Healthcare systems have recently utilized the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to assist intelligent data collection and decision-making. However, the volume of malicious threats, particularly new variants of malware attacks to the connected medical devices and their connected system, has risen significantly in recent years, which poses a critical threat to patients’ confidential data and the safety of the healthcare systems. To address the high complexity of conventional software-based detection techniques, Hardware-supported Malware Detection (HMD) has proved to be efficient for detecting malware at the processors’ micro-architecture level with the aid of Machine Learning (ML) techniques applied to Hardware Performance Counter (HPC) data. In this work, we examine the suitability of various standard ML classifiers for zero-day malware detection on new data streams in the real-world operation of IoMT devices and demonstrate that such methods are not capable of detecting unknown malware signatures with a high detection rate. In response, we propose a hybrid and adaptive image-based framework based on Deep Learning and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for online hardware-assisted zero-day malware detection in IoMT devices. Our proposed method dynamically selects the best DNN-based malware detector at run-time customized for each device from a pool of highly efficient models continuously trained on all stream data. It first converts tabular hardware-based data (HPC events) into small-size images and then leverages a transfer learning technique to retrain and enhance the Deep Neural Network (DNN) based model’s performance for unknown malware detection. Multiple DNN models are trained on various stream data continuously to form an inclusive model pool. Next, a DRL-based agent constructed with two Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) is trained (one acts as an Actor and another acts as a Critic) to align the decision of selecting the most optimal DNN model for highly accurate zero-day malware detection at run-time using a limited number of hardware events. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed AI-enabled method achieves 99\% detection rate in both F1-score and AUC, with only 0.01\% false positive rate and 1\% false negative rate.
Authored by Zhangying He, Hossein Sayadi
Increasing automation in vehicles enabled by increased connectivity to the outside world has exposed vulnerabilities in previously siloed automotive networks like controller area networks (CAN). Attributes of CAN such as broadcast-based communication among electronic control units (ECUs) that lowered deployment costs are now being exploited to carry out active injection attacks like denial of service (DoS), fuzzing, and spoofing attacks. Research literature has proposed multiple supervised machine learning models deployed as Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) to detect such malicious activity; however, these are largely limited to identifying previously known attack vectors. With the ever-increasing complexity of active injection attacks, detecting zero-day (novel) attacks in these networks in real-time (to prevent propagation) becomes a problem of particular interest. This paper presents an unsupervised-learning-based convolutional autoencoder architecture for detecting zero-day attacks, which is trained only on benign (attack-free) CAN messages. We quantise the model using Vitis-AI tools from AMD/Xilinx targeting a resource-constrained Zynq Ultrascale platform as our IDS-ECU system for integration. The proposed model successfully achieves equal or higher classification accuracy (\textgreater 99.5\%) on unseen DoS, fuzzing, and spoofing attacks from a publicly available attack dataset when compared to the state-of-the-art unsupervised learning-based IDSs. Additionally, by cleverly overlapping IDS operation on a window of CAN messages with the reception, the model is able to meet line-rate detection (0.43 ms per window) of high-speed CAN, which when coupled with the low energy consumption per inference, makes this architecture ideally suited for detecting zero-day attacks on critical CAN networks.
Authored by Shashwat Khandelwal, Shanker Shreejith
In the evolving landscape of Internet of Things (IoT) security, the need for continuous adaptation of defenses is critical. Class Incremental Learning (CIL) can provide a viable solution by enabling Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) models to ( i) learn and adapt to new attack types (0-day attacks), ( ii) retain their ability to detect known threats, (iii) safeguard computational efficiency (i.e. no full re-training). In IoT security, where novel attacks frequently emerge, CIL offers an effective tool to enhance Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and secure network environments. In this study, we explore how CIL approaches empower DL-based IDS in IoT networks, using the publicly-available IoT-23 dataset. Our evaluation focuses on two essential aspects of an IDS: ( a) attack classification and ( b) misuse detection. A thorough comparison against a fully-retrained IDS, namely starting from scratch, is carried out. Finally, we place emphasis on interpreting the predictions made by incremental IDS models through eXplainable AI (XAI) tools, offering insights into potential avenues for improvement.
Authored by Francesco Cerasuolo, Giampaolo Bovenzi, Christian Marescalco, Francesco Cirillo, Domenico Ciuonzo, Antonio Pescapè
Significant progress has been made towards developing Deep Learning (DL) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) models that can make independent decisions. However, this progress has also highlighted the emergence of malicious entities that aim to manipulate the outcomes generated by these models. Due to increasing complexity, this is a concerning issue in various fields, such as medical image classification, autonomous vehicle systems, malware detection, and criminal justice. Recent research advancements have highlighted the vulnerability of these classifiers to both conventional and adversarial assaults, which may skew their results in both the training and testing stages. The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aims to analyse traditional and adversarial attacks comprehensively. It evaluates 45 published works from 2017 to 2023 to better understand adversarial attacks, including their impact, causes, and standard mitigation approaches.
Authored by Tarek Ali, Amna Eleyan, Tarek Bejaoui
Zero-day attacks, which are defined by their abrupt appearance without any previous detection mechanisms, present a substantial obstacle in the field of network security. To address this difficulty, a wide variety of machine learning and deep learning models have been used to identify and minimize zeroday assaults. The models have been assessed for both binary and multi-class classification situations, The objective of this work is to do a thorough comparison and analysis of these models, including the impact of class imbalance and utilizing SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) explainability approaches. Class imbalance is a prevalent problem in cybersecurity datasets, characterized by a considerable disparity between the number of attack cases and non-attack instances. By equalizing the dataset, we guarantee equitable depiction of both categories, so preventing prejudice towards the dominant category throughout the training and assessment of the model. Moreover, the application of SHAP XAI facilitates a more profound comprehension of model predictions, empowering analysts to analyze the fundamental aspects that contribute to the detection of zero-day attacks.
Authored by C.K. Sruthi, Aswathy Ravikumar, Harini Sriraman
The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in the concept of smart cities – urban environments where everything from traffic lights to waste management is interconnected and digitally managed. While this transformation offers unparalleled efficiency and innovation, it opens the door to myriad cyber-attacks. Threats range from data breaches to infrastructure disruptions, with one subtle yet potent risk emerging: fake clients. These seemingly benign entities have the potential to carry out a multitude of cyber attacks, leveraging their deceptive appearance to infiltrate and compromise systems. This research presents a novel simulation model for a smart city based on the Internet of Things using the Netsim program. This city consists of several sectors, each of which consists of several clients that connect to produce the best performance, comfort and energy savings for this city. Fake clients are added to this simulation, who are they disguise themselves as benign clients while, in reality, they are exploiting this trust to carry out cyber attacks on these cities, then after preparing the simulation perfectly, the data flow of this system is captured and stored in a CSV file and classified into fake and normal, then this data set is subjected to several experiments using the Machine Learning using the MATLAB program. Each of them shows good results, based on the detection results shown by Model Machine Learning. The highest detection accuracy was in the third experiment using the k-nearest neighbors classifier and was 98.77\%. Concluding, the research unveils a robust prevention model.
Authored by Mahmoud Aljamal, Ala Mughaid, Rabee Alquran, Muder Almiani, Shadi bi
Developing network intrusion detection systems (IDS) presents significant challenges due to the evolving nature of threats and the diverse range of network applications. Existing IDSs often struggle to detect dynamic attack patterns and covert attacks, leading to misidentified network vulnerabilities and degraded system performance. These requirements must be met via dependable, scalable, effective, and adaptable IDS designs. Our IDS can recognise and classify complex network threats by combining the Deep Q-Network (DQN) algorithm with distributed agents and attention techniques.. Our proposed distributed multi-agent IDS architecture has many advantages for guiding an all-encompassing security approach, including scalability, fault tolerance, and multi-view analysis. We conducted experiments using industry-standard datasets including NSL-KDD and CICIDS2017 to determine how well our model performed. The results show that our IDS outperforms others in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and false-positive rate. Additionally, we evaluated our model s resistance to black-box adversarial attacks, which are commonly used to take advantage of flaws in machine learning. Under these difficult circumstances, our model performed quite well.We used a denoising autoencoder (DAE) for further model strengthening to improve the IDS s robustness. Lastly, we evaluated the effectiveness of our zero-day defenses, which are designed to mitigate attacks exploiting unknown vulnerabilities. Through our research, we have developed an advanced IDS solution that addresses the limitations of traditional approaches. Our model demonstrates superior performance, robustness against adversarial attacks, and effective zero-day defenses. By combining deep reinforcement learning, distributed agents, attention techniques, and other enhancements, we provide a reliable and comprehensive solution for network security.
Authored by Malika Malik, Kamaljit Saini
Computer networks are increasingly vulnerable to security disruptions such as congestion, malicious access, and attacks. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) play a crucial role in identifying and mitigating these threats. However, many IDSs have limitations, including reduced performance in terms of scalability, configurability, and fault tolerance. In this context, we aim to enhance intrusion detection through a cooperative approach. To achieve this, we propose the implementation of ICIDS-BB (Intelligent Cooperative Intrusion Detection System based on Blockchain). This system leverages Blockchain technology to secure data exchange among collaborative components. Internally, we employ two machine learning algorithms, the decision tree and random forest, to improve attack detection.
Authored by Ferdaws Bessaad, Farah Ktata, Khalil Ben Kalboussi
Container-based virtualization has gained momentum over the past few years thanks to its lightweight nature and support for agility. However, its appealing features come at the price of a reduced isolation level compared to the traditional host-based virtualization techniques, exposing workloads to various faults, such as co-residency attacks like container escape. In this work, we propose to leverage the automated management capabilities of containerized environments to derive a Fault and Intrusion Tolerance (FIT) framework based on error detection-recovery and fault treatment. Namely, we aim at deriving a specification-based error detection mechanism at the host level to systematically and formally capture security state errors indicating breaches potentially caused by malicious containers. Although the paper focuses on security side use cases, results are logically extendable to accidental faults. Our aim is to immunize the target environments against accidental and malicious faults and preserve their core dependability and security properties.
Authored by Taous Madi, Paulo Esteves-Verissimo
In the face of a large number of network attacks, intrusion detection system can issue early warning, indicating the emergence of network attacks. In order to improve the traditional machine learning network intrusion detection model to identify the behavior of network attacks, improve the detection accuracy and accuracy. Convolutional neural network is used to construct intrusion detection model, which has better ability to solve complex problems and better adaptability of algorithm. In order to solve the problems such as dimension explosion caused by input data, the albino PCA algorithm is used to extract data features and reduce data dimensions. For the common problem of convolutional neural networks in intrusion detection such as overfitting, Dropout layers are added before and after the fully connected layer of CNN, and Sigmoid is selected as the intrusion classification prediction function. This reduces the overfitting, improves the robustness of the intrusion detection model, and enhances the fault tolerance and generalization ability of the model to improve the accuracy of the intrusion detection model. The effectiveness of the proposed method in intrusion detection is verified by comparison and analysis of numerical examples.
Authored by Peiqing Zhang, Guangke Tian, Haiying Dong
This paper addresses the issues of fault tolerance (FT) and intrusion detection (ID) in the Software-defined networking (SDN) environment. We design an integrated model that combines the FT-Manager as an FT mechanism and an ID-Manager, as an ID technique to collaboratively detect and mitigate threats in the SDN. The ID-Manager employs a machine learning (ML) technique to identify anomalous traffic accurately and effectively. Both techniques in the integrated model leverage the controller-switches communication for real-time network statistics collection. While the full implementation of the framework is yet to be realized, experimental evaluations have been conducted to identify the most suitable ML algorithm for ID-Manager to classify network traffic using a benchmarking dataset and various performance metrics. The principal component analysis method was utilized for feature engineering optimization, and the results indicate that the Random Forest (RF) classifier outperforms other algorithms with 99.9\% accuracy, precision, and recall. Based on these findings, the paper recommended RF as the ideal choice for ID design in the integrated model. We also stress the significance and potential benefits of the integrated model to sustain SDN network security and dependability.
Authored by Bassey Isong, Thupae Ratanang, Naison Gasela, Adnan Abu-Mahfouz
Container-based virtualization has gained momentum over the past few years thanks to its lightweight nature and support for agility. However, its appealing features come at the price of a reduced isolation level compared to the traditional host-based virtualization techniques, exposing workloads to various faults, such as co-residency attacks like container escape. In this work, we propose to leverage the automated management capabilities of containerized environments to derive a Fault and Intrusion Tolerance (FIT) framework based on error detection-recovery and fault treatment. Namely, we aim at deriving a specification-based error detection mechanism at the host level to systematically and formally capture security state errors indicating breaches potentially caused by malicious containers. Although the paper focuses on security side use cases, results are logically extendable to accidental faults. Our aim is to immunize the target environments against accidental and malicious faults and preserve their core dependability and security properties.
Authored by Taous Madi, Paulo Esteves-Verissimo
Malware, or software designed with harmful intent, is an ever-evolving threat that can have drastic effects on both individuals and institutions. Neural network malware classification systems are key tools for combating these threats but are vulnerable to adversarial machine learning attacks. These attacks perturb input data to cause misclassification, bypassing protective systems. Existing defenses often rely on enhancing the training process, thereby increasing the model’s robustness to these perturbations, which is quantified using verification. While training improvements are necessary, we propose focusing on the verification process used to evaluate improvements to training. As such, we present a case study that evaluates a novel verification domain that will help to ensure tangible safeguards against adversaries and provide a more reliable means of evaluating the robustness and effectiveness of anti-malware systems. To do so, we describe malware classification and two types of common malware datasets (feature and image datasets), demonstrate the certified robustness accuracy of malware classifiers using the Neural Network Verification (NNV) and Neural Network Enumeration (nnenum) tools1, and outline the challenges and future considerations necessary for the improvement and refinement of the verification of malware classification. By evaluating this novel domain as a case study, we hope to increase its visibility, encourage further research and scrutiny, and ultimately enhance the resilience of digital systems against malicious attacks.
Authored by Preston Robinette, Diego Lopez, Serena Serbinowska, Kevin Leach, Taylor Johnson
This work focuses on the problem of hyper-parameter tuning (HPT) for robust (i.e., adversarially trained) models, shedding light on the new challenges and opportunities arising during the HPT process for robust models. To this end, we conduct an extensive experimental study based on three popular deep models and explore exhaustively nine (discretized) hyper-parameters (HPs), two fidelity dimensions, and two attack bounds, for a total of 19208 configurations (corresponding to 50 thousand GPU hours). Through this study, we show that the complexity of the HPT problem is further exacerbated in adversarial settings due to the need to independently tune the HPs used during standard and adversarial training: succeeding in doing so (i.e., adopting different HP settings in both phases) can lead to a reduction of up to 80% and 43% of the error for clean and adversarial inputs, respectively. We also identify new opportunities to reduce the cost of HPT for robust models. Specifically, we propose to leverage cheap adversarial training methods to obtain inexpensive, yet highly correlated, estimations of the quality achievable using more robust/expensive state-of-the-art methods. We show that, by exploiting this novel idea in conjunction with a recent multi-fidelity optimizer (taKG), the efficiency of the HPT process can be enhanced by up to 2.1x.
Authored by Pedro Mendes, Paolo Romano, David Garlan
Neural networks are often overconfident about their pre- dictions, which undermines their reliability and trustworthiness. In this work, we present a novel technique, named Error-Driven Un- certainty Aware Training (EUAT), which aims to enhance the ability of neural models to estimate their uncertainty correctly, namely to be highly uncertain when they output inaccurate predictions and low uncertain when their output is accurate. The EUAT approach oper- ates during the model’s training phase by selectively employing two loss functions depending on whether the training examples are cor- rectly or incorrectly predicted by the model. This allows for pursu- ing the twofold goal of i) minimizing model uncertainty for correctly predicted inputs and ii) maximizing uncertainty for mispredicted in- puts, while preserving the model’s misprediction rate. We evaluate EUAT using diverse neural models and datasets in the image recog- nition domains considering both non-adversarial and adversarial set- tings. The results show that EUAT outperforms existing approaches for uncertainty estimation (including other uncertainty-aware train- ing techniques, calibration, ensembles, and DEUP) by providing un- certainty estimates that not only have higher quality when evaluated via statistical metrics (e.g., correlation with residuals) but also when employed to build binary classifiers that decide whether the model’s output can be trusted or not and under distributional data shifts.
Authored by Pedro Mendes, Paolo Romano, David Garlan
This paper focuses on the problem of optimizing system utility of Machine-Learning (ML) based systems in the presence of ML mispredictions. This is achieved via the use of self-adaptive systems and through the execution of adaptation tactics, such as model retraining, which operate at the level of individual ML components. To address this problem, we propose a probabilistic modeling framework that reasons about the cost/benefit trade-offs associated with adapting ML components. The key idea of the proposed approach is to decouple the problems of estimating (i) the expected performance improvement after adaptation and (ii) the impact of ML adaptation on overall system utility. We apply the proposed framework to engineer a self-adaptive ML-based fraud-detection system, which we evaluate using a publicly-available, real fraud detection data-set. We initially consider a scenario in which information on model’s quality is immediately available. Next we relax this assumption by integrating (and extending) state-of-the-art techniques for estimating model’s quality in the proposed framework. We show that by predicting the system utility stemming from retraining a ML component, the probabilistic model checker can generate adaptation strategies that are significantly closer to the optimal, as compared against baselines such as periodic or reactive retraining.
Authored by Maria Casimiro, Diogo Soares, David Garlan, Luís Rodrigues, Paolo Romano
The rise in autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for objectives requiring long-term navigation in diverse environments is attributed to their compact, agile, and accessible nature. Specifically, problems exploring dynamic obstacle and collision avoidance are of increasing interest as UAVs become more popular for tasks such as transportation of goods, formation control, and search and rescue routines. Prioritizing safety in the design of autonomous UAVs is crucial to prevent costly collisions that endanger pedestrians, mission success, and property. Safety must be ensured in these systems whose behavior emerges from multiple software components including learning-enabled components. Learning-enabled components, optimized through machine learning (ML) or reinforcement learning (RL) require adherence to safety constraints while interacting with the environment during training and deployment, as well as adaptation to new unknown environments. In this paper, we safeguard autonomous UAV navigation by designing agents based on behavior trees with learning-enabled components, referred to as Evolving Behavior Trees (EBTs). We learn the structure of EBTs with explicit safety components, optimize learning-enabled components with safe hierarchical RL, deploy, and update specific components for transfer to unknown environments. Safe and successful navigation is evaluated using a realistic UAV simulation environment. The results demonstrate the design of an explainable learned EBT structure, incurring near-zero collisions during training and deployment, with safe time-efficient transfer to an unknown environment.
Authored by Nicholas Potteiger, Xenofon Koutsoukos
The purpose of this article is to explore the use of wireless communication technology for network connectivity in ocean liner environments, which is different from the data security system of wired networks. The key work is based on data security practices in the ocean liner environment, including building a data security classification system and developing different security strategies in data collection, storage, transmission, processing, and other aspects. In addition, machine learning methods are introduced into security warning strategies to intelligently analyze data security risks and make decisions.
Authored by He Jing, Chen Ming-jun
Problems such as the increase in the number of private vehicles with the population, the rise in environmental pollution, the emergence of unmet infrastructure and resource problems, and the decrease in time efficiency in cities have put local governments, cities, and countries in search of solutions. These problems faced by cities and countries are tried to be solved in the concept of smart cities and intelligent transportation by using information and communication technologies in line with the needs. While designing intelligent transportation systems (ITS), beyond traditional methods, big data should be designed in a state-of-the-art and appropriate way with the help of methods such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning. In this study, a data-driven decision support system model was established to help the business make strategic decisions with the help of intelligent transportation data and to contribute to the elimination of public transportation problems in the city. Our study model has been established using big data technologies and business intelligence technologies: a decision support system including data sources layer, data ingestion/ collection layer, data storage and processing layer, data analytics layer, application/presentation layer, developer layer, and data management/ data security layer stages. In our study, the decision support system was modeled using ITS data supported by big data technologies, where the traditional structure could not find a solution. This paper aims to create a basis for future studies looking for solutions to the problems of integration, storage, processing, and analysis of big data and to add value to the literature that is missing within the framework of the model. We provide both the lack of literature, eliminate the lack of models before the application process of existing data sets to the business intelligence architecture and a model study before the application to be carried out by the authors.
Authored by Kutlu Sengul, Cigdem Tarhan, Vahap Tecim
Sustainability within the built environment is increasingly important to our global community as it minimizes environmental impact whilst providing economic and social benefits. Governments recognize the importance of sustainability by providing economic incentives and tenants, particularly large enterprises seek facilities that align with their corporate social responsibility objectives. Claiming sustainability outcomes clearly has benefits for facility owners and facility occupants that have sustainability as part of their business objectives but there are also incentives to overstate the value delivered or only measure parts of the facility lifecycle that provide attractive results. Whilst there is a plethora of research on Building Information Management (BIM) systems within the construction industry there has been limited research on BIM in the facilities management \& sustainability fields. The significant contribution with this research is the integration of blockchain for the purposes of transaction assurance with development of a working model spanning BIM and blockchain underpinning phase one of this research. From an industry perspective the contribution of this paper is to articulate a path to integrate a wide range of mature and emerging technologies into solutions that deliver trusted results for government, facility owners, tenants and other directly impacted stakeholders to assess the sustainability impact.
Authored by Luke Desmomd, Mohamed Salama
This study explores how AI-driven personal finance advisors can significantly improve individual financial well-being. It addresses the complexity of modern finance, emphasizing the integration of AI for informed decision-making. The research covers challenges like budgeting, investment planning, debt management, and retirement preparation. It highlights AI s capabilities in data-driven analysis, predictive modeling, and personalized recommendations, particularly in risk assessment, portfolio optimization, and real-time market monitoring. The paper also addresses ethical and privacy concerns, proposing a transparent deployment framework. User acceptance and trust-building are crucial for widespread adoption. A case study demonstrates enhanced financial literacy, returns, and overall well-being with AI-powered advisors, underscoring their potential to revolutionize financial wellness. The study emphasizes responsible implementation and trust-building for ethical and effective AI deployment in personal finance.
Authored by Parth Pangavhane, Shivam Kolse, Parimal Avhad, Tushar Gadekar, N. Darwante, S. Chaudhari
The proliferation of sensitive information being stored online highlights the pressing need for secure and efficient user authentication methods. To address this issue, this paper presents a novel zero-effort two-factor authentication (2FA) approach that combines the unique characteristics of a user s environment and Machine Learning (ML) to confirm their identity. Our proposed approach utilizes Wi-Fi radio wave transmission and ML algorithms to analyze beacon frame characteristics and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values from Wi-Fi access points to determine the user s location. The aim is to provide a secure and efficient method of authentication without the need for additional hardware or software. A prototype was developed using Raspberry Pi devices and experiments were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed approach. Results showed that the proposed system can significantly enhance the security of sensitive information in various industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail. This study sheds light on the potential of Wi-Fi radio waves and RSSI values as a means of user authentication and the power of ML to identify patterns in wireless signals for security purposes. The proposed system holds great promise in revolutionizing the field of 2FA and user authentication, offering a new era of secure and seamless access to sensitive information.
Authored by Ali AlQahtani, Thamraa Alshayeb
Cybersecurity is an increasingly critical aspect of modern society, with cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent. Artificial intelligence (AI) and neural network models have emerged as promising tools for improving cyber defense. This paper explores the potential of AI and neural network models in cybersecurity, focusing on their applications in intrusion detection, malware detection, and vulnerability analysis. Intruder detection, or "intrusion detection," is the process of identifying Invasion of Privacy to a computer system. AI-based security systems that can spot intrusions (IDS) use AI-powered packet-level network traffic analysis and intrusion detection patterns to signify an assault. Neural network models can also be used to improve IDS accuracy by modeling the behavior of legitimate users and detecting anomalies. Malware detection involves identifying malicious software on a computer system. AI-based malware machine-learning algorithms are used by detecting systems to assess the behavior of software and recognize patterns that indicate malicious activity. Neural network models can also serve to hone the precision of malware identification by modeling the behavior of known malware and identifying new variants. Vulnerability analysis involves identifying weaknesses in a computer system that could be exploited by attackers. AI-based vulnerability analysis systems use machine learning algorithms to analyze system configurations and identify potential vulnerabilities. Neural network models can also be used to improve the accuracy of vulnerability analysis by modeling the behavior of known vulnerabilities and identifying new ones. Overall, AI and neural network models have significant potential in cybersecurity. By improving intrusion detection, malware detection, and vulnerability analysis, they can help organizations better defend against cyber attacks. However, these technologies also present challenges, including a lack of understanding of the importance of data in machine learning and the potential for attackers to use AI themselves. As such, careful consideration is necessary when implementing AI and neural network models in cybersecurity.
Authored by D. Sugumaran, Y. John, Jansi C, Kireet Joshi, G. Manikandan, Geethamanikanta Jakka
Anomaly detection is a challenge well-suited to machine learning and in the context of information security, the benefits of unsupervised solutions show significant promise. Recent attention to Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) has provided an innovative approach to learn from attributed graphs. Using a GNN encoder-decoder architecture, anomalous edges between nodes can be detected during the reconstruction phase. The aim of this research is to determine whether an unsupervised GNN model can detect anomalous network connections in a static, attributed network. Network logs were collected from four corporate networks and one artificial network using endpoint monitoring tools. A GNN-based anomaly detection system was designed and employed to score and rank anomalous connections between hosts. The model was validated against four realistic experimental scenarios against the four large corporate networks and the smaller artificial network environment. Although quantitative metrics were affected by factors including the scale of the network, qualitative assessments indicated that anomalies from all scenarios were detected. The false positives across each scenario indicate that this model in its current form is useful as an initial triage, though would require further improvement to become a performant detector. This research serves as a promising step for advancing this methodology in detecting anomalous network connections. Future work to improve results includes narrowing the scope of detection to specific threat types and a further focus on feature engineering and selection.
Authored by Charlie Grimshaw, Brian Lachine, Taylor Perkins, Emilie Coote
In recent times, the research looks into the measures taken by financial institutions to secure their systems and reduce the likelihood of attacks. The study results indicate that all cultures are undergoing a digital transformation at the present time. The dawn of the Internet ushered in an era of increased sophistication in many fields. There has been a gradual but steady shift in attitude toward digital and networked computers in the business world over the past few years. Financial organizations are increasingly vulnerable to external cyberattacks due to the ease of usage and positive effects. They are also susceptible to attacks from within their own organisation. In this paper, we develop a machine learning based quantitative risk assessment model that effectively assess and minimises this risk. Quantitative risk calculation is used since it is the best way for calculating network risk. According to the study, a network s vulnerability is proportional to the number of times its threats have been exploited and the amount of damage they have caused. The simulation is used to test the model s efficacy, and the results show that the model detects threats more effectively than the other methods.
Authored by Lavanya M, Mangayarkarasi S