Analyzing confidentiality and privacy concerns: insights from Android issue logs

Context: Post-release user feedback plays an integral role in improving software quality and informing new features. Given its growing importance, feedback concerning security enhancements is particularly noteworthy. In considering the rapid uptake of Android we have examined the scale and severity of Android security threats as reported by its stakeholders. Objective: We systematically mine Android issue logs to derive insights into stakeholder perceptions and experiences in relation to certain Android security issues. Method: We employed contextual analysis techniques to study issues raised regarding confidentiality and privacy in the last three major Android releases, considering covariance of stakeholder comments, and the level of consistency in user preferences and priorities. Results: Confidentiality and privacy concerns varied in severity, and were most prevalent over Jelly Bean releases. Issues raised in regard to confidentiality related mostly to access, user credentials and permission management, while privacy concerns were mainly expressed about phone locking. Community users also expressed divergent preferences for new security features, ranging from more relaxed to very strict. Conclusions: Strategies that support continuous corrective measures for both old and new Android releases would likely maintain stakeholder confidence. An approach that provides users with basic default security settings, but with the power to configure additional security features if desired, would provide the best balance for Android's wide cohort of stakeholders

Quick response code secure: a cryptographically secure anti-phishing tool for QR code attacks.

The two-dimensional quick response (QR) codes can be misleading due to the difficulty in differentiating a genuine QR code from a malicious one. Since, the vulnerability is practically part of their design, scanning a malicious QR code can direct the user to cloned malicious sites resulting in revealing sensitive information. In order, to evaluate the vulnerabilities and propose subsequent countermeasures, we demonstrate this type of attack through a simulated experiment, where a malicious QR code directs a user to a phishing site. For our experiment, we cloned Google's web page providing access to their email service (Gmail). Since, the URL is masqueraded into the QR code the unsuspecting user who opens the URL is directed to the malicious site. Our results proved that hackers could easily leverage QR codes into phishing attack vectors targeted at smartphone users, even bypassing web browsers safe browsing feature. In addition, the second part of our paper presents adequate countermeasures and introduces QRCS (Quick Response Code Secure). QRCS is a universal efficient and effective solution focusing exclusively on the authenticity of the originator and consequently, the integrity of QR code by using digital signatures

The Quantum Affine Origin of the AdS/CFT Secret Symmetry

We find a new quantum affine symmetry of the S-matrix of the one-dimensional Hubbard chain. We show that this symmetry originates from the quantum affine superalgebra U_q(gl(2|2)), and in the rational limit exactly reproduces the secret symmetry of the AdS/CFT worldsheet S-matrix.Comment: 22 page

Coideal Quantum Affine Algebra and Boundary Scattering of the Deformed Hubbard Chain

We consider boundary scattering for a semi-infinite one-dimensional deformed Hubbard chain with boundary conditions of the same type as for the Y=0 giant graviton in the AdS/CFT correspondence. We show that the recently constructed quantum affine algebra of the deformed Hubbard chain has a coideal subalgebra which is consistent with the reflection (boundary Yang-Baxter) equation. We derive the corresponding reflection matrix and furthermore show that the aforementioned algebra in the rational limit specializes to the (generalized) twisted Yangian of the Y=0 giant graviton.Comment: 21 page. v2: minor correction

Secret Symmetries in AdS/CFT

We discuss special quantum group (secret) symmetries of the integrable system associated to the AdS/CFT correspondence. These symmetries have by now been observed in a variety of forms, including the spectral problem, the boundary scattering problem, n-point amplitudes, the pure-spinor formulation and quantum affine deformations.Comment: 20 pages, pdfLaTeX; Submitted to the Proceedings of the Nordita program `Exact Results in Gauge-String Dualities'; Based on the talk presented by A.T., Nordita, 15 February 201

The Bound State S-matrix of the Deformed Hubbard Chain

In this work we use the q-oscillator formalism to construct the atypical (short) supersymmetric representations of the centrally extended Uq (su(2|2)) algebra. We then determine the S-matrix describing the scattering of arbitrary bound states. The crucial ingredient in this derivation is the affine extension of the aforementioned algebra.Comment: 44 pages, 3 figures. v2: minor correction

On the reflection of magnon bound states

We investigate the reflection of two-particle bound states of a free open string in the light-cone AdS_5 x S^5 string sigma model, for large angular momentum J=J_56 and ending on a D7 brane which wraps the entire AdS_5 and a maximal S^3 of S^5. We use the superspace formalism to analyse fundamental and two-particle bound states in the cases of supersymmetry-preserving and broken-supersymmetry boundaries. We find the boundary S-matrices corresponding to bound states both in the bulk and on the boundary.Comment: 35 pages, v2: few typos and ref corrected, accepted for publication in JHE

The secret symmetries of the AdS/CFT reflection matrices

We find new twisted Yangian symmetries of the AdS/CFT reflection matrices for the Y=0 maximal giant graviton and D5-brane. These new symmetries originate from the known secret symmetries of the Yangian symmetry of the AdS/CFT S-matrix.Comment: 9 pages, v2: published versio

Reflection algebra, Yangian symmetry and bound-states in AdS/CFT

We present the `Heisenberg picture' of the reflection algebra by explicitly constructing the boundary Yangian symmetry of an AdS/CFT superstring which ends on a boundary with non-trivial degrees of freedom and which preserves the full bulk Lie symmetry algebra. We also consider the spectrum of bulk and boundary states and some automorphisms of the underlying algebras.Comment: 31 page, 8 figures. Updated versio