Storytelling Security: User-Intention Based Traffic Sanitization

Malicious software (malware) with decentralized communication infrastructure, such as peer-to-peer botnets, is difficult to detect. In this paper, we describe a traffic-sanitization method for identifying malware-triggered outbound connections from a personal computer. Our solution correlates user activities with the content of outbound traffic. Our key observation is that user-initiated outbound traffic typically has corresponding human inputs, i.e., keystroke or mouse clicks. Our analysis on the causal relations between user inputs and packet payload enables the efficient enforcement of the inter-packet dependency at the application level. We formalize our approach within the framework of protocol-state machine. We define new application-level traffic-sanitization policies that enforce the inter-packet dependencies. The dependency is derived from the transitions among protocol states that involve both user actions and network events. We refer to our methodology as storytelling security. We demonstrate a concrete realization of our methodology in the context of peer-to-peer file-sharing application, describe its use in blocking traffic of P2P bots on a host. We implement and evaluate our prototype in Windows operating system in both online and offline deployment settings. Our experimental evaluation along with case studies of real-world P2P applications demonstrates the feasibility of verifying the inter-packet dependencies. Our deep packet inspection incurs overhead on the outbound network flow. Our solution can also be used as an offline collect-and-analyze tool

The role of nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) in inflammation and the potential use of bifunctional enzyme triggered carbon monoxide releasing molecule in treatment of systemic inflammation

Tonicity-Responsive Enhancer Binding Protein (TonEBP), also known as nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5), was initially identified as a major transcription factor for osmoregulation. More recently, the role of TonEBP /NFAT5 has been extended as it also regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Hence, TonEBP /NFAT5 may protect cells from shrinking in a hyperosmolar environment but at the same time may evoke inflammation. Even though a number of studies have unequivocally demonstrated that hyperosmolar stress of renal murine inner medullar collecting duct (miMCD) cells leads to nuclear TonEBP /NFAT5 accumulation and induction of TNFα and CCL2 expression, it has not been well studied if in miMCD cells pro-inflammatory mediators likewise initiate nuclear translocation of TonEBP /NFAT5. In the present study we not only attempted to clarify this issue but also studied the possibility of inhibiting iNOS expression by making use of so called bifunctional CO-releasing molecules (CORM). In particular we addressed the following questions: 1. Is TonEBP/NFAT5 activated by mediators of inflammation, i.e. LPS and TNFα in miMCD cells and does this result in regulation of TonEBP/NFAT5 target genes at the mRNA and protein level? 2. Is TonEBP/NFAT5 activation involved in regulation of inflammatory mediators (cytokines and chemokines) in miMCD cells, murine Macrophage (Raw264.7 cell line) and isolated spleen cells from wild-type and TonEBP/NFAT5-/- mice? 3. Does carbon monoxide (CO) regulate TonEBP/NFAT5 activation in Raw264.7 cells? Does it influence iNOS and HO-1 expression? 4. Is there synergy between CO and monomethyl fumarate (MMF) in suppressing inflammation? This study in essence has shown that 1) TonEBP/NFAT5 regulates inflammatory mediators but is also activated by LPS. 2) Apart from miMCD cells also in murine macrophage TonEBP/NFAT5 regulates the expression of TNFα and CCL2 3) CO effectively inhibits LPS mediated cytokine production in macrophages. This is accompanied by inhibition of iNOS and induction of HO-1. 4) The concurrent application of MMF and CO as so called bifunctional CORM acts synergistic in inhibiting inflammation, iNOS expression and HO-1 induction. In conclusion, this study revealed that TonEBP/NFAT5 is an essential mediator of inflammation in medullar collecting duct cells under hyperosmolar conditions. Also under septic (LPS) conditions TonEBP/NFAT5 is activated and may thus perpetuate local inflammatory responses. The use of bifunctional CORMs, i.e. MMF-CORM, is of potential clinical relevance in the treatment of sepsis as it not only inhibits systemic inflammatory cytokines, but also inhibits iNOS expression. The latter might also be important for preventing urinary concentration problems in septic patients

Analysing the contagion effect and governance strategy of corporate financialisation based on a SIRS model

Recently, the phenomenon of economic ‘moving from reality to virtual’ has attracted widespread attention. Based on the principle of infectious disease dynamics, this study constructs a SIRS model to examine the contagion effect of corporate financialisation. Using Chinese manufacturing companies as samples, we verify the contagion of corporate financialisation before performing a simulation analysis and proposing strategies to address financial contagion risks. The results shows that corporate financialisation is contagious in the sample companies. This feature depends on the initial contagion conditions and threshold. When the degree of corporate financialisation does not meet the initial contagion conditions and is within the contagion threshold, contagion will not occur. Otherwise, financialisation behaviour will cause mutual contagion and produce a contagious effect. Meanwhile, the higher the contagion and the second conversion rates of financialisation, the stronger the contagion effect. The larger the financial reversal and self-recovery rates, the weaker the contagion effect. Finally, we propose Multi-dimensional governance strategies of financial contagion risk. This study explores the formation mechanism of corporate financialisation from a new perspective to provide ideas for the financial governance of enterprises and promote benign interaction between entities and finance

Language Mechanisms for Controlling and Mitigating Timing Channels

We propose a new language-based approach to mitigating timing channels. In this language, well-typed programs provably leak only a bounded amount of information over time through external timing channels. By incorporating mechanisms for predictive mitigation of timing channels, this approach also permits a more expressive programming model. Timing channels arising from interaction with underlying hardware features such as instruction caches are controlled. Assumptions about the underlying hardware are explicitly formalized, supporting the design of hardware that efficiently controls timing channels. One such hardware design is modeled and used to show that timing channels can be controlled in some simple programs of real-world significance.This work has been supported by a grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR N000140910652), by two grants from the NSF: 0424422 (the TRUST center), and 0964409, and by MURI grant FA9550-12-1-0400, administered by the US Air Force. This research is also sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory

Self-assembly of 3D fennel-like Co3O4 with thirty-six surfaces for high performance supercapacitor

Three-dimensional (3D) fennel-like cobalt oxide (II,III) (Co3O4) particles with thirty-six surfaces on nickel foams were prepared via a simple hydrothermal synthesis method and its growth process was also researched. The crystalline structure and morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The Brunauer-Emmett Teller (BET) analysis revealed that 3D fennel-like Co3O4 particles have high specific surface area. Therefore, the special structure with thirty-six surfaces indicates the good electrochemical performance of the micron-nanometer material as electrode material for supercapacitors. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were conducted to evaluate the electrochemical performances. Compared with other morphological materials of the similar sizes, the Co3O4 particles on nickel foam exhibit a high specific capacitance of 384.375 F.g(-1) at the current density of 3A.g(-1) and excellent cycling stability of a capacitance retention of 96.54% after 1500 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles in 6M potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte