy of the dual endothelin antagonist aprocitentan in patients with resistant hypertension. Methods PRECISION was a multicentre, blinded, randomised, parallel-group, phase 3 study, which was done in hospitals or research centres in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Patients were eligible for randomisation if their sitting systolic blood pressure was 140 mm Hg or higher despite taking standardised background therapy consisting of three antihypertensive drugs, including a diuretic. The study consisted of three sequential parts: part 1 was the 4-week double-blind, randomised, and placebo-controlled part, in which patients received aprocitentan 12•5 mg, aprocitentan 25 mg, or placebo in a 1:1:1 ratio; part 2 was a 32-week single (patient)-blind part, in which all patients received aprocitentan 25 mg; and part 3 was a 12-week double-blind, randomised, and placebo-controlled withdrawal part, in which patients were re-randomised to aprocitentan 25 mg or placebo in a 1:1 ratio. The primary and key secondary endpoints were changes in unattended office systolic blood pressure from baseline to week 4 and from withdrawal baseline to week 40, respectively. Secondary endpoints included 24-h ambulatory blood pressure changes. The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03541174. Findings The PRECISION study was done from June 18, 2018, to April 25, 2022. 1965 individuals were screened and 730 were randomly assigned. Of these 730 patients, 704 (96%) completed part 1 of the study; of these, 613 (87%) completed part 2 and, of these, 577 (94%) completed part 3 of the study. The least square mean (SE) change in office systolic blood pressure at 4 weeks was-15•3 (SE 0•9) mm Hg for aprocitentan 12•5 mg,-15•2 (0•9) mm Hg for aprocitentan 25 mg, and-11•5 (0•9) mm Hg for placebo, for a difference versus placebo of-3•8 (1•3) mm Hg (97•5% CI-6•8 to-0•8, p=0•0042) and-3•7 (1•3) mm Hg (-6•7 to-0•8; p=0•0046), respectively. The respective difference for 24 h ambulatory systolic blood pressure was-4•2 mm Hg (95% CI-6•2 to-2•1) and-5•9 mm Hg (-7•9 to-3•8). After 4 weeks of withdrawal, office systolic blood pressure significantly increased with placebo versus aprocitentan (5•8 mm Hg, 95% CI 3•7 to 7•9, p<0•0001). The most frequent adverse event was mild-to-moderate oedema or fluid retention, occurring in 9%, 18%, and 2% for patients receiving aprocitentan 12•5 mg, 25 mg, and placebo, during the 4-week double-blind part, respectively. This event led to discontinuation in seven patients treated with aprocitentan. During the trial, a total of 11 treatment-emergent deaths occurred, none of which were regarded by the investigators to be related to study treatment. Interpretation In patients with resistant hypertension, aprocitentan was well tolerated and superior to placebo in lowering blood pressure at week 4 with a sustained effect at week 40