{"title":"An Analysis of Crypto Scams during the Covid-19 Pandemic: 2020-2022","authors":"Johannes G Botha, Danielle Botha, L. Leenen","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.1087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.1087","url":null,"abstract":"Blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption has increased significantly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This adoption rate has overtaken the Internet adoption rate in the 90s and early 2000s, but as a result, the instances of crypto scams have also increased. The types of crypto scams reported are typically giveaway scams, rug pulls, phishing scams, impersonation scams, Ponzi schemes as well as pump and dumps. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that in May 2021 the number of crypto scams were twelve times higher than in 2020, and the total loss increased by almost 1000%. The FTC also reported that Americans have lost more than $80 million due to cryptocurrency investment scams from October 2019 to October 2020, with victims between the ages of 20 and 39 represented 44% of the reported cases. Social Media has become the go-to place for scammers where attackers hack pre-existing profiles and ask targets’ contacts for payments in cryptocurrency. In 2020, both Joe Biden and Bill Gates’ Twitter accounts were hacked where the hacker posted tweets promising that for all payments sent to a specified address, double the amount will be returned, and this case of fraud was responsible for $100,000 in losses. A similar scheme using Elon Musk’s Twitter account resulted in losses of nearly $2 million. This paper analyses the most significant blockchain and cryptocurrency scams since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of raising awareness and contributing to protection against attacks. Even though the blockchain is a revolutionary technology with numerous benefits, it also poses an international crisis that cannot be ignored.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115218112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Digital Geopolitics: A Review of the Current State","authors":"Gazmend Huskaj","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.955","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.955","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this research product is to present the current state of digital geopolitics. Digital Geopolitics is attracting much attention. It features in national digital strategies (for those countries that have those), and there is some research on the topic. However, until now, no systematic and up-to-date review of the scientific literature on digital geopolitics exists. This article reviews the scientific literature using the computational literature review method. 124 articles were identified in a scientific database. After removing articles without author and abstract, 120 articles remained to read, cluster and present in this research product. The findings present that research output increases from 2015 and onwards, 53 topics are covered in the data set, and top cited articles and top publication venues are presented. The answer to the research question is that based on the results and the manual clustering of topics, it is indicative that the Technology, Informational, Geography are Security areas have a high focus, with less focus on, for example, political and health areas.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125031777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Biocybersecurity and Deterrence: Hypothetical Rwandan Considerations","authors":"I. Samori, G. Odularu, Lucas Potter, X. Palmer","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.1012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.1012","url":null,"abstract":"Digitalization and sustainability are popular words within modern disciplines as practitioners each look toward the future of their respective fields. Specifically for the African continent, which is making great strides in developmental targets, those two terms are central to core aspects of policy initiatives that may foster cooperation across its varied lands and nations. One of the underlying challenges that confront Africa is a lack of strong regional integration across socioeconomic and political programs; there is value in African regions having more regional connectedness. We assess the rate of regional integration and development in Africa and discuss how to alleviate development crises that could be accelerated by deploying a sustainable cybersecurity strategy, which increasingly includes the bioeconomy and its components. This can be done through the application of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and modern biotechnology. This work suggests that political and socio-economic activities associated with regional integration must be seen as an all-encompassing task that transcends beyond national boundaries towards a cyber biodefense fortification and increases in 4IR technological integration. This has the aim of thereby encompassing efforts to persuade leaders to fast-track policies that seek to promote geospatial cyberinfrastructure, integrative cybersecurity considerations, cross-border digitalization programs, and increased need for cybersecurity research and education, with mindfulness towards education and further integration of mindful automation. In conclusion, a model of integrative security is proposed for Africa.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"104 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122623416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Securing Commercial Satellites for Military Operations: A Cybersecurity Supply Chain Framework","authors":"Courtney Fleming, Mark Reith, W. Henry","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.1062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.1062","url":null,"abstract":"The increased reliance on commercial satellites for military operations has made it essential for the Department of Defense (DoD) to adopt a supply chain framework to address cybersecurity threats in space. This paper presents a satellite supply chain framework, the Cybersecurity Supply Chain (CSSC) Framework, for the DoD in the evaluation and selection of commercial satellite contracts. The proposed strategy is informed by research on cybersecurity threats to commercial satellites, national security concerns, current DoD policy, and previous cybersecurity frameworks. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive approach for safeguarding commercial satellites used by the DoD and ensuring the security of their supporting components. Inspired by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-171 requirements and the DoD’s future Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) process, the two-part framework significantly streamlines the NIST requirements to accommodate small businesses. It also extends key NIST requirements to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) suppliers. The CSSC Framework complements the CMMC certification process by addressing the need for cybersecurity requirements for all subcontractors supporting a commercial space asset. The framework incorporates a scoring process similar to CMMC scoring, granting points to a subcontractor for meeting the cybersecurity requirements outlined by the framework. In addition, the framework creates a space architecture overview that details the overall bid score and establishes a matrix based on individual requirements. This model and matrix allow DoD acquisition personnel to closely analyze each contract bid, comparing the subcontractor's strengths and weaknesses to other bidders. The CSSC Framework will allow the DoD to apply NIST standards to subcontractors who do not meet the requirements for CMMC certification.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123892308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cyber Threat Analysis in Smart Terminal Systems","authors":"Jussi Simola, J. Pöyhönen, Lehto Martti","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.931","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.931","url":null,"abstract":"Cyber threats create significant factors that challenge traditional threat prevention mechanisms in harbor areas and port terminals. It has been recognized that understanding security functionalities in the harbor area is based on a more traditional experience of what it requires. It is not enough that the maritime and harbor ecosystem repeats only physical security service routines regarding random checks of passengers and vehicles and customs functions on cargo and passenger transportation. Smart environments and infrastructures are widely expanded in urban areas and create more challenges if old practices are combined with new technologies and functionalities. Traditional threats have changed to a combination of threat types. While developing cyber or physical threats may evolve into hybrid threats, it may prevent everyday harbor activities so that damage can become long-lasting and harm business continuity management. Therefore, it is essential to analyze cyber threat factors in Smart Terminal Systems. The research provides cyber threat and vulnerability analysis and the main attack vectors in the Smart Terminal systems. This research belongs in Finland to the maritime Sea4Value (S4VF) research program that includes Smart Terminals (SMARTER) project for harbor’s digitalization.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"61 3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129791833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Impact of Edge Computing on the Industrial Internet of Things","authors":"Nkata Sekonya, S. Sithungu","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.969","url":null,"abstract":"The emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has improved the management of industrial operations and processes. IIoT involves collecting and processing data from a vast array of sensors deployed across industrial complexes. This enables the measurement of the efficiency of industrial processes, monitoring the health of machinery, optimisation of operations, and response to real-time events. In its application, IIoT underpins the operation of critical infrastructure in sectors including manufacturing and utilities. Maintaining the availability and resilience of critical infrastructure against internal and external threats is essential to minimise disruptions that could have a debilitating effect on a nation’s economy. Although internal threats can lead to a critical infrastructure’s downtime, external threats through cyberattacks also pose a significant threat. Historical events have demonstrated that the successful disruption of critical infrastructure can lead to the loss of human life, the interruption of necessary economic activities and national security concerns. Therefore, the availability of resilient critical infrastructures is vital to the well-being of a country. In this context, the paper compares the deployment of traditional IIoT to that of edge computing for the storage and processing of data. Traditional IIoT relies on a centralised server for data storage and processing, which is insufficient as IIoT environments cannot tolerate delays in responding to real-time events. Conversely, edge computing allows for data processing at the edge, closer to the data source, which plays a crucial role in enabling IIoT devices to respond to real-time events by reducing decision-making latency. Moreover, the decentralised nature of edge computing reduces the reliance on a centralised server by only sending required data to the cloud for further processing. Although edge computing enhances IIoT deployments, a notable concern is a resultant increase in the attack surface of IIoT environments, which consequently restricts its implementation. Exploratory research is conducted to explore the integration of edge computing into IIoT environments with a focus on improving the management and operation of critical infrastructures. A review of the current literature is performed to identify and discuss security concerns prevalent in edge computing-enabled IIoT environments and proposed mitigation strategies.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"57 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122237395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modelling the Influential Factors Embedded in the Proportionality Assessment in Military Operations","authors":"Clara Maathuis, S. Chockalingam","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.939","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.939","url":null,"abstract":"The ongoing decade was believed to be a peaceful one. However, contemporary conflicts, and in particular, ongoing wars prove the opposite as they show the increase in context complexity when defining their goals as well as execution strategies for building means and methods for achieving them by gaining advantage against their adversaries through the engagement of well-established targets. At the core of the engagement decision relies the principle of proportionality which brings in a direct relation the expected unintended effects on civilian side with the anticipated intended effects on military side. While the clusters of effects involved in the proportionality assessment are clear, the process itself is subjective, governed by different dimensions of uncertainty, and represents the responsibility of military Commanders. Thus, a complex socio-technical process where different clusters of influential factors (e.g., military, technical, socio-ethical) play a role in the decisions made. Having said that, the objective of this research is to capture and cluster these factors, and further to model their influence in the proportionality decision-making process. This decision support system produces military targeting awareness to the agents involved in the processes of building, executing, and assessing military operations. To accomplish the aim of this research, a Design Science Research methodological approach is taken for capturing and modelling the influential factors as a socio-technical artefact in the form of a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model. The model proposed is further evaluated through demonstration on three different cases in respect to real military operations incidents and scenarios existing in the scientific literature in this research field. Hence, through this demonstration, it is illustrated and interpreted how the factors identified influence proportionality decisions when assessing target engagement as being proportional or disproportional. In these cases, corresponding measures for strengthening proportionality and reducing disproportionality in military operations are considered.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121454959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Developing Privacy Incident Responses to Combat Information Warfare","authors":"Sean McElroy, Lisa M. McKEE","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.958","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.958","url":null,"abstract":"Violations of privacy harm real people, and as nation-state actors grow their information warfare capabilities, civilians suffer these harms as part of coordinated and targeted actions on objectives. When privacy harms manifest, they allow threat actors to injure data subjects by weaponizing their information to harm individuals, communities, and societies. These attacks injure civilians as the confidence of legitimate authorities, institutions, and defences is eroded, and consequences may impact national security. Distinct from cybersecurity, privacy depends upon confidentiality, integrity, and availability but encompasses a unique set of concerns. Whereas security incident response has an established practice and research history, approaches to privacy incident response, such as unauthorized disclosure, are not well researched or documented in academic literature in the unique context of privacy. By mapping privacy harm to techniques and tactics, a cohesive framework emerges to distinguish tailored mitigation strategies for each. This paper proposes a conceptual model and classification framework for privacy-related harms, tactics, techniques, and mitigation strategies to address sophisticated privacy threat actors. Using this model and framework, contingency planners can develop privacy incident response strategies to defend against the privacy harms of information warfare.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127739016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"DACA: Automated Attack Scenarios and Dataset Generation","authors":"Frank Korving, Risto Vaarandi","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.962","url":null,"abstract":"Computer networks and systems are under an ever-increasing risk of being attacked and abused. High-quality datasets can assist with in-depth analysis of attack scenarios, improve detection rules, and help educate analysts. However, existing solutions for creating such datasets suffer from a number of drawbacks. First, several solutions are not open source with publicly released implementations or are not vendor neutral. Second, some existing solutions neglect the complexity and variance of specific attack techniques when creating datasets or neglect certain attack types. Third, existing solutions are not fully automating the entire data collection pipeline. This paper presents and discusses the Dataset Creation and Acquisition Engine (DACA), a configurable dataset generation testbed, built around commonly used Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and DevOps tooling which can be used to create varied, reproducible datasets in a highly automated fashion. DACA acts as a versatile wrapper around existing virtualization technologies and can be used by blue as well as red teamers alike to run attack scenarios and generate datasets. These in turn can be used for tuning detection rules, for educational purposes or pushed into data processing pipelines for further analysis. To show DACA's effectiveness, DACA is used to create two extensive datasets examining covert DNS Tunnelling activity on which a detailed analysis is performed.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"107 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121261118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Fox, Arielle Stephenson, Christopher Stevens, Gregory Bowers
{"title":"Predictors of Human Efficiency in Radar Detection Tasks","authors":"Elizabeth Fox, Arielle Stephenson, Christopher Stevens, Gregory Bowers","doi":"10.34190/iccws.18.1.976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.18.1.976","url":null,"abstract":"Aegis operators simultaneously locate and monitor the activity of several hostile targets, intervening and alerting their team when appropriate. Utilizing the Aegis Combat System, operators find, track, and respond to dynamic targets on a radar screen. The demand that operators undergo is often high, inevitably causing strain on cognitive functions and detriments to performance. We applied model-based measures, Cost and Multitasking Throughput, to quantify the influence of external factors on processing efficiency in radar task(s). We captured the influence of three experimental manipulations, each of three levels, on human efficiency to track the location of hostiles and/or detect brief radar interference. We collected participants’ performance to complete a multiple object tracking (MOT) task and an electronic attack detection task (EA) using a radar display. A factorial manipulation of conditions comprised changes to task(s) (EA, MOT, or both), the number of targets to track (2, 4, or 6) and the presence or absence of distractors, deemed 'friendlies' (between 500-1000 total tracks). Our novel individual- and model-based approach provided quantitative estimates of human efficiency. We compared the observed variation in efficiency among predictors including target quantity, visual load, and the presence of one or two interrelated tasks. Through quantifying the relationship of these variables to radar detection tasks, we discuss implications of our findings and provide a framework to examine how system designers may develop tools to alleviate observed cognitive demands and/or counter potential threats of electronic attacks in radar detection and tracking tasks.","PeriodicalId":429427,"journal":{"name":"International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128911679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}