User Authentication Research Articles

A Review on Secure Outsourcing and Privacy-Preserving Traffic Monitoring in Fog-Enabled VANETs

New possibilities for fog-based vehicle monitoring have emerged with the expansion of fog computing, but present privacy concerns provide a significant barrier that limits the extent to which vehicles can participate. Because of its potential to improve road network security and vehicle productivity, the field of Vehicle-based Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) is gaining prominence. The security problems with VANETs, such as data confidentiality and message access control are still need better solutions to provide better Quality of Service (QoS). The effectiveness of VANET networks is diminished due to their instability problem. Vehicles continually add requests to the Road Side Unit (RSU) queue whenever they want specific information. For ever-evolving networks like VANETs, better routing is a continual process. Fundamental problems arise in large-scale systems when centralized procedures are used to assign jobs to the nodes along a route. The present centralized system for computing and safety has many needs, including the protection of data storage, user authentication, access control, system availability across multiple network connections, and the provision of a real-time data flow overview. Distributed problem solving and work sharing between multiple agents can improve the system's scalability. This paper provides a brief survey on the secured outsourcing and privacy preservation-based traffic monitoring model with routing and task scheduling models in Fog-enabled VANETS. This survey presents the limitations of the traditional models that help the researchers design new solutions for secure outsourcing in VANETs.

Design and implementation of anti-mapping security access technology based on illegal scanning

Abstract In the current field of information security, illegal network scanning activities are prevalent, and such behaviors are usually aimed at detecting security vulnerabilities in network systems and preparing for future attack activities. This study proposes a secure access system based on anti-mapping technology, which aims to effectively block illegal scanning behaviors while ensuring that the normal access of legitimate users is not affected. The system integrates advanced behavioral analysis algorithms that utilize machine learning techniques for deep learning and pattern recognition of network traffic, and is able to accurately distinguish between normal user activities and malicious scanning attempts. At the core of the system is a set of dynamic adaptive identification mechanisms that update the detection algorithms in real time to adapt to emerging scanning techniques and attack strategies by continuously learning from changes in network traffic. In addition, the system employs role-based access control (RBAC) policies to enhance the protection of sensitive resources. The Secure Access Gateway is deployed at the boundary of the network to monitor and filter all ingress traffic, effectively intercepting unauthorized scanning activities by comprehensively evaluating the source, behavior and frequency of traffic. Experimental results show that the proposed two-layer network structure performs well in detecting common threats such as port scanning, DDoS attacks, and SQL injections, with an accuracy rate of over 95%. Especially for complex and covert APT (advanced persistent threat) attacks, the system can significantly reduce the false alarm rate and effectively improve the detection speed. However, when dealing with some highly customized malware, the system's recognition ability still needs to be improved, which indicates that future research needs to focus more on enhancing the ability to learn and adapt to unknown threats.

Feasibility of Transformer Model for User Authentication Using Electromyogram Signals

Transformer models are widely used in natural language processing (NLP) and time-series data analysis. Applications of these models include prediction systems and hand gesture recognition using electromyogram (EMG) signals. However, in the case of time-series analysis, the models perform similarly to traditional networks, contrary to expectations. This study aimed to compare the performance of the transformer model and its various modified versions in terms of accuracy through a user authentication system using EMG signals, which exhibit significant variability and pose challenges in feature extraction. A Siamese network was employed to distinguish subtle differences in the EMG signals between users, using Euclidean distance. Data from 100 individuals were used to create a challenging scenario while ensuring accuracy. Three scenarios were considered: data preprocessing, integration with existing models, and the modification of the internal structure of the transformer model. The method that achieved the highest accuracy was the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM)–transformer approach. Based on this, a network was further constructed and optimized, resulting in a user authentication accuracy of 99.7% using EMG data from 100 individuals.

A Novel Cloud-Enabled Cyber Threat Hunting Platform for Evaluating the Cyber Risks Associated with Smart Health Ecosystems

The fast proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has dramatically altered healthcare, increasing the efficiency and efficacy of smart health ecosystems. However, this expansion has created substantial security risks, as cybercriminals increasingly target IoT devices in order to exploit their weaknesses and relay critical health information. The rising threat landscape poses serious concerns across various domains within healthcare, where the protection of patient information and the integrity of medical devices are paramount. Smart health systems, while offering numerous benefits, are particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks due to the integration of IoT devices and the vast amounts of data they generate. Healthcare providers, although unable to control the actions of cyber adversaries, can take proactive steps to secure their systems by adopting robust cybersecurity measures, such as strong user authentication, regular system updates, and the implementation of advanced security technologies. This research introduces a groundbreaking approach to addressing the cybersecurity challenges in smart health ecosystems through the deployment of a novel cloud-enabled cyber threat-hunting platform. This platform leverages deception technology, which involves creating decoys, traps, and false information to divert cybercriminals away from legitimate health data and systems. By using this innovative approach, the platform assesses the cyber risks associated with smart health systems, offering actionable recommendations to healthcare stakeholders on how to minimize cyber risks and enhance the security posture of IoT-enabled healthcare solutions. Overall, this pioneering research represents a significant advancement in safeguarding the increasingly interconnected world of smart health ecosystems, providing a promising strategy for defending against the escalating cyber threats faced by the healthcare industry.

AffectiVR: A Database for Periocular Identification and Valence and Arousal Evaluation in Virtual Reality

This study introduces AffectiVR, a dataset designed for periocular biometric authentication and emotion evaluation in virtual reality (VR) environments. To maximize immersion in VR environments, interactions must be seamless and natural, with unobtrusive authentication and emotion recognition technologies playing a crucial role. This study proposes a method for user authentication by utilizing periocular images captured by a camera attached to a VR headset. Existing datasets have lacked periocular images acquired in VR environments, limiting their practical application. To address this, periocular images were collected from 100 participants using the HTC Vive Pro and Pupil Labs infrared cameras in a VR environment. Participants also watched seven emotion-inducing videos, and emotional evaluations for each video were conducted. The final dataset comprises 1988 monocular videos and corresponding self-assessment manikin (SAM) evaluations for each experimental video. This study also presents a baseline study to evaluate the performance of biometric authentication using the collected dataset. A deep learning model was used to analyze the performance of biometric authentication based on periocular data collected in a VR environment, confirming the potential for implicit and continuous authentication. The high-resolution periocular images collected in this study provide valuable data not only for user authentication but also for emotion evaluation research. The dataset developed in this study can be used to enhance user immersion in VR environments and as a foundational resource for advancing emotion recognition and authentication technologies in fields such as education, therapy, and entertainment. This dataset offers new research opportunities for non-invasive continuous authentication and emotion recognition in VR environments, and it is expected to significantly contribute to the future development of related technologies.

FacekeyID: an adaptive weighted sum score-based fusion framework for continuous user authentication

FacekeyID: an adaptive weighted sum score-based fusion framework for continuous user authentication

EM-Rhythm: An Authentication Method for Heterogeneous IoT Devices

The popularity of IoT devices has penetrated our daily life while posing new challenges in user authentication. Today’s solutions, e.g., passwords, fingerprints, and FaceIDs, primarily rely on specialized sensors or user interfaces to collect user’s identification information, which may not universally exist on heterogeneous IoT devices. In this paper, we propose a novel user authentication method that exploits the EM emanations radiated from IoT devices. Our design is motivated by the observation that human touches on the IoT device can lead to time-varying coupling between these two. Consequently, it impacts the device’s EM emanations that can be picked up by its inertial ADC (analog-to-digital converter) interfaces. We ask the user to tap on the device rhythmically following a self-determined melody, such that the human-coupled EM emanations vary accordingly. We thus extract the rhythm pattern as the user’s secure password named EM-Rhythm . To examine its effectiveness, EM-Rhythm is implemented on a wide range of IoT devices. We show that our scheme achieves authentication accuracy as high as 98.67% with less than three login attempts. Besides, it is robust against various types of attacks and maintains stable performances under various settings. EM-Rhythm also exhibits satisfactory usability in terms of memorability and time consumption.

Decoupling Online Ride-Hailing Services: A Privacy Protection Scheme Based on Decentralized Identity

Online ride-hailing services have become a vital component of urban transportation worldwide due to their convenience and flexibility. However, the expansion of their user base has dramatically heightened the risks of user privacy information leakage. Among these risks, the privacy leakage problem caused by the direct correlation between user (driver and passenger) identity information and location-based ride information is of particular concern. This paper proposes a novel privacy protection scheme for ride-hailing services. In this scheme, decentralized identities are employed for user authentication, separating the identity registration service from the ride-hailing platform, thereby preventing the platform from obtaining user privacy data. The scheme also employs a fuzzy matching strategy based on location Points of Interest (POI) and a ciphertext-policy attribute-based hybrid encryption algorithm to hide the user’s precise location and restrict access to location information. Crucially, the scheme achieves the complete decoupling of identity registration services and location-based ride services on the ride-hailing platform, ensuring that users’ real identities and ride data cannot be directly associated, effectively protecting user privacy. Within the decoupled architecture, regulatory authorities are established to handle emergencies within ride-hailing services. Through simulation experiments and security analysis, this scheme is demonstrated to be both feasible and practical, providing a new privacy protection solution for the ride-hailing industry.

Data Mining Techniques used for Evaluation an Efficient DDoS Attack Detection System: A Deep-Learning Model

Developed recently to solve the shortcomings of traditional networks, software-defined networking is a new paradigm (SDN). Decoupling the control plane from the data plane, which is the SDN's core property, makes network management simpler and promotes effective programmability. The new design, on the other hand, is vulnerable to a number of attacks that could exhaust the system's resources and prohibit the SDN controller from offering services to authorized users. One of these threats, the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault is one that is gaining popularity. A DDoS assault has a severe negative effect on emphasize servers have no ability to access their network facilities as a result. accommodate legitimate users. We introduce DDoS Net, a DDoS attacks system for intrusion detection for SDN systems. Our approach is based on data mining software (Rapdiminer) and neural networks working along with auto encoders. As a result, we have a lot of faith in protecting these networks thanks to our methods. We assess the CICIDS 2019 dataset, which includes network behavior associated with DDoS threat and benign network activity, is publicly available, and satisfies certain requirements. It evaluates a variety of data mining algorithms' efficacy as well as internet usage characteristics to determine the best attributes for spotting the most typical assault kinds.

Cybersecurity behavior in the metaverse: opportunities, challenges and future trends for libraries

Purpose This study explores cybersecurity behavior in the metaverse, focusing on the opportunities, challenges and future trends for libraries. This study aims to assess the evolving threats in virtual environments and the role libraries play in addressing cybersecurity in these immersive digital spaces. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a narrative review approach, synthesizing existing literature on cybersecurity threats in the metaverse, vulnerabilities of metaverse platforms and user behavior risks. It also examines how libraries can mitigate these risks while leveraging metaverse technologies. Findings This study identifies significant cybersecurity risks in the metaverse, including data breaches, identity theft and virtual property theft. It also highlights the vulnerabilities of metaverse platforms, such as weak user authentication and system integration challenges. Moreover, user behavior – like weak passwords and susceptibility to social engineering – amplifies these risks. Libraries have an opportunity to enhance digital literacy and cybersecurity education but face technological and skill-based barriers. Originality/value This study provides a novel exploration of how libraries can address cybersecurity concerns in the metaverse. It highlights the importance of proactive measures and evolving technologies in ensuring a safe virtual experience.

Security-Aware Deadline Constraint Task Scheduling using Hybrid Optimization of Modified Flying Squirrel Genetic Chameleon Swarm Algorithm

Cloud computing enables cost-effective resource sharing in hybrid clouds to tackle the problem of insufficient resources by elastically scaling the service capability based on the users’ needs. However, task scheduling (TS) in cloud environments is challenging due to deadline-based performance and security constraints. To remove the existing drawbacks based on deadline and security constraints, a Security-Aware Deadline Constraint TS (SADCTS) approach is presented using a hybrid optimization algorithm of the Modified Flying Squirrel Genetic Chameleon Swarm Algorithm (MFSGCSA). The proposed MFSGCSA is developed by integrating the genetic operators into CSA and combining it with the modified Flying Squirrel Optimization (FSO) algorithm in which the position update and global search equations are enhanced by adaptive probability factor to reduce the local optimum problem. In this SADCTS approach, the task assignment process is modeled into an NP-hard problem concerning a multi-level security model using user authentication, integrity, and confidentiality. This maximizes tasks’ completion rate and decreases the resource costs to process tasks with different deadline limitations. The optimal schedule sequence is obtained by MFSGCSA, where tasks are scheduled concurrently based on security constraints, demand, and deadlines to improve the prominence of cost, energy, and makespan. Experiments are simulated using the CloudSim toolkit, and the comparative outcomes show that the suggested SADCTS approach reduced the makespan, cost, and energy by 5-20% more than the traditional methods. Thus, SADCTS provides less task violation of 0.0001%, high energy efficiency of 700GHz/W, high resource utilization of 92%, less cost efficiency of 72GHz/$, and less makespan of 480minutes to satisfy the necessary security and deadline requirements for TS in shared resource hybrid clouds.

Weighted naïve bayes multi-user classification for adaptive authentication

Abstract Machine learning classification algorithms have been extensively utilized in addressing user authentication challenges. Nonetheless, a majority of solutions categorize users into three classes, whereas adaptive authentication scenarios necessitate classification beyond this threshold. The rationale behind this limitation has not been thoroughly explored. The current study leveraged the Naive Bayes theorem for user authentication endeavors to assess the risk associated with login attempts. The Naive Bayes Machine Learning algorithm, along with its variations such as Gaussian, Categorical, and Bernoulli, was applied on both weighted and unweighted datasets to ascertain risk levels and categorize them into six classes. Additionally, the classification task was executed using alternative algorithms. The outcomes of cross-validation and comparative analyses revealed that the performance was commendable for up to three classes, after which a decrease was observed in certain Naive Bayes and SVM classifiers. Among the Naïve Bayes family, the Bernoulli NB algorithm exhibited superior performance but was surpassed by Decision Trees, SVM, XGB, and Random Forests. Notably, the weighted dataset consistently outperformed the unweighted counterpart, with the allocation of weights significantly influencing algorithmic efficacy. The 80:20 split strategy yielded the most favorable outcomes in contrast to the 70:30 and 60:40 splits, albeit no significant variances were detected during cross-validation. Non-Naïve Bayes algorithms demonstrated superior performance compared to Naïve Bayes algorithms. For Naïve Bayes, optimal performance is achieved with three classes, highlighting its utility in conditional risk calculation, while non-Naïve Bayes multi-classification algorithms are more suitable for classification tasks due to the problem’s inherent compatibility with conditional probabilities. In conclusion, it is imperative to acknowledge that the characteristics of the data, the use of weights, and the data splitting methodology significantly influence the accuracy of machine learning algorithms in multi-class user classification.

A Dynamic Selection Method for Touch-Based Continuous Authentication On Mobile Devices

Touch biometric is one of the promising modalities to realise continuous authentication (CA) on mobile devices by distinguishing between touch strokes performed by the legitimate and illegitimate users. While the benefit of the scheme is promising, the effectiveness of different classification methods is not thoroughly understood. Little consideration has been given to dynamic selection of classifiers. In this paper, we proposed a dynamic selection method to deal with the security and usability needs of touch-based CA. Instead of classifying all touch samples using the same classifier, the method classifies each touch sample using the most promising classifier(s) from a pool of classifiers based on a certain measure of competence. The classifiers that achieve the highest level of competence will be selected to perform the classification task. We compared the proposed method with other dynamic selection methods, well-known single classifiers, as well as static ensemble methods. The experimental results show the potential and feasibility of the proposed method to improve the authentication performance of touch-based CA against the benchmark methods. We found that the proposed method can produce promising results with relatively low equal error rate in many scenarios of the datasets, with relatively high consistency.

DT-Block: Adaptive vertical federated reinforcement learning scheme for secure and efficient communication in 6G

The necessities of security and data sharing have focused on federated learning because of using decentralized data sources. The existing works used federated learning for security, however, it still faces many challenges such as poor security and privacy, computational complexity, etc. In this research, we propose adaptive vertical federated learning using a reinforcement learning approach and blockchain. The proposed work includes three phases: user registration and authentication, machine learning-based client selection, and adaptive secure federated learning. Initially, all the users register their credentials to the cognitive agent, which generates a private key, public key, and random number using a Chaotic Isogenic Post Quantum Cryptography (CIPQC) algorithm. Second, optimal clients are selected for participating in federated learning which improves learning rate and reduces complexity. Here, optimal clients are selected by the Enhanced Multilayer Feed Forward Neural Network (EMFFN) algorithm by considering CSI, RSSI, bandwidth, energy, communication efficiency, and statistical efficiency. Finally, adaptive secure federated learning is performed by the Distributed Distributional Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (D4PG) algorithm, where the local models are adaptively used by the private strategy based on its sensitivity. The aggregated global models are stored in DT-block (dendrimer tree-based blockchain) which stores the data in a dendrimer tree structure for increasing scalability and reducing search time during data retrieval. The simulation of this research is conducted by NS-3.26 network simulator and the performance of the proposed DT-Block model is estimated based on various performance metrics such as accuracy, delay, loss, f1-score, and security strength this demonstrated that the suggested effort produced better results both in terms of quantitative and qualitative aspects.

Overview of Mobile Cloud Computing: Learning Prospects, an Essentiality to Realism of the Digital World

This paper has been worked on the relational significance of ‘Cloud Computing’ as a newer innovation of the digital world is a supportive system that enhancing the storage capacity of resources and data as needed by individuals who believes in its usage. Most effectively, the new concept ‘Cloud Computing’ has been designed to strengthen the network of communication transfer much faster and safer with more storage possibilities. The framework of this identity enables integrated systems to create a wider scenario of computer’s working space to equip effective processes of mobile cloud computing. The trends of this new technology is most favored among all groups of people and in different organizations as it provides security and privacy for the information stored. The paper explicates on the efficiency and efficacy of cloud computing with its potential usage. The necessity of such a service serves the background of necessity in the globalized digitized scenario. It also will investigate the current state of mobile cloud computing security and privacy, with a focus on the risks and vulnerabilities associated with this technology. It also discusses potential solutions and best practices for protecting mobile cloud users and their data that will give the asset to findings identified. This paper proposes several measures including secure communication protocols, strong authentication mechanisms, data encryption and user awareness with linked deliberation to education. In conclusion, it is clear that Cloud Computing is an innovative and evolving field and it requires a comprehensive approach to protect the users and their data for futurity which is the relevance to contribution from this paper.

Performance Analysis of Authentication System: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: Data authentication is vital nowadays, as the development of the internet and its applications allow users to have all-time data availability, attracting attention towards security and privacy and leading to authenticating legitimate users. Methods: We have diversified means to gain access to our accounts, like passwords, biometrics, and smartcards, even by merging two or more techniques or various factors of authentication. This paper presents a systematic literature review of papers published from 2010 to 2022 and gives an overview of all authentication techniques available in the market. Results: Our study provides a comprehensive overview of all three authentication techniques with all performance metrics (Accuracy, Equal Error Rate (EER), False Acceptance Rate (FAR)), security, privacy, memory requirements, and usability (Acceptability by user)) that will help one choose a perfect authentication technique for an application. Conclusion: In addition, the study also explores the performance of multimodal and multifactor authentication and the application areas of authentication.

Alumni Rating Index and Monitoring Dashboard Technology to Improve University’s Performance and Service Quality

Limited number of university ranking systems have considered the perspectives of alumni or individuals who have availed themselves of the educational programs or services provided by the institutions. In Malaysia, there is a lack of comprehensive rankings or assessments that primarily focus on assessing university performance through the lens of student experiences. In the absence of authentic user experiences, prospective students and other relevant parties commonly rely on conventional academic rankings such as the QS or THE to ascertain the quality of a university. The primary aims of this research endeavour encompass the identification of pivotal variables for the evaluation of higher learning institution’s performance, the creation of an alumni rating index, and the establishment of a performance monitoring tool utilizing dashboard technology. The goals are to enhance performance and service quality of institutions of higher education. The present study utilizes a quantitative research approach and centres its investigation on many cohorts of graduates originating from a prominent Malaysian university. A rigorous cluster sampling procedure was implemented. The assessment of alumni rating is conducted across twelve dimensions, with each component being evaluated using appropriate variables that enable the calculation of the desired index and facilitate the execution of intricate studies. The analytics that were performed and the alumni rating index that was calculated were subsequently shared with stakeholders through the use of an analytical dashboard. The dashboard was developed on user experience (UX) design principles. The evaluation of the produced dashboard is thereafter conducted by a group of stakeholders who have direct involvement in enhancing alumni engagement. The findings suggest that the university attained elevated ratings in the domains of social involvement, educational resources, and financial value. However, the scores for financial aid, student development, and student well-being were significantly lower. Despite the provision of various financial support, the respondents hold the belief that these forms of assistance are inadequate. The paper concludes by demonstrating the implementation of an alumni rating dashboard. The research is expected to facilitate the development of a localise university rankings and ratings, as well as informed policy-making efforts at the ministry level.

Covert Information Mapped Generalized Spatial and Direction Modulation toward Secure Wireless Transmission.

In this paper, for the sake of enhancing the security of wireless transmission, we proposed a novel system based on spatial and direction modulation (SDM) combined with generalized spatial modulation (GSM) which is aided by covert information mapping (CIM), termed as the CIM-GSDM system. In such a system, the legitimated user is equipped with distributed receivers so as to demodulate the conveyed signal by exploiting its indices while disturbing eavesdroppers for information security. More specifically, part of the information is modulated into the indices of the legitimated distributed receiver subsets with the aid of the mapped covert information and the interference matrix, while another part of the message is arranged by conventional amplitude-phase modulation. The proposed system can reap the benefits from both GSM and CIM to make eavesdropper suffer great mixture. Furthermore, the detection scheme and theoretical analysis of error performance are discussed as well. The simulation results exhibit that the bit error rate (BER) performance of legitimate user is much better than that of the eavesdropper while the proposed scheme improves the security compared to the original CIM-SDM system at the same spectral efficiency.

Analysis of authentication methods for full-stack applications and implementation of a web application with an integrated authentication system

The subject of research is methods and techniques for secure user authentication in web applications. The goal of the work is to analyse authentication methods and implement a web application with an authentication system integrating JWT tokens and the OAuth v2.0 standard. The article solves the tasks of analysis of the main protocols and methods of user authentication in web applications, implementation of authentication based on the OAuth 2.0 standard and JWT access/refresh token, and analysis of the risks of vulnerabilities and attacks for the implemented web applications. Methods used: comparison, empirical analysis, calculation methods. The next results have been obtained: analysed the protocols and methods of user authentication in web applications; selected authentication methods of JWT token and OAuth v2.0 standard for building modern web applications; created a web application based on the selected authentication methods in web applications; analysed the risks of vulnerabilities and attacks in web applications. Conclusions: The most well-known authentication methods for web applications are analyzed. It is established that most modern authentication methods have many disadvantages, which leads to increased risks when using these authentication methods. It is shown that one of the most reliable methods of web application user data security is the use of a combination of JWT Access/Refresh token and browser fingerprints. The implementation, configuration, and analysis of this methodology have shown that this combination provides the most reliable prevention of token theft and use from another computer. OAuth 2.0 authentication was also implemented. The study found that delegating authentication to services such as Facebook or Google can provide a low risk of attacks and vulnerabilities for a web application. It is noted that authentication using OAuth 2.0 can be compromised only at the beginning of the connection between the client and the server, or rather when the client first sends initial information from the browser fingerprints. This information is sent over the secure HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol, so the risk of compromising OAuth 2.0 authentication is low.

IoT-Based Women Safety Device

Abstract: Women's Safety has always been a major problem even in these modern times with a lot of advancements in technology. The existing system provides safety bands for women which can be activated either manually or automatically, but both options are not available leading to more chances of false alarms. The proposed system “IoT-based Women Safety Device” mainly focuses on providing a reliable, fast and very effective system for the safety of women. It provides a platform that will be actively available 24/7 for their help to avoid any unfortunate situations. The user can activate the device manually by pressing the activation button or automatically depending upon pulse rate and motion sensor value. On activation, the location of the user can be traced using the GPS module and alert messages will be sent to registered contacts using the GSM module. The mobile application remains connected to the Safety Device for User Authentication and storing user data in the Firebase real-time database.