D.Phil. / Virtualization is a new infrastructure platform whose trend is sweeping through IT like a blaze. Improving the IT industry by higher utilization from hardware, better responsiveness to changing business conditions and lower cost operations is a must have in the new generation of virtualization solutions. Virtualization is not just one more entry in the long line of “revolutionary” products that have hit the technology marketplace. Many parts of the technology ecosystem will be affected as the paradigm shifts from the old one-to-one correspondence between software and hardware to the new approach of software operating on any hardware that happens to be most suitable to use at the time. This brings along with it security concerns, which need to be addressed. Security evolving in and around the virtualized system will become more pertinent the more virtualization is employed into everyday IT technology and use. In this thesis, a security model for virtualization will be developed and presented. This model will cover the different facets needed to address virtualization security.

The use of virtualized environments continues to grow for efficient utilization of the available compute resources. Hypervisors virtualize the underlying hardware resources and allow multiple Operating Systems to run simultaneously on the same infrastructure. Since the hypervisor is installed at a higher privilege level than the Operating Systems in the software stack it is vulnerable to rootkits that can modify the environment to gain control, crash the system and even steal sensitive information. Thus, runtime integrity measurement of the hypervisor is essential. The currently proposed solutions achieve the goal by relying either partially or entirely on the features of the hypervisor itself, causing them to lack stealth and leaving themselves vulnerable to attack. We have developed a performance sensitive methodology for identifying rootkits in hypervisors from System Management Mode (SMM) while using the features of SMI Transfer Monitor (STM). STM is a recent technology from Intel and it is a virtual machine manager at the firmware level. Our solution extends a research prototype called EPA-RIMM, developed by Delgado and Karavanic at Portland State University. Our solution extends the state of the art in that it stealthily performs measurements of hypervisor memory and critical data structures using firmware features, keeps performance perturbation to acceptable levels and leverages the security features provided by the STM. We describe our approach and include experimental results using a prototype we have developed for Xen hypervisor on Minnowboard Turbot, an open hardware platform.

The phrase 'Internet of Things' refers to the pervasive instrumentation of physical objects with sensors and actuators, and the connection of those sensors and actuators to the Internet. These sensors and actuators are generally based on similar hardware as, and have similar capabilities to, wireless sensor network nodes. However, they operate in a completely different network environment: wireless sensor network nodes all generally belong to a single entity, whereas Internet of Things endpoints can belong to different, even competing, ones. This difference has profound implications for the design of security mechanisms in these environments. Wireless sensor network security is generally focused on defence against attack by external parties. On the Internet of Things, such an insider/outsider distinction is impossible; every entity is both an endpoint for legitimate communications, and a possible source of attack. We argue that that under such conditions, the centralised models that underpin current networking standards and protocols for embedded systems are simply not appropriate, because they require such an insider/outsider distinction. This thesis serves as an exposition in the design of decentralised security mechanisms, applied both to applications, which must perform access control, and networks, which must guarantee communications security. It contains three main contributions. The first is a threat model for Internet of Things networks. The second is BottleCap, a capability-based access control module, and an exemplar of decentralised security architecture at the application layer. The third is StarfishNet, a network-layer protocol for Internet of Things wireless networks, and a similar exemplar of decentralised security architecture at the network layer. Both are evaluated with microbenchmarks on prototype implementations; StarfishNet's association protocol is additionally validated using formal verification in the protocol verification tool Tamarin.

With augmenting security concerns and decreasing costs of surveillance and computing equipment, research on automated systems for object detection has been increasing, but the majority of the studies focus their attention on sequences where high resolution objects are present. The main objective of this work is the detection and extraction of information of low resolution objects (e.g. objects that are so far away from the camera that they occupy only tens of pixels) in order to provide a base for higher level information operations such as classification and behavioral analysis. The system proposed is composed of four stages (preprocessing, background modeling, information extraction, and post processing) and uses context based region of importance selection, histogram equalization, background subtraction and morphological filtering techniques. The result is a system capable of detecting and tracking low resolution objects in a controlled background scene which can be a base for systems with higher complexity. / by Diego F. Pava. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Digital video is being used widely in a variety of applications such as entertainment, surveillance and security. Large amount of video in surveillance and security requires systems capable to processing video to automatically detect and recognize events to alleviate the load on humans and enable preventive actions when events are detected. The main objective of this work is the analysis of computer vision techniques and algorithms used to perform automatic detection of events in video sequences. This thesis presents a surveillance system based on optical flow and background subtraction concepts to detect events based on a motion analysis, using an event probability zone definition. Advantages, limitations, capabilities and possible solution alternatives are also discussed. The result is a system capable of detecting events of objects moving in opposing direction to a predefined condition or running in the scene, with precision greater than 50% and recall greater than 80%. / by Ricardo Augusto Castellanos Jimenez. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

With the advent of globalisation and ever changing technologies, the need for increased attention to information security is becoming more and more vital. Organisations are facing all sorts of risks and threats these days. It therefore becomes important for all business stakeholders to take the appropriate proactive measures in securing their assets for business survival and growth. Information is today regarded as one of the most valuable assets of an organisation. Without a proper information security framework, policies, procedures and practices, the existence of an organisation is threatened in this world of fierce competition. Information security policies stand as one of the key enablers to safeguarding an organisation from risks and threats. However, writing a set of information security policies and procedures is not enough. If one really aims to have an effective security framework in place, there is a need to develop and implement information security policies that adhere to established standards such as BS 7799 and the like. Furthermore, one should ensure that all stakeholders comply with established standards, policies and best practices systematically to reap full benefits of security measures. These challenges are not only being faced in the international arena but also in countries like Mauritius. International researches have shown that information security policy is still a problematic area when it comes to its implementation and compliance. Findings have shown that several major developed countries are still facing difficulties in this area. There was a general perception that conditions in Mauritius were similar. With the local government's objective to turn Mauritius into a "cyber-island" that could act as an Information Communication & Technology (ICT) hub for the region, there was a need to ensure the adoption and application of best practices specially in areas of information security. This dissertation therefore aims at conducting a research project in Mauritius and assessing whether large Mauritian private companies, that are heavily dependent on IT, have proper and reliable security policies in place which comply with international norms and standards such as British Standard Organisation (BSO) 7799/ ISO 17799/ ISO 27001. The study will help assess the state of, and risks associated with, present implementation of information security policies and practices in the local context. Similarities and differences between the local security practices and international ones have also been measured and compared to identify any specific characteristics in local information security practices. The findings of the study will help to enlighten the security community, local management and stakeholders, on the realities facing corporations in the area of information security policies and practices in Mauritius. Appropriate recommendations have been formulated in light of the findings to improve the present state of information security issues while contributing to the development of the security community / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

With the advent of globalisation and ever changing technologies, the need for increased attention to information security is becoming more and more vital. Organisations are facing all sorts of risks and threats these days. It therefore becomes important for all business stakeholders to take the appropriate proactive measures in securing their assets for business survival and growth. Information is today regarded as one of the most valuable assets of an organisation. Without a proper information security framework, policies, procedures and practices, the existence of an organisation is threatened in this world of fierce competition. Information security policies stand as one of the key enablers to safeguarding an organisation from risks and threats. However, writing a set of information security policies and procedures is not enough. If one really aims to have an effective security framework in place, there is a need to develop and implement information security policies that adhere to established standards such as BS 7799 and the like. Furthermore, one should ensure that all stakeholders comply with established standards, policies and best practices systematically to reap full benefits of security measures. These challenges are not only being faced in the international arena but also in countries like Mauritius. International researches have shown that information security policy is still a problematic area when it comes to its implementation and compliance. Findings have shown that several major developed countries are still facing difficulties in this area. There was a general perception that conditions in Mauritius were similar. With the local government's objective to turn Mauritius into a "cyber-island" that could act as an Information Communication & Technology (ICT) hub for the region, there was a need to ensure the adoption and application of best practices specially in areas of information security. This dissertation therefore aims at conducting a research project in Mauritius and assessing whether large Mauritian private companies, that are heavily dependent on IT, have proper and reliable security policies in place which comply with international norms and standards such as British Standard Organisation (BSO) 7799/ ISO 17799/ ISO 27001. The study will help assess the state of, and risks associated with, present implementation of information security policies and practices in the local context. Similarities and differences between the local security practices and international ones have also been measured and compared to identify any specific characteristics in local information security practices. The findings of the study will help to enlighten the security community, local management and stakeholders, on the realities facing corporations in the area of information security policies and practices in Mauritius. Appropriate recommendations have been formulated in light of the findings to improve the present state of information security issues while contributing to the development of the security community / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

Ces cinquante dernières annéees, les ordinateurs ont occupé une place toujours plus importante dans notre vie quotidienne. On les retrouve aujourd’hui présents dans de nombreuses applications, sous forme de systèmes enfouis. Ces applications sont parfois critiques, dans la mesure où toute défaillance du système informatique peut avoir des conséquences catastrophiques, tant sur le plan humain que sur le plan économique. <p>Nous pensons par exemple aux systèmes informatiques qui contrôlent les appareils médicaux ou certains systèmes vitaux (comme les freins) des véhicules automobiles. <p>Afin d’assurer la correction de ces systèmes informatiques, différentes techniques de vérification Assistée par Ordinateur ont été proposées, durant les trois dernières <p>décennies principalement. Ces techniques reposent sur un principe commun: donner une description formelle tant du système que de la propriété qu’il doit respecter, et appliquer une méthode automatique pour prouver que le système respecte la propriété. <p>Parmi les principaux modèles aptes à décrire formellement des systèmes informatiques, la classe des systèmes de transition bien structurés [ACJT96, FS01] occupe une place importante, et ce, pour deux raisons essentielles. Tout d’abord, cette classe généralise plusieurs autres classes bien étudiées et utiles de modèles à espace <p>d’états infini, comme les réseaux de Petri [Pet62](et leurs extensions monotones [Cia94, FGRVB06]) ou les systèmes communiquant par canaux FIFO avec pertes [AJ93]. Ensuite, des problèmes intéressants peuvent être résolus algorithmiquement sur cette classe. Parmi ces problèmes, on trouve le probléme de couverture, auquel certaines propriétés intéressantes de sûreté peuvent être réduites. <p>Dans la première partie de cette thèse, nous nous intéressons au problème de couverture. Jusqu’à présent, le seul algorithme général (c’est-à-dire applicable à n’importe quel système bien structuré) pour résoudre ce problème était un algorithme dit en arrière [ACJT96] car il calcule itérativement tous les états potentiellement non-sûrs et vérifie si l’état initial du système en fait partie. Nous proposons Expand, Enlarge and Check, le premier algorithme en avant pour résoudre le problème de couverture, qui calcule les états potentiellement accessibles du système et vérifie si certains d’entre eux sont non-sûrs. Cette approche est plus efficace en pratique, comme le montrent nos expériences. Nous présentons également des techniques permettant d’accroître l’efficacité de notre méthode dans le cas où nous analysons des réseaux de Petri (ou <p>une de leurs extensions monotones), ou bien des systèmes communiquant par canaux FIFO avec pertes. Enfin, nous nous intéressons au calcul de l’ensemble de couverture pour les réseaux de Petri, un objet mathématique permettant notamment de résoudre le problème de couverture. Nous étudions l’algorithme de Karp & Miller [KM69], une solution classique pour calculer cet ensemble. Nous montrons qu’une optimisation de cet algorithme présenté dans [Fin91] est fausse, et nous proposons une autre solution totalement neuve, et plus efficace que la solution de Karp & Miller. <p>Dans la seconde partie de la thèse, nous nous intéressons aux pouvoirs d’expression des systèmes bien structurés, tant en terme de mots infinis que de mots finis. Le pouvoir d’expression d’une classe de systèmes est, en quelque sorte, une mesure de la diversité des comportements que les modèles de cette classe peuvent représenter. En ce qui concerne les mots infinis, nous étudions les pouvoirs d’expression des réseaux de Petri et de deux de leurs extensions (les réseaux de Petri avec arcs non-bloquants et les réseaux de Petri avec arcs de transfert). Nous montrons qu’il existe une hiérarchie stricte entre ces différents pouvoirs d’expression. Nous obtenons également des résultats partiels concernant le pouvoir d’expression des réseaux de Petri avec arcs de réinitialisation. En ce qui concerne les mots finis, nous introduisons la classe des langages bien structurés, qui sont des langages acceptés par des systèmes de transition bien structurés étiquettés, où l’ensemble des états accepteurs est clos par le haut. Nous prouvons trois lemmes de pompage concernant ces langages. Ceux-ci nous permettent de réobtenir facilement des résultats classiques de la littérature, ainsi que plusieurs nouveaux résultats. En particulier, nous prouvons, comme dans le cas des mots infinis, qu’il existe une hiérarchie stricte entre les pouvoirs d’expression des extensions des réseaux de Petri considérées. / Doctorat en sciences, Spécialisation Informatique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished