published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

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No description available.

This study examined results of a World Wide Web survey that used the framework of domain theory of moral development to examine attitudes of Internet users assuming perspectives of victims, aggressors and bystanders toward privacy issues. The effect of a monetary incentive was tested on two perspectives; effects of three moderating variables, employment status, newsgroup/mailing list membership and culture, were also tested. In the process of examing interactions, an evaluation determined if changes in attitudes indicated movement along a morality continuum. Results show that victims are more concerned than aggressors, and bystanders take a moralizing stance regardless of domain. Results of the monetary incentive test suggest that privacy is for sale. Employed respondents are more concerned than non-employed respondents; membership has little effect. Effects of culture do not support the hypotheses. Implications are that moral judgements are a function of perspective and domain, allowing flexibility along a morality continuum due to situational deviations. / xii, 112 leaves ; 28 cm.

In the wake of September 11th and following an overemphasis on passenger air travel security, the air cargo system potentially has become the primary target for terrorists. States have undertaken various regulatory approaches that involve technology and operational measures aimed at addressing the perceived security threats in the air cargo industry. This thesis presents both an overview of the potential risks and best security practices identified within several international, regional and national initiatives, including the "authorized economic operator" and "secure supply chain" mechanisms. The main challenge in designing an adequate security system appears to be ensuring that security improvements are in accord with the time-sensitive realities of air cargo industry and do not unduly interfere with trade flow. It is argued that only an international approach based on best available cargo security practices could adequately and efficiently address the current and emerging air cargo security vulnerabilities.

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The RSA data encryption algorithm was developed by Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adelman in 1978 and is considered a de facto standard for public-key encryption. This computer science thesis demonstrates the author's ability to engineer a software system based on the RSA algorithm. This adaptation of the RSA encryption process was devised to be used on any type of data file, binary as well as text. In the process of developing this computer system, software tools were constructed that allow the exploration of the components of the RSA encryption algorithm. The RSA algorithm was further interpolated as a method of providing software licensing, that is, a manner in which authorization to execute a particular piece of software can be determined at execution time. This document summarizes the RSA encryption process and describes the tools utilized to construct a computer system based on this algorithm. / Department of Computer Science

In this thesis, we investigate the applicability of the process algebraic formal method Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP) [Hoa85] to the development and analysis of safetycritical systems. We also investigate how these tasks might be aided by mechanical verification, which is provided in the form of the proof tool Failures-Divergences Refinement (FDR) [Ros94]. Initially, we build upon the work of [RWW94, Ros95], in which CSP treatments of the security property of non-interference are described. We use one such formulation to define a property called protection, which unifies our views of safety and security. As well as applying protection to the analysis of safety-critical systems, we develop a proof system for this property, which in conjunction with the opportunity for automated analysis provided by FDR, enables us to apply the approach to problems of a sizable complexity. We then describe how FDR can be applied to the analysis of mutual exclusion, which is a specific form of non-interference. We investigate a number of well-known solutions to the problem, and illustrate how such mutual exclusion algorithms can be interpreted as CSP processes and verified with FDR. Furthermore, we develop a means of verifying the faulttolerance of such algorithms in terms of protection. In turn, mutual exclusion is used to describe safety properties of geographic data associated with Solid State Interlocking (SSI) railway signalling systems. We show how FDR can be used to describe these properties and model interlocking databases. The CSP approach to compositionality allows us to decompose such models, thus reducing the complexity of analysing safety invariants of SSI geographic data. As such, we describe how the mechanical verification of Solid State Interlocking geographic data, which was previously considered to be an intractable problem for the current generation of mechanical verification tools, is computationally feasible using FDR. Thus, the goals of this thesis are twofold. The first goal is to establish a formal encapsulation of a theory of safety-critical systems based upon the relationship which exists between safety and security. The second goal is to establish that CSP, together with FDR, can be applied to the modelling of Solid State Interlocking geographic databases. Furthermore, we shall attempt to demonstrate that such modelling can scale up to large-scale systems.

Over the past decade, webcriminality has become a real issue. Because they allow the botmasters to control hundreds to millions of machines, botnets became the first-choice attack platform for the network attackers, to launch distributed denial of service attacks, steal sensitive information and spend spam emails. This work aims at designing and implementing a honeynet, specific to IRC bots. Our system works in 3 phasis: (1) binaries collection, (2) simulation, and (3) activity capturing and monitoring. Our phase 2 simulation uses an IRC redirection to extract the connection information thanks to a IRC redirection (using a DNS redirection and a "fakeserver"). In phase 3, we use the information previously extracted to launch our honeyclient, which will capture and monitor the traffic on the C&C channel. Thanks to our honeynet, we create a database of the activity of IRC botnets (their connection characteristics, commands on the C&C ), and hope to learn more about their behavior and the underground market they create.

Problems and perceptions of crime and security have grown dramatically in recent decades. Organisations feel the need to protect their investment, their employees and the general public from crime. There are not sufficient public police to provide adequate response and protection to businesses; therefore, private security agents have grown in number as a response to this perceived need. This thesis examines private security and surveillance in the hotel industry. There is a general introduction to contemporary security issues in society. The specific nature of these problems is examined within the context of the hotel industry. These issues are analysed in relationship to recent scholarly literature. Since so little has been written about problems of security in the hotel industry, it was decided to conduct in-depth interviews, using multiple case studies and field observations. The thesis examines issues of security in seven major hotels in Australia. Although there are many alternative ways that security can be organised, this thesis examines the application of a differentiated model of security as contrasted to an imbedded model in which all employees are involved with security procedures.