Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Computer Science, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-39).

Thesis (doctoral) - Universität, Konstanz, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [285]-290) and index. Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Computer Science, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-63).

Thesis (M.S. in computer engineering)--Washington State University, May 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-64).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-230)

We present a body of work aimed at understanding and improving the security posture of embedded devices. We present results from several large-scale studies that measured the quantity and distribution of exploitable vulnerabilities within embedded devices in the world. We propose two host-based software defense techniques, Symbiote and Autotomic Binary Structure Randomization, that can be practically deployed to a wide spectrum of embedded devices in use today. These defenses are designed to overcome major challenges of securing legacy embedded devices. To be specific, our proposed algorithms are software- based solutions that operate at the firmware binary level. They do not require source-code, are agnostic to the operating-system environment of the devices they protect, and can work on all major ISAs like MIPS, ARM, PowerPC and X86. More importantly, our proposed defenses are capable of augmenting the functionality of embedded devices with a plethora of host-based defenses like dynamic firmware integrity attestation, binary structure randomization of code and data, and anomaly-based malcode detection. Furthermore, we demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the proposed defenses by applying them to a wide range of real- time embedded devices like enterprise networking equipment, telecommunication appliances and other commercial devices like network-based printers and IP phones. Lastly, we present a survey of promising directions for future research in the area of embedded security.

No description available.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, 1996. / This report examines the major factors influencing the development of embedded systems. The discussion covers, among other aspects, features of embedded systems that are common to software development in general, the main characteristics of embedded systems, some of the current development strategies, the mlcrocontroller market, language issues and development tools. Following the assessment study and a practical embedded system development, the report concludes that although: I embedded systems are typified by relatively few lines of codes, their complex nature necessitates the application of a disciplined development approach. The report presents a riskbased hardware-software co-design development approach in an attempt to reconcile the existing formal development models to the technical realities of embedded systems. A practical embedded system case study is presented, It involves the development of a microcontroller-based system for the three-phase inverter of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Oulu, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.