Check-Out the Recent Newsletter

SoS Newsletter LogoWith the first 2015 issue of the SoS Newsletter almost complete, please check-out the last edition for 2014. Issue 6 is available at http://cps-vo.org/node/16335! Issue 6 features a comprehensive distribution of notable topics, news items, publications, and updates within the security community. This edition highlights:



In the News - a round-up of the security world's most current news stories occurring within the US, and abroad. This edition covers newly discovered vulnerabilities in the recently controversial Network Time Protocol (NTP), the hack and dissemination of information on South Korea's nuclear reactor, Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation down network, five cybersecurity signed into laws by President Obama, and more. See http://cps-vo.org/node/16995.



International Security Research Conferences - Science of Security related research was presented at several notable international conferences. Conferences include the 10th International Conference on Security and Privacy in Communication Networks (Beijing, China), 2014 Iran Workshop on Communication and Information Theory (IWCIT), and more. See http://cps-vo.org/node/16337.



Lablet Research: Human Behavior and Cybersecurity - One of the hard problems addressed by Science of Security Lablets is the understanding of human behavior and cybersecurity. See http://cps-vo.org/node/16998 for spotlights on university research efforts to understand and account for user behavior, influences on design of systems, user error, and more.



SoS Member Contributions - This edition showcases SoS member Saman Zonouz, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Rutgers University. Dr. Zonouz and his team focused on the challenges of securing cyber-physical systems, specifically process safety of control systems. Dr. Zonouz and his team presents the Trusted Safety Verifier (TSV), a proposed solution to the current vulnerable method of relying on a Trusted Computing Base (TCB). See http://cps-vo.org/node/17007.



Publications of Interest features a curated list of current research conducted on topics considered most challenging in the security world. Explore all topics and corresponding publications at http://cps-vo.org/node/16336. Issue 6 addresses topics such as :



Browser Security - Web browser security research generally included examining common browsers and unique add-ons. This edition highlights cross site scripting, hardware virtualization, bothounds, system call monitoring, and phishing detection. See http://cps-vo.org/node/16464.



CAPTCHA - The term refers to Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. Researchers consider alternative uses for CAPTCHA, such as Arabic language text digitization scheme, use of Captchas as graphical passwords, motion-based captchas, and defeating a captcha using a gaming technique. See http://cps-vo.org/node/16467.



Edge Detection - Edge Detection sees its importance in image and signal processing, and current research evaluates approaches to edge detection, and applications for radar and sonar. To read more about Edge Detection, and peruse the work being done in the field of image and signal processing, please visit http://cps-vo.org/node/16460.



Visible Light Communications - The area of VLC is exciting in its potential to solve the overcrowded radio spectrum challenge, particularly for wireless communication. The security issues visited in these articles examine secure bar codes for smart phones, xenon flashlights for mobile payments, and more. See http://cps-vo.org/node/16671.



Feature - "The Secret Life of Passwords", Urbina, Ian.

Your password must contain an uppercase letter, a number, an ancient rune, a hieroglyph, and an Elvish character. How secure are our most secure passwords? Ian Urbina, who participated in the 2013 SoS Paper Competition, captivates in a narrative about the other side of passwords. In this New York Times article, Urbina takes readers back to one of the greatest tragedies in American history - September 11th, 2001. Read Howard Lutnik's story, chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald who lost 658 of his co-workers and friends, and Urbina's consequently inspired journey into passwords to discover if human sentimentality - considered a weakness by security professionals - is actually a saving grace. See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/magazine/the-secret-life-of-passwords.html?_r=0.



Are you interested in staying current with groundbreaking research, news, events, and advancements in the security world? If you are not yet a member of the Cyber Physical Systems Virtual Organization, Science of Security community (CPS-VO SoS), you are invited to join at http://cps-vo.org/group/SoS.

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