Defense Strategies Research Articles

Securing military computing with the blockchain

In an era defined by technological advancements and digital interconnectivity, securing military computing infrastructure is of paramount importance. The integration of blockchain technology has emerged as a potential solution to mitigate evolving cyberthreats, offering a decentralised and tamper-resistant framework. This article provides a comprehensive examination of blockchain’s capabilities, challenges and implications for defence strategies. Through a synthesis of relevant literature and case studies, it elucidates blockchain’s key principles, potential advantages in military settings, and its impact on data security and accountability. As militaries worldwide seek to protect sensitive information and critical systems, the integration of blockchain offers a promising avenue for bolstering security, contributing to the development of more robust defence systems in the digital age.

A bibliometric analysis of the of cybersecurity policy research

The cybersecurity policy is a fundamental framework for developing a robust defense strategy for an organization's digital landscape. It involves various critical steps, including classifying information based on sensitivity, implementing strict access control, encrypting data in transit and at rest, continuous security awareness training, an incident response plan for addressing security breaches, deploying network security measures such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems, and physical security protocols to protect data centers and infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions: How are articles on Cybersecurity Policy classified? What are the latest study trends in Cybersecurity Policy analysis? What are the most frequently published research topics? What are the potential areas for future research in Cybersecurity Policy analysis? This research used a quantitative-descriptive technique. This bibliometric analysis explores the extensive and dynamic domain of cybersecurity policy, examining academic outputs from various dimensions. Utilizing standardized methodologies, including Mendeley software, VOSviewer, and PoP, this study navigates the complex terrain of academic literature. The findings reveal major topics such as 'Cybersecurity policy,' 'Network security policy,' and 'Cybersecurity' emerge, illuminating both well-explored areas and less developed fields such as 'National cybersecurity' and 'Cyberspace.' These unexplored aspects present intriguing avenues for future research.

From Rhetoric to Reality: Lithuania’s Total Defence Response to Russian Threats

Abstract This research delves into Lithuania’s response to the perceived threat from Russia and the practical implementation of its total defence approach. Key political figures, including the President, Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence, and Chairman of the National Security and Defence Committee, are scrutinized using securitization theory. The study explores how these actors frame total defence as an urgent response to an existential threat and analyses both their discourse and tangible actions from 2020 onwards. Distinct approaches among political figures emerge, with the President prioritizing communication, the Minister of Defence emphasizing tangible improvements, and the Chairman of the NSDC acting as a driving force. Despite increased military spending, the involvement of society in national defence—integral to the total defence strategy—remains limited. Factors contributing to this limitation include unclear leadership, insincere rhetoric, bureaucratic obstacles, and the initial unpreparedness of the Armed Forces to integrate civilians. The study underscores the critical need for genuine commitment and leadership to achieve meaningful breakthroughs in Lithuania’s total defence approach. While politicians employ securitization and public discourse to align with public sentiment and present themselves as problem solvers, the actual progress in engaging the public and the private sector remains limited. The discrepancy between discourse and material implementation suggests that a more substantial commitment is essential for effective societal involvement in national defence, making it clear that symbolic gestures fall short of achieving impactful results in Lithuania’s total defence approach.

SWOT-TOWS ANALYSIS OF THE PANDEMIC STRATEGIES APPLIED IN ROMANIA BETWEEN 2020-2021

This paper outlines pandemic management strategies, focusing on effective health policy improvements in Romania. Utilizing SWOT and TOWS analysis, it develops attack, defense, adaptation, and survival strategies to mitigate threats, leverage strengths, address weaknesses, and maximize national benefits. Emphasizing early disease detection and non-pharmaceutical interventions as crucial in pandemic control, the study highlights the importance of high vaccination rates. It advocates for health crisis management through the innovation of existing policies and the introduction of new methods, demonstrating the efficacy of the SWOT-TOWS approach in global health policy development

Plant Defense Strategies and Biomarkers against Heavy Metal-Induced Stress: A Comprehensive Review

Plant Defense Strategies and Biomarkers against Heavy Metal-Induced Stress: A Comprehensive Review

Attack–Defense Confrontation Analysis and Optimal Defense Strategy Selection Using Hybrid Game Theoretic Methods

False data injection attacks are executed in the electricity markets of smart grid systems for financial benefits. The attackers can maximize their profits through modifying the estimated transmission power and changing the prices of market electricity. As a response, defenders need to minimize expected load losses and generator trips through load and power generation adjustments. The selection of strategies of the attacking and defending sides turns out to be a symmetric game process. This article proposes a hybrid game theory method for analyzing the attack–defense confrontation: firstly, a micro-grid-based power market model considering false data injection attacks is established using the Nash equilibrium method; secondly, the attack–defense game function is constructed and solved via the Stackelberg equilibrium algorithm. The Markov game algorithm and distributed learning algorithm are used to update equilibrium function; finally, a dynamic game behavior model of the two players is constructed through simulating the attack–defense probability. The evolutionary game method is used to select the optimal defense strategy for dynamic probability changes. Modified IEEE standard bus systems are illustrated to certify the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Devising an impactful religious moderation workshop for teachers and principals: The practice of Ice Berg analysis and U theory perspective

In the academic setting, teachers and school principals are often faced with the problem of identifying and developing strategies to strengthen the atmosphere of religious moderation. Unfortunately, resources for training and support are scarce. Our study presents the design and assessment of a religious moderation workshop utilizing the problem-based discussion method, supported by Ice Berg and U theory perspective analysis. This two-session workshop aims to bolster religious moderation among school personnel. During the initial session, attendees were presented with strategies to empower religious moderation and state defense. In the subsequent meeting, attendees were encouraged to engage in problem-solving exercises focused on acts and behaviors of intolerance. Not to mention, the educators and administrators have acquired content and pedagogical expertise regarding religious moderation and state defense, which can be applied in classroom and school settings. Additionally, participants expressed a positive belief that the training effectively exemplified the integration of character-building subject matter, religious moderation, state defense, and instructional strategies. As a result, the workshop for teachers and school principals was deemed successful and effective.

The Implementation of National Defense Policy: Understanding the Concept in the Millennial Era

Purpose: This research aims to comprehensively examine the implementation of national defense policy in the millennial era, explicitly focusing on the conceptual understanding within the framework of the National Defense program in the Republic of Indonesia. The study aims to shed light on the challenges and implications of the evolving threat landscape, globalization, and technological advancements, emphasizing the necessity for a strategic and well-utilized defense strategy. Theoretical Reference: This research is grounded in the theoretical framework of state defense, emphasizing its significance as a mindset and pattern of action aligned with the values of Pancasila. The study draws on the context of Indonesia's pluralistic and multicultural conditions, exploring how these factors contribute to the complexity of implementing state defense. The theoretical foundation is further supported by critical variables, including government leadership, the formation of reserve component blocks, and citizenship education, all crucial in shaping a robust national defense strategy. Method: This qualitative case study explores the implementation of state defense policies in the millennial era. Key aspects include assessing the government's role, National Defense program effectiveness, and community participation. Respondent selection involves stakeholders, ensuring diverse perspectives. Data collection comprises in-depth interviews and document analysis. Results and Conclusion: The results of this research highlight the intricate nature of implementing state defense in the millennial era, considering the challenges arising from globalization, technological advancements, and internal conflicts. The study underscores the importance of genuine role models among national leaders and stakeholders, especially in fostering a paternalistic culture for the younger generation. The conclusion emphasizes the constructive nature of defending the country as a strategy for maintaining national integrity and empowering the Republic of Indonesia in the face of evolving threats. Implications of research: The implications of this research extend to various sectors, including government policy-making, defense program development, and societal awareness. The study provides insights into the urgency of aligning government programs with the dynamic needs of the millennial era. Originality/value: This research uniquely explores the implementation of national defense policy in Indonesia's millennial era, integrating theory, qualitative analysis, and critical variables. It enriches the discourse on state defense by addressing challenges and opportunities in the evolving global and technological landscape. A valuable resource, it benefits scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.

A new method of dynamic network security analysis based on dynamic uncertain causality graph

In the context of cloud computing, network attackers usually exhibit complex, dynamic, and diverse behavior characteristics. Existing research methods, such as Bayesian attack graphs, lack evidence correlation and real-time reflection of the network attack events, and high computational complexity for attack analysis. To solve these problems, this study proposes a Dynamic Uncertain Causal Attack Graph (DUCAG) model and a Causal Chain-based Risk Probability Calculation (CCRP) algorithm. The DUCAG model is constructed to represent the uncertain underlying causalities among network attack events, and the CCRP algorithm aims at dynamically updating the causality weights among different network attack events and attacker hypotheses based on alarm information and causal chain reasoning process. By causality simplification and causality reasoning methods, the CCRP efficiently predicts the attacker behaviors and potential attack likelihood under uncertain time-varying attack situations, and is robust to the incompleteness and redundancy in alarm information. Four experiments under different attack scenarios demonstrate that, the DUCAG model can effectively characterize and predict the complex and uncertain attack causalities, in a manner of high time efficiency. The proposed method has application significance on cloud computing platforms by dynamically evaluating network security status, predicting the future behaviors of attackers, and assisting in adjusting network defense strategies.

Akıllı siber saldırılara karşı optimal savunma stratejileri

We propose a comprehensive game-theoretic model pertaining to the security of computer networks, specifically addressing the interaction between defenders and attackers. The model incorporates attack graphs to outline potential attacker strategies and defender responses. To account for the attacker's capacity to execute multiple attempts, we introduce a probabilistic element, wherein the success or failure at any arc of the attack graph is treated as stochastic. This characterization gives rise to a multi-stage stochastic network-interdiction problem. In this problem formulation, the defender strategically interdicts a set of arcs in anticipation of the likely actions of the attacker, who, in turn, can make multiple attempts to traverse the network. We mathematically articulate this scenario as a stochastic bilevel mixed-integer program with a "min-max" objective. The defender's aim is to minimize the probability of the attacker's success, while the attacker seeks to maximize the probability of successfully traversing the network across multiple attempts. The defender's stochastic bilevel optimization model is solved using the integer L-shaped method. Upon analyzing the defender's perspective, we observe the anticipated trend that the overall success probability of the attacker diminishes with an increasing level of defense. Notably, in the sensitivity analysis involving relatively small attack graphs, we discover that the optimal defense strategy against a myopic attacker often aligns with that against a non-myopic attacker. Furthermore, in instances where deviations exist, the disparity in performance is generally marginal. However, our findings demonstrate a potential divergence in optimal defense strategies when the available attack paths share numerous common arcs.

Unravelling the Transcriptional Response of Agaricus bisporus under Lecanicillium fungicola Infection.

Mushrooms are a nutritionally rich and sustainably-produced food with a growing global market. Agaricus bisporus accounts for 11% of the total world mushroom production and it is the dominant species cultivated in Europe. It faces threats from pathogens that cause important production losses, including the mycoparasite Lecanicillium fungicola, the causative agent of dry bubble disease. Through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), we determine the impact of L. fungicola infection on the transcription patterns of A. bisporus genes involved in key cellular processes. Notably, genes related to cell division, fruiting body development, and apoptosis exhibit dynamic transcriptional changes in response to infection. Furthermore, A. bisporus infected with L. fungicola were found to accumulate increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, the transcription levels of genes involved in the production and scavenging mechanisms of ROS were also increased, suggesting the involvement of changes to ROS homeostasis in response to L. fungicola infection. These findings identify potential links between enhanced cell proliferation, impaired fruiting body development, and ROS-mediated defence strategies during the A. bisporus (host)-L. fungicola (pathogen) interaction, and offer avenues for innovative disease control strategies and improved understanding of fungal pathogenesis.

A stochastic approach for modelling the in-vitro effect of osmotic stress on growth dynamics and persistent cell formation in Listeria monocytogenes

Persistent bacteria (or persisters) can be defined as a microbial subpopulation that, exposed to bactericidal treatment, is killed more slowly than the rest of the population they are part of. They stochastically originate in response to environmental stressors or spontaneously without external signals. When transferred into a fresh medium, persisters can resume active replication although they spend more time adapting to the new conditions remaining in the lag phase longer. They were studied for decades for their ability to survive antibiotic treatments while studies on their formation in food and potential impact on their safety are lacking. The most common food preservation techniques may act as stressors that trigger the formation of persistent bacteria able to survive bactericidal treatments and grow later in foods during storage. This study aimed to investigate a possible relationship between exposure to different salt concentrations (osmotic stress) and the amount of persisters triggered in a strain of Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, we described this phenomenon from a mathematical perspective through predictive microbiology models commonly used in the food field. The lag time distribution of a L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 strain grown in broth with additional 2 %, 4 % and 6 % NaCl was evaluated using the software ScanLag. It uses office scanners to automatically record the colony growth on agar plates and evaluate the frequency distribution of their appearance times (lag phase) by automated image analysis. The same broth cultures were diluted to equalize salt concentration and transferred into a fresh broth to evaluate how the previous salt exposure impacted their growth kinetics. The observed growth curves were reproduced using predictive models in which the mean duration of the lag phase of the whole population took into account the occurrence of persisters with a longer lag phase. The models were solved first using a deterministic approach and then a stochastic one introducing a stochastic term that mimics the variability of lag phase duration due to the persisters occurrence. Results showed that the growth of L. monocytogenes in broth with additional NaCl might trigger the formation of persistent cells whose number increased consistently with salt concentrations. The proposed predictive approach reproduced the observed real curves in strong agreement, especially through the stochastic resolution of the models. Persistence is currently a neglected bacterial defence strategy in the food sector but the persisters' formation during production cannot be excluded; therefore, further insights on the topic are certainly desirable.

Adversarial catoptric light: An effective, stealthy and robust physical‐world attack to DNNs

AbstractRecent studies have demonstrated that finely tuned deep neural networks (DNNs) are susceptible to adversarial attacks. Conventional physical attacks employ stickers as perturbations, achieving robust adversarial effects but compromising stealthiness. Recent innovations utilise light beams, such as lasers and projectors, for perturbation generation, allowing for stealthy physical attacks at the expense of robustness. In pursuit of implementing both stealthy and robust physical attacks, the authors present an adversarial catoptric light (AdvCL). This method leverages the natural phenomenon of catoptric light to generate perturbations that are both natural and stealthy. AdvCL first formalises the physical parameters of catoptric light and then optimises these parameters using a genetic algorithm to derive the most adversarial perturbation. Finally, the perturbations are deployed in the physical scene to execute stealthy and robust attacks. The proposed method is evaluated across three dimensions: effectiveness, stealthiness, and robustness. Quantitative results obtained in simulated environments demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method, achieving an attack success rate of 83.5%, surpassing the baseline. The authors utilise common catoptric light as a perturbation to enhance the method's stealthiness, rendering physical samples more natural in appearance. Robustness is affirmed by successfully attacking advanced DNNs with a success rate exceeding 80% in all cases. Additionally, the authors discuss defence strategies against AdvCL and introduce some light‐based physical attacks.

UNRAVELING RANSOMWARE IN THE DIGITAL BATTLEFIELD: THREAT ANALYSIS AND COUNTERMEASURES

Ransomware is a well-known form of malware known for causing severe and permanent damage to its targets. Timely identification of such attacks is important to mitigate the consequences of these attacks. According to Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), since 2021, ransomware attacks have grown 17% yearly. It is widely considered a major cybersecurity threat at individual and organizational levels. There are several techniques that organizations can use to manage ransomware, such as backup, network segmentation, HR education, endpoint protection, and advanced threat hunting. It’s worth noting that only some techniques are foolproof, and a comprehensive defense strategy often involves combining multiple techniques. Ransomware has been used in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, primarily by Russian-backed cybercriminal groups. These groups have targeted Ukrainian infrastructure and businesses with ransomware attacks, encrypting their victims’ data and demanding payment to unlock the data. These attacks have caused significant disruptions and financial losses for the targeted organizations. The paper aims to study the ransomware technique and summarize the most prominent threat actors involved in the war. We have chosen one of the well-known malwares,” HermeticRansom”, performed its thorough analysis and created a Yara rule for its detection.

Music as aposematic signal: predator defense strategies in early human evolution.

The article draws attention to a neglected key element of human evolutionary history-the defense strategies of hominins and early humans against predators. Possible reasons for this neglect are discussed, and the historical development of this field is outlined. Many human morphological and behavioral characteristics-musicality, sense of rhythm, use of dissonances, entrainment, bipedalism, long head hair, long legs, strong body odor, armpit hair, traditions of body painting and cannibalism-are explained as predator avoidance tactics of an aposematic (warning display) defense strategy. The article argues that the origins of human musical faculties should be studied in the wider context of an early, multimodal human defense strategy from predators.

Bacterial wilt affects the structure and assembly of microbial communities along the soil-root continuum

BackgroundBeneficial root-associated microbiomes play crucial roles in enhancing plant growth and suppressing pathogenic threats, and their application for defending against pathogens has garnered increasing attention. Nonetheless, the dynamics of microbiome assembly and defense mechanisms during pathogen invasion remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the diversity and assembly of microbial communities within four niches (bulk soils, rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere) under the influence of the bacterial plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum.ResultsOur results revealed that healthy tobacco plants exhibited more diverse community compositions and more robust co-occurrence networks in root-associated niches compared to diseased tobacco plants. Stochastic processes (dispersal limitation and drift), rather than determinism, dominated the assembly processes, with a higher impact of drift observed in diseased plants than in healthy ones. Furthermore, during the invasion of R. solanacearum, the abundance of Fusarium genera, a known potential pathogen of Fusarium wilt, significantly increased in diseased plants. Moreover, the response strategies of the microbiomes to pathogens in diseased and healthy plants diverged. Diseased microbiomes recruited beneficial microbial taxa, such as Streptomyces and Bacilli, to mount defenses against pathogens, with an increased presence of microbial taxa negatively correlated with the pathogen. Conversely, the potential defense strategies varied across niches in healthy plants, with significant enrichments of functional genes related to biofilm formation in the rhizoplane and antibiotic biosynthesis in the endosphere.ConclusionOur study revealed the varied community composition and assembly mechanism of microbial communities between healthy and diseased tobacco plants along the soil-root continuum, providing new insights into niche-specific defense mechanisms against pathogen invasions. These findings may underscore the potential utilization of different functional prebiotics to enhance plants’ ability to fend off pathogens.

Analyzing the Interplay between Energy Consumption and Military Expenditure: A Comparative Study of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan

This study examines the complex link between energy consumption and defense expenditures in Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan. Policymakers and stakeholders in these nations must understand the intricate interdependencies between energy consumption and defence expenditure. The study's conclusions help create energy and defence strategies that balance national security and sustainability. It also advances scholarly discussion on energy, security, and international affairs. This study compares energy usage and defence spending in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan. It offers a foundation for informed decision-making and future study in this field by revealing the complex relationships between these two aspects. The impacts of defence expenditures and causality analyses of oil and natural gas usage between the years 1992 and 2021 are investigated as part of the scope of this research. According to the results, it has been found that there is no link between defence expenditures and the consumption of oil and natural gas within the context of the Azerbaijani economy. This conclusion was reached based on the findings of the investigation. On the other hand, it has been shown that the utilisation of natural gas is the driving force behind the use of oil. When Turkey and Pakistan are compared, there is no correlation between their military spending, the amount of oil they use, and the amount of natural gas they utilise.

FLSG: A Novel Defense Strategy Against Inference Attacks in Vertical Federated Learning

FLSG: A Novel Defense Strategy Against Inference Attacks in Vertical Federated Learning

Psychological impairment in inflammatory bowel diseases: the key role of coping and defense mechanisms.

A comprehensive investigation of psychological features in chronic patients is very important for tailoring effective treatments. In this study we tested anxiety, depression, health related quality of life (HR-QoL), alexithymia, coping styles, and defense mechanisms, in eighty-four patients with Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Participants reported low to moderate HRQoL and anxiety, apart from alexithymia. Women experienced lower QoL and higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Coping and defense strategies were related to distress symptoms and QoL. Positive attitude and principalization, showed negative associations with depression, anxiety and alexithymia and were also found to be associated with mental health. CD patients used significantly more turning against objects (p=0.02) and projections (p=0.01) and UC patients used more reversal (p=0.04). Elderly women showed higher anxiety symptoms and lower perceived QoL. Multiple regression analysis revealed anxiety and depression were independently associated with QoL. Significant differences emerged in defense styles among CD and UC. CD participants used more maladaptive coping and defense styles which were related to mental distress, depression and anxiety, together with higher level of alexithymia. Findings suggest that psychological aspects play a key role in mental health in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases. A multi-integrated clinical strategy including psychotherapeutic interventions should be considered in treating CD and UC.

Analisis Implementasi Hankamrata di Indonesia ditinjau dari Aspek Anggaran Pertahanan Negara

Defense and security are the main elements of the sustainability of a sovereign state with a variety of strategies that will be applied in accordance with national and even international dynamics. In formulating defense and security policies, national vigilance becomes a reference for various threats that go back and forth. Indonesia, which adheres to the Universal People's Defense and Security System (SISHANKAMRATA), has developed short and long-term defense strategies with efforts to optimize defense resources both in terms of infrastructure and technological and management adjustments. One of the main elements in developing potential defense resources is the source of funds or budget. In allocating the defense budget, the main concern is the creation, maintenance and equipping of the armed forces. The purpose of writing this article focuses on the concept and implementation of the Universal People's Defense System (SISHANKAMRATA) in terms of state defense budget management. The research method used is a literature study. The results of the literature study show that it is important for the government to make defense force development plans through sufficient and balanced budget allocations to create reliable defense capabilities. The program must be implemented in a transparent and accountable manner so that the available budget can be utilized as efficiently as possible for a utilization of the importance of a concept of defending the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.