Smashing the Stack with Hydra: The Many Heads of Advanced Polymorphic Shellcode

Recent work on the analysis of polymorphic shellcode engines suggests that modern obfuscation methods would soon eliminate the usefulness of signature-based network intrusion detection methods and supports growing views that the new generation of shellcode cannot be accurately and efficiently represented by the string signatures which current IDS and AV scanners rely upon. In this paper, we expand on this area of study by demonstrating never before seen concepts in advanced shellcode polymorphism with a proof-of-concept engine which we call Hydra. Hydra distinguishes itself by integrating an array of obfuscation techniques, such as recursive NOP sleds and multi-layer ciphering into one system while offering multiple improvements upon existing strategies. We also introduce never before seen attack methods such as byte-splicing statistical mimicry, safe-returns with forking shellcode and syscall-time-locking. In total, Hydra simultaneously attacks signature, statistical, disassembly, behavioral and emulation-based sensors, as well as frustrates offline forensics. This engine was developed to present an updated view of the frontier of modern polymorphic shellcode and provide an effective tool for evaluation of IDS systems, Cyber test ranges and other related security technologies

Marker-assisted backcross breeding for heat tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Manipulation of flowering time for adaptation through natural or genetic approaches may combat heat-stress damage that occurs at the reproductive stages in production conditions. HD2733, a popular wheat variety of the eastern plains of India, is largely sensitive to heat stress. Therefore, the current study aims to improve heat tolerance of HD2733 by introgression of QTLs associated with early anthesis and high kernel weight linked to markers Xbarc186 and Xgwm190, respectively, through marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) from a tolerant donor, WH730. A total of 124 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers distributed evenly across the genome were used for the background selection. The alleles of Xbarc186 and Xgwm190 were fixed in BC2F1 and BC1F2 generations by selecting individual plants heterozygous for both marker loci and backcrossed with HD2733 and simultaneously selfed to generate BC2F1 and BC1F2 populations, respectively. Furthermore, the selected BC1F2 were selfed to generate the BC1F4 population. By background screening, a total of 39 BC2F3 and 21 BC1F4 families homozygous for the targeted QTLs with 90.9–97.9% and 86.8–88.3% RPG recoveries were selected. The best performing 17 BC2F3 and 10 BC1F4 lines were evaluated for various morpho-physiological traits. Phenotypic evaluation and multi-location trials of the introgressed lines under late sown conditions led to the selection of three promising lines with early anthesis and higher grain yield. The improved lines will serve as an excellent genetic material for functional genomics and expression studies to understand the molecular mechanisms and pathways underlying the stress tolerance

Bilateral nasolabial cysts - case report and review of literature

Nasolabial cyst is a non-odontogenic, extraosseous, soft tissue cyst, commonly unilateral, located in the nasolabial fold. Bilateral nasolabial cysts are of rare occurrence. This case report describes the multimodality imaging appearance of bilateral nasolabial cysts with a review of literature

Brave New World: Pervasive Insecurity of Embedded Network Devices

Abstract. Embedded network devices have become an ubiquitous fixture in the modern home, office as well as in the global communication infrastructure. Devices like routers, NAS appliances, home entertainment appliances, wifi access points, web cams, VoIP appliances, print servers and video conferencing units reside on the same networks as our personal computers and enterprise servers and together form our world-wide communication infrastructure. Widely deployed and often misconfigured, they constitute highly attractive targets for exploitation. In this study we present the results of a vulnerability assessment of embedded network devices within the world’s largest ISPs and civilian networks, spanning North America, Europe and Asia. The observed data confirms the intuition that these devices are indeed vulnerable to trivial attacks and that such devices can be found throughout the world in large numbers

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Physiotherapists in COVID-19 ICUs: A National Survey

Background. COVID-19 belongs to the beta-corona cluster that spreads enormously via aerosols. Physiotherapists must be knowledgeable about the symptoms, mode of transmission, risk mitigation strategies, and practice guidelines for COVID-19. Objective. This study aimed to assess physiotherapists’ knowledge of COVID-19 guidelines, their attitude toward this new evolving field, and their practice routines in India’s COVID-19 ICUs. Methods. It was a cross-sectional study. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed through e-mail and WhatsApp to physiotherapists using Google Forms between February 2022 and January 2023. The questionnaires consisted of demographics and 23 questions in three sections about the knowledge, attitude, and practice of physiotherapists working in the COVID-19 ICU. Data analysis was carried out using Jamovi. Results. A total of 136 responses were obtained from 18 states of India. Of 136 participants, 89 were female (65.4%) and 47 were male (34.6%). The highest level of qualification was BPT (n = 69 (50.7%)), followed by MPT (n = 62 (45.6%)) and Ph.D. (3 (3.7%)). The knowledge about COVID-19 guidelines is fair. Only 21.3% of the physiotherapists received training before being deployed in COVID-19 ICUs, and the CARP protocol was well known by only as few as 10.3%. The criteria advised for close monitoring of patients during treatment was aware by 29.4%. Most physiotherapists have a good attitude toward treating COVID-19 patients; 70.63% strongly agree that physiotherapy is vital in these patients despite the risk of self-exposure, and 64.7% agree that physiotherapy should be initiated during all phases of COVID-19. Physiotherapists follow good practices for COVID-19 patients in the ICU, which is as per the guideline recommendation. Conclusion. Physiotherapists working in COVID-19 ICUs have a fair knowledge of the existing physiotherapy guidelines for COVID-19, and they exhibit good attitudes and practice patterns

Plasma protein thiols, ceruloplasmin, C-reactive protein and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase in patients undergoing intrauterine insemination

Objective: To estimate acetylcholinesterase (AChE), protein thiols (PT), ceruloplasmin (CP) and C-reactive proteins (CRPs) to assess any change in their levels following intrauterine insemination (IUI). Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients aged 31 ± 4.65 years (mean ± SD) with primary infertility selected for IUI. All of them had induced ovulation with clomiphene citrate 50 mg from day 2 to day 6. After taking the consent, 2 ml of blood was withdrawn before and after 24 h of IUI for biochemical estimations. Results: We observed a significant decrease in plasma CP, PT and RBC AChE ( P < 0.001) following IUI compared with the respective pre-procedure levels. Highly sensitive CRP showed a marginal increase after IUI. Conclusion: Fluctuations in levels of the above parameters point to their role in the female reproductive system and in the outcome of the IUI

Automating the Injection of Believable Decoys to Detect Snooping

We propose a novel trap-based architecture for enterprise networks that detects “silent ” attackers who are eavesdropping network traffic. The primary contributions of our work are the ease of injecting, automatically, large amounts of believable bait, and the integration of various detection mechanisms in the back-end. We demonstrate our methodology in a prototype platform that uses our decoy injection API to dynamically create and dispense network traps on a subset of our campus wireless network. Finally, we present results of a user study that demonstrates the believability of our automatically generated decoy traffic. Categories and Subject Descriptors K.6.5 [Management of Computing and Informatio