Nowadays information is everywhere. Organisations process, store and create information in unprecedented quantities to support their business processes. Similarly, people use, share and synthesise information to accomplish their daily tasks. Indeed, information and information technology are the core of business activities, and a part of daily life. Information has become a crucial resource in today‘s information age and any corruption, destruction or leakage of information can have a serious negative impact on an organisation. Thus, information should be kept safe. This requires the successful implementation of information security, which ensures that information assets are only used, modified and accessed by authorised people. Information security faces many challenges; and organisations still have not successfully addressed them. One of the main challenges is the human element. Information security depends to a large extent on people and their ability to follow and apply sound security practices. Unfortunately, people are often not very security-conscious in their behaviour; and this is the cause of many security breaches. There are a variety of reasons for this such as a lack of knowledge and a negative attitude to security. Many organisations are aware of this; and they attempt to remedy the situation by means of information security awareness programs. These programs aim to educate, train and increase the security awareness of individuals. However, information security awareness programs are not always successful. They are not a once-off remedy that can quickly cure information security. The programs need to be implemented effectively, and they require an ongoing effort. Unfortunately, this is where many organisations fail. Furthermore, changing individuals‘ security behaviour is difficult due to the complexity of factors that influence everyday behaviour. In view of the above, this research project proposes an alternative approach in the form of a personal information security agent. The goal of this agent is to influence individuals to adopt more secure behaviour. There are a variety of factors that need to be considered, in order to achieve this goal, and to positively influence security behaviour. Consequently, this research establishes criteria and principles for such an agent, based on the theory and practice. From a theoretical point of view, a variety of factors that influence human behaviour such as self-efficacy and normative beliefs were investigated. Furthermore, the field of persuasive technology has provided for strategies that can be used by technology to influence individuals. On the practical side, a prototype of a personal information security agent was created and evaluated through a technical software review process. The evaluation of the prototype showed that the theoretical criteria have merit but their effectiveness is largely dependent on how they are implemented. The criteria were thus revised, based on the practical findings. The findings also suggest that a personal information security agent, based on the criteria, may be able to positively influence individuals to be more secure in their behaviour. The insights gained by the research are presented in the form of a framework that makes both theoretical and practical recommendations for developing a personal information security agent. One may, consequently, conclude that the purpose of this research is to provide a foundation for the development of a personal information security agent to positively influence computer users to be more security-conscious in their behavior.

The Internet supports a perpetually evolving patchwork of network services and applications. Popular applications include the World Wide Web, online commerce, online banking, email, instant messaging, multimedia streaming, and online video games. Practically all networked applications have a common objective: to directly or indirectly process requests generated by humans. Some users employ automation to establish an unfair advantage over non-automated users. The perceived and substantive damages that automated, adversarial users inflict on an application degrade its enjoyment and usability by legitimate users, and result in reputation and revenue loss for the application's service provider. This dissertation examines three challenges critical to addressing the undesirable automation of networked applications. The first challenge explores individual methods that detect various automated behaviors. Detection methods range from observing unusual network-level request traffic to sensing anomalous client operation at the application-level. Since many detection methods are not individually conclusive, the second challenge investigates how to combine detection methods to accurately identify automated adversaries. The third challenge considers how to leverage the available knowledge to disincentivize adversary automation by nullifying their advantage over legitimate users. The thesis of this dissertation is that: there exist methods to detect automated behaviors with which an application's service provider can identify and then systematically disincentivize automated adversaries. This dissertation evaluates this thesis using research performed on two network applications that have different access to the client software: Web-based services and multiplayer online games.

No description available.

M.Sc. (Information Technology) / The purpose of the research presented in this dissertation is to explore the uses of an adaptive multi-agent system for critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP). As the name suggests, CIIP is the process of protecting the information system which are connected to the infrastructure essential to the continued running of a country or organisation. CIIP is challenging due largely to the diversity of these infrastructures. The dissertation examines a number of artificial intelligence techniques that can be applied to CIIP; these techniques range from multi-agent systems to swarm optimisation. The task of protection is broken into three distinct areas: preventing unauthorised communication from outside the system; identifying anomalous actions on computers within the system; and ensuring that communication within the system is not modified externally. A multi-agent learning model, MALAMANTEAU, is proposed as a way to address the problem of CIIP. Due to various problems facing CIIP, multi-agent systems present good opportunities for solving these many problems in a single model. Agents within the MALAMANTEAU model will use diverse artificial and computational intelligence techniques in order to provide an adaptable approach to protecting critical networks. The research presented in the dissertation shows how computational intelligence can be employed alongside multi-agent systems in order to provide powerful protection for critical networks without exposing further security risks.

Discusses the development of WebSAT (Web-based systems administration tool), a computer network tool that allows systems administrators to create and delete accounts, disable and enable existing accounts, manage disk space conveniently, monitor the status of all network printers, and monitor network security. The WebSAT application was implemented using PHP, a server-side embedded scripting language, with a MySQL database.

A vast range of controls/countermeasures exists for implementing security on information systems connected to the Internet. For the practitioner attempting to implement an integrated solution between trading partners operating across the Internet, this has serious implications in respect of interoperability between the security systems of the trading partners. The problem is exacerbated by the range of specification options within each control. This research is an attempt to find a set of relevant controls and specifications towards a framework for ensuring optimal interoperability between trading partners in this context. Since a policy-based, layered approach is advocated, which allows each trading partner to address localized risks independently, no exhaustive risk analysis is attempted. The focus is on infrastructure that is simultaneously optimally secure and provides optimal interoperability. It should also be scalable, allowing for additional security controls to be added whenever deemed necessary. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

A vast range of controls/countermeasures exists for implementing security on information systems connected to the Internet. For the practitioner attempting to implement an integrated solution between trading partners operating across the Internet, this has serious implications in respect of interoperability between the security systems of the trading partners. The problem is exacerbated by the range of specification options within each control. This research is an attempt to find a set of relevant controls and specifications towards a framework for ensuring optimal interoperability between trading partners in this context. Since a policy-based, layered approach is advocated, which allows each trading partner to address localized risks independently, no exhaustive risk analysis is attempted. The focus is on infrastructure that is simultaneously optimally secure and provides optimal interoperability. It should also be scalable, allowing for additional security controls to be added whenever deemed necessary. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This thesis consists of the development of a web based wireless sensor network (WSN) monitoring system using smartphones. Typical WSNs consist of networks of wireless sensor nodes dispersed over predetermined areas to acquire, process, and transmit data from these locations. Often it is the case that the WSNs are located in areas too hazardous or inaccessible to humans. We focused on the need for access to this sensed data remotely and present our reference architecture to solve this problem. We developed this architecture for web-based wireless sensor network monitoring and have implemented a prototype that uses Crossbow Mica sensors and Android smartphones for bridging the wireless sensor network with the web services for data storage and retrieval. Our application has the ability to retrieve sensed data directly from a wireless senor network composed of Mica sensors and from a smartphones onboard sensors. The data is displayed on the phone's screen, and then, via Internet connection, they are forwarded to a remote database for manipulation and storage. The attributes sensed and stored by our application are temperature, light, acceleration, GPS position, and geographical direction. Authorized personnel are able to retrieve and observe this data both textually and graphically from any browser with Internet connectivity or through a native Android application. Web-based wireless sensor network architectures using smartphones provides a scalable and expandable solution with applicability in many areas, such as healthcare, environmental monitoring, infrastructure health monitoring, border security, and others. / by Anthony M. Marcus. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Data-centric security is significant in understanding, assessing and mitigating the various risks and impacts of sharing information outside corporate boundaries. Information generally leaves corporate boundaries through mobile devices. Mobile devices continue to evolve as multi-functional tools for everyday life, surpassing their initial intended use. This added capability and increasingly extensive use of mobile devices does not come without a degree of risk - hence the need to guard and protect information as it exists beyond the corporate boundaries and throughout its lifecycle. Literature on existing models crafted to protect data, rather than infrastructure in which the data resides, is reviewed. Technologies that organisations have implemented to adopt the data-centric model are studied. A utopian model that takes into account the shortcomings of existing technologies and deficiencies of common theories is proposed. Two sets of qualitative studies are reported; the first is a preliminary online survey to assess the ubiquity of mobile devices and extent of technology adoption towards implementation of data-centric model; and the second comprises of a focus survey and expert interviews pertaining on technologies that organisations have implemented to adopt the data-centric model. The latter study revealed insufficient data at the time of writing for the results to be statistically significant; however; indicative trends supported the assertions documented in the literature review. The question that this research answers is whether or not current technology implementations designed to mitigate risks from mobile devices, actually address business requirements. This research question, answered through these two sets qualitative studies, discovered inconsistencies between the technology implementations and business requirements. The thesis concludes by proposing a realistic model, based on the outcome of the qualitative study, which bridges the gap between the technology implementations and business requirements. Future work which could perhaps be conducted in light of the findings and the comments from this research is also considered.

Zambian copper mines have embraced the use of information technologies for strategic operations and competitive advantage. This dependence on these technologies has not only been seen in the physical aspects of business operations but also in the use of information systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) for strategic decision making and increased usage of Industrial Control Systems (ICS’) that are meant to enhance operational efficiency in production areas. A survey was conducted to explore leadership perceptions on information security practices in Zambian copper mines and an ISO/IEC 27002 Audit Tool was administered to middle management in a particular mine for an in-depth analysis of their information security practices. Results revealed that although information security controls may have been put in place in these organisations, there are still areas that require attention. Senior management and middle management have different perceptions as to the extent to which information security practices are conducted in these copper mines. This implies that management may not be fully involved in certain aspects of these organisations’ information security practices. The results concluded that management needs to be fully involved and provide support for information security programs. Furthermore, these information security programs should be standardised so as to effectively protect these organisations’ information assets. This should also include the involvement of personnel as key players in the information security process.