IEEE International Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security

Abstract:Securing the sensitive data stored and accessed from mobile devices makes user authentication a problem of paramount importance. The tension between security and usability renders however the task of user authentication on mobile devices a challenging task. This paper introduces FAST (Fingergestures Authentication System using Touchscreen), a novel touchscreen based authentication approach on mobile devices. Besides extracting touch data from touchscreen equipped smartphones, FAST complements and validates this data using a digital sensor glove that we have built using off-the-shelf components. FAST leverages state-of-the-art classification algorithms to provide transparent and continuous mobile system protection. A notable feature is FAST 's continuous, user transparent post-login authentication. We use touch data collected from 40 users to show that FAST achieves a False Accept Rate (FAR) of 4.66% and False Reject Rate of 0.13% for the continuous post-login user authentication. The low FAR and FRR values indicate that FAST provides excellent post-login access security, without disturbing the honest mobile users.

Abstract:In this paper, we present the vision for an open, urban-scale wireless networking testbed, called CitySense, with the goal of supporting the development and evaluation of novel wireless systems that span an entire city. CitySense is currently under development and will consist of about 100 Linux-based embedded PCs outfitted with dual 802.11a/b/g radios and various sensors, mounted on buildings and streetlights across the city of Cambridge. CitySense takes its cue from citywide urban mesh networking projects, but will differ substantially in that nodes will be directly programmable by end users. The goal of CitySense is explicitly not to provide public Internet access, but rather to serve as a new kind of experimental apparatus for urban-scale distributed systems and networking research efforts. In this paper we motivate the need for CitySense and its potential to support a host of new research and application developments. We also outline the various engineering challenges of deploying such a testbed as well as the research challenges that we face when building and supporting such a system.

Abstract:This project demonstrates the feasibility of using cost- effective, flexible, and scalable sensor networks to address critical bottlenecks of the emergency response process. For years, emergency medical service providers conducted patient care by manually measuring vital signs, documenting assessments on paper, and communicating over handheld radios. When disasters occurred, the large numbers of casualties quickly and easily overwhelmed the responders. Collaboration with EMS and hospitals in the Baltimore Washington Metropolitan region prompted us to develop miTag (medical information tag), a cost- effective wireless sensor platform that automatically track patients throughout each step of the disaster response process, from disaster scenes, to ambulances, to hospitals. The miTag is a highly extensible platform that supports a variety of sensor add-ons - GPS, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, temperature, ECG - and relays data over a self-organizing wireless mesh network Scalability is the distinguishing characteristic of miTag: its wireless network scales across a wide range of network densities, from sparse hospital network deployments to very densely populated mass casualty sites. The miTag system is out-of-the-box operational and includes the following key technologies: 1) cost-effective sensor hardware, 2) self-organizing wireless network and 3) scalable server software that analyzes sensor data and delivers real-time updates to handheld devices and web portals. The system has evolved through multiple iterations of development and pilot deployments to become an effective patient monitoring solution. A pilot conducted with the Department of Homeland Security indicates miTags can increase the patient care capacity of responders in the field A pilot at Washington Hospital showed miTags are capable of reliably transmitting data inside radio-interference-rich critical care settings.

Abstract:Advances in technology for miniature electronic military equipment and systems have led to the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as the new weapons of war and tools used in various other areas UAVs can easily be controlled from a remote location They are being used for critical operations, including offensive, reconnaissance, surveillance and other civilian missions The need to secure these channels in a UAV system is one of the most important aspects of the security of this system because all information critical to the mission is sent through wireless communication channels It is well understood that loss of control over these systems to adversaries due to lack of security is a potential threat to national security In this paper various security threats to a UAV system is analyzed and a cyber-security threat model showing possible attack paths has been proposed This model will help designers and users of the UAV systems to understand the threat profile of the system so as to allow them to address various system vulnerabilities, identify high priority threats, and select mitigation techniques for these threats

Abstract:Since 2004, the DETER Cybersecurity Testbed Project has worked to create the necessary infrastructure — facilities, tools, and processes-to provide a national resource for experimentation in cyber security. The next generation of DETER envisions several conceptual advances in testbed design and experimental research methodology, targeting improved experimental validity, enhanced usability, and increased size, complexity, and diversity of experiments. This paper outlines the DETER project's status and current R&D directions.