Trust Network Research Articles

Toward a modern secure network based on next-generation firewalls: recommendations and best practices

The security architecture of modern networks undergoes periodic changes, given (i) the diversity of security solutions, (ii) the emergence of new attack vectors, and (iii) corporate needs in terms of access control (ZTNA: Zero Trust Network Access). The complexity of setting up a secure infrastructure lies in the design of the network architecture, on the one hand, and the choice of configurations appropriate to the company’s security policy, on the other. Indeed, misconfiguration is considered a vulnerability, which makes the task of setting up a secure network somewhat critical, given the technical skills it requires. In this paper, we will address this problem by proposing a modern security architecture applied to all sizes of enterprises: medium-sized, large, and sometimes even small companies. Therefore, we will describe the equipment required and their roles in the security layer, the security technologies adopted, and best practices for optimal deployment. To evaluate our proposal, we generated malicious traffic using the firewall inspection tester based on the “fit.py” script to study the architecture’s resilience and behavior in the face of multiple attacks.

A double auction mechanism for virtual power plants based on blockchain sharding consensus and privacy preservation

Virtual power plants (VPPs) represent an effective way to aggregate various distributed energy resources (DERs) to participate in the double auction market. Currently, the surge in DERs and associated data poses great challenges to the trust and data privacy of VPPs. Blockchain technology has emerged as a solution to enhance both trust and security in a VPP network. However, the VPP blockchains suffer from inference attacks and limited throughput. To this end, this study proposes an innovative privacy-preserving VPP double auction mechanism that can effectively address the problems of scalability and privacy breaches in the existing methods. First, a proof of comprehensive energy ratio based on auction blockchain, which considers the renewable energy source ratio of VPPs, is established. Second, a sharding consensus strategy is designed to select mining nodes and validate transactions, boosting the efficiency and scalability of the blockchain during the auction. Third, the Rényi differential privacy and Dirichlet differential privacy are used separately to preserve sensitive data in the auction and consensus node election processes. The proposed method is verified by theoretical analysis and case studies, and the results demonstrate that the proposed model can improve the probability of mining rights and the income of VPPs with high renewable energy sources. Moreover, the privacy of VPPs can be preserved flexibly at a lower privacy cost by adjusting the privacy parameters. Finally, the computational efficiency of the auction blockchain is enhanced, and power consumption is saved by 54.64% on average.

Relational tactics and trust in high-risk activism: Anonymity, preexisting ties, and bonding in Hong Kong’s 2019–2020 protest

Trust, the belief that others will fulfill their expected obligations, is of vital importance to social movements. While most research focuses on how trust facilitates protests, this article examines how high-risk activism participants deploy various relational tactics to reduce uncertainties and risks. With an in-depth case study of Hong Kong’s protest movement in 2019–2020, this article finds anonymity, preexisting ties, and bonding are the three common responses. Across various interpersonal settings, participants strategize personal trust or minimize their risk exposure, finding ways to collaborate with strangers or acquaintances. Trust is more than a preexisting resource; it can also be created during movement mobilization. Trust enables protest participation, and it also aids in logistics provisioning, as well as sheltering and aftercare of activists. Finally, government repression has worked in part because it aims to undermine the trust networks built up during the movement.

Evaluation of The Role of Social Capital in the Tea Farmer Partnership System at PT. Pagilaran Afdeling Samigaluh Kulon Progo

Partnership is a form of cooperation that exists between two parties, where the relationship provides benefits to each other. Partnership cooperation is generally agreed in writing and includes clear rights and obligations between both parties. The commitment that occurs between both parties is the main key in the parthership system. In addition, the role of social capital in the form of trust, norms and social networks is also needed to support the sustainability of partnership, in this case tea farmers and PT. Pagilaran. This research aims to determine the tea farmer partnership system at PT. Pagilaran Afgdeling Samigaluh and find out the role of social capital in the tea farmer partnership system at PT. Pagilaran Afdeling Samigaluh. The method used in this reseach are survey and descriptive with a qualitative approach. The research results show that the partnership system thah exists between tea farmers and PT. Pagilaran Afdeling Samigaluh is a pure partnership system (buy and drop). Apart of that, social capital in the form of trust, norms and social networks in the partnership system between tea farmers and PT. Pagilaran Afdeling Samigaluh plays a very important role in maintaining the sustainability of the partnership and of course still pays attention to the rights and obligations of each parties.

The Relationship of Online Brand Community, Value Creation Practices, Brand Trust, and Brand Loyalty

Objective: Companies are realizing the potential of the online brand community to increase consumer relationships. Online Brand community keeps customers using the company's products through all community activities. This study investigates the effect of the activity in the online brand community on value co-creation practices to create brand trust and brand loyalty. Design/Methods/Approach: An online survey was conducted by distributing a questionnaire among 319 members of an online brand community. The collected data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Online brand communities influence value co-creation practices (social networking, community engagement, impression management, and brand use). In this study, social networking and impression management influence brand trust and brand loyalty. However, community engagement and brand use do not affect brand trust. The role of brand trust affects the creation of brand loyalty in online brand community members. Originality/Value: This study examines the effect of value co-creation practices in online brand communities on brand trust and brand loyalty in brand communities found in one country with a high collectivity level. Not all community value co-creation activities have the effect of creating brand trust due to conditions within the community. Practical/Policy implication: The practical implication is to guide marketers to pay attention to some value co-creation activities in online brand communities that can create brand trust in brand communities with a high culture of collectivity. Companies understand the dynamics of online brand communities and relevant strategies in high collectivity cultures, as well as leveraging the potential of social networks while overcoming the challenges posed by the abundance of information on the internet.

Initial programme theory development: The first step in a realist evaluation of a cross-sectoral intervention for expectant Danish parents living with psychosocial risks.

A distinct inequality in maternity care exists, and women with psychosocial risks are at a greater risk of adverse birth outcomes. In several high-income countries, a psychosocial risk assessment early in pregnancy is recommended so that expectant parents are offered an appropriate level of care which facilitates relevant, tailored interventions for those in need. In 2017, a cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary intervention for expectant parents with psychosocial risks was developed and implemented in the North Denmark Region. The development process of the intervention has not been reported and theory-based knowledge about how supportive interventions bring about change for expectant parents with psychosocial risks is scarce. Through the initial phase of a realist evaluation, we aimed to elicit key contexts and mechanisms of change regarding the intervention for expectant parents with psychosocial risks. Through an initial programme theory, this article illustrates how, for whom and in which contexts the intervention is intended to work. Data is comprised of intervention documents, 14 pilot observations and 29 realist interviews with key stakeholders. A thematic analytical approach inspired by retroductive thinking was applied to identify and analyse patterns related to the incentive of the intervention, its structure, intended outcomes, generative mechanisms and contextual matters. Generative mechanisms responsible for bringing about change in the intervention were identified as healthcare professionals' approach, continuity, trust, early intervention and social network. Cross-sectoral collaboration and healthcare professionals' competencies were assumed to be central stimulating contextual factors. The initial programme theory developed in this study will serve as the basis for further refinement via empirical testing in a later phase of the realist evaluation.

Penerapan Metode Theory of Planned Behavior Untuk Tingkat Kepercayaan Pelanggan Terhadap Minat Belanja Online

The rapid growth of e-commerce in Indonesia can motivate or encourage users to shop online. The theory of planned behavior is used as a research method to find out these reasons. The variables used in this study are attitudes towards behavior, social norms, and perceived behavioral control, which examine their impact on online trust. Likewise, testing the influence of perceived behavioral control on online purchasing intentions. The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between these variables and Palembang city consumers. The sample was 100 respondents who were internet users in the city of Palembang. Linear regression analysis is used as a data analysis technique. Observed behavioral control variables partially influence network trust. Similarly, perceived behavioral control and online trust influence online purchase intentions. After simultaneous testing, all variables were found to influence online trust and online purchasing intentions

The Role of Trust in Dependence Networks: A Case Study

In a world where the interconnection and interaction between human and artificial agents are continuously increasing, the dynamics of social bonds and dependence networks play a fundamental role. The core of our investigation revolves around the intricate interplay between dependence and trust within a hybrid society, populated by human and artificial agents. By means of a structural theory, this study offers valuable insights into the utilization of dependence networks and their impact on collaborative dynamics and resource management. Most notably, agents that leverage dependence, even at the cost of interacting with low-trustworthiness partners, achieve superior performance in resource-constrained environments. On the other hand, in contexts where the use of dependence is limited, the role of trust is emphasized. These findings underscore the significance of dependence networks and their practical implications in real-world contexts, offering useful practical implications in areas such as robotics, resource management, and collaboration among human and artificial agents.

Secure Enrollment Token Delivery Mechanism for Zero Trust Networks Using Blockchain

Zero Trust Networking (ZTN) is a security model where no default trust is given to entities in a network infrastructure. The first bastion of security for achieving ZTN is strong identity verification. Several standard methods for assuring a robust identity exist (E.g., OAuth2.0, OpenID Connect). These standards employ JSON Web Tokens (JWT) during the authentication process. However, the use of JWT for One Time Token (OTT) enrollment has a latent security issue. A third party can intercept a JWT, and the payload information can be exposed, revealing the details of the enrollment server. Furthermore, an intercepted JWT could be used for enrollment by an impersonator as long as the JWT remains active. Our proposed mechanism aims to secure the ownership of the OTT by including the JWT as encrypted metadata into a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). The mechanism uses the blockchain Public Key of the intended owner for encrypting the JWT. The blockchain assures the JWT ownership by mapping it to the intended owner's blockchain public address. Our proposed mechanism is applied to an emerging Zero Trust framework (OpenZiti) alongside a permissioned Ethereum blockchain using Hyperledger Besu. The Zero Trust Framework provides enrollment functionality. At the same time, our proposed mechanism based on blockchain and NFT assures the secure distribution of OTTs that is used for the enrollment of identities.

Managing inter-organizational trust and risk perceptions in transboundary fisheries governance networks

Transboundary fishery management represents a significant governance challenge that requires ongoing inter-organizational communication, collaboration, and collective action to ensure sustainability. Previous research suggests that different dimensions of perceived risk, trust, and control interact in complex ways to affect inter-organizational collaborative performance, providing an administrative ‘architecture’ that enables partners to share resources, engage in teamwork, resolve conflict, and coordinate tasks and responsibilities while also allaying their concerns about the alliance. However, the extent to which different control mechanisms influence trust and mitigate the perceived risks of collaboration between the diverse organizations involved in transboundary fisheries management remains unclear. This paper presents the quantitative results of survey research conducted in the Salish Sea of North America, an ecosystem spanning the Canada-US border between British Columbia and Washington State. The survey instrument operationalizes a multi-dimensional trust-control-risk framework considered suitable for studying inter-organizational natural resource management (NRM) networks. The findings support descriptions of the Salish Sea as having fewer nation-to-nation governing bodies resulting in a lack of effective formal controls, high perceived regulatory risk, and low procedural trust attributes that can negatively affect the collaborative performance of the fishery management network. This study represents the first quantitative analysis of the complex relationships between different inter-organizational management strategies, trust dimensions, and perceived risks in transboundary fisheries governance, and offers new directions for future research on NRM collaboration.

Markets and the Development of Social Trust in the Everyday Politics of North Korea: Chinese Entrepreneurs’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT The growth of markets in North Korea has spurred discussion about the prospects for social change in the country. This article explores whether and how marketisation increases social trust among market participants and its implications for everyday politics in North Korea. We draw insights from the literature on social trust as well as empirical evidence from interviews conducted with Chinese business entrepreneurs operating in North Korea to better understand the relationship between market activity and trust in North Korea. We argue that market participants rely on a variety of strategies to navigate North Korea’s ambiguous political and economic climate. These strategies are often adopted to increase transparency, access information, reduce uncertainty, and resolve business disputes between parties. Ultimately, each of these strategies is linked to building trust among North Koreans. At the same time, the North Korean state has also inserted itself into trust networks to extract additional resources from markets and (re)establish political control. Thus, in the everyday politics of North Korea, participation in informal markets reflects socialisation into norms and behaviours that increase trust while simultaneously providing support to the state.

Trust And Energy-Aware Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Secure Routing

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a network area that includes a large number of nodes and the ability of wireless transmission. WSNs are frequently employed for vital applications in which security and dependability are of utmost concern. The main objective of the proposed method is to design a WSN to maximize network longevity while minimizing power usage. In a WSN, trust management is employed to encourage node collaboration, which is crucial for achieving dependable transmission. In this research, a novel Trust and Energy Aware Routing Protocol (TEARP) in wireless sensors networks is proposed, which use blockchain technology to maintain the identity of the Sensor Nodes (SNs) and Aggregator Nodes (ANs). The proposed TEARP technique provides a thorough trust value for nodes based on their direct trust values and the filtering mechanisms generate the indirect trust values. Further, an enhanced threshold technique is employed to identify the most appropriate clustering heads based on dynamic changes in the extensive trust values and residual energy of the networks. Lastly, cluster heads should be routed in a secure manner using a Sand Cat Swarm Optimization Algorithm (SCSOA). The proposed method has been evaluated using specific parameters such as Network Lifetime, Residual Energy, Throughpu,t Packet Delivery Ratio, and Detection Accuracy respectively. The proposed TEARP method improves the network lifetime by 39.64%, 33.05%, and 27.16%, compared with Energy-efficient and Secure Routing (ESR), Multi-Objective nature-inspired algorithm based on Shuffled frog-leaping algorithm and Firefly Algorithm (MOSFA) , and Optimal Support Vector Machine (OSVM).

Generations, events, and social movement legacies: Unpacking social change in English football (1980-2023).

This article critically employs the case of association football in England, from 1980 to 2023, as a social movement timescape, to examine the political consciousness and long-term mobilisations of a generation of football supporter activists, and their capacity to influence politics, and respond to new, emerging, critical junctures, through networks of trust and shared memories of historical events. This is of crucial importance to sociology because it reveals the tensions between what are considered legitimate and illegitimate social practices which characterise contemporary society's moral economy. Focusing on temporal contestations over regulation, policing, governance and cultural rituals, the article deconstructs the role of generations in social movements, and critically synthesises relational-temporal sociology and classic and contemporary work on the sociology of generations, to show how legacy operates as a multifaceted maturing concept of power and time. In English football's neoliberal timescape, the supporters' movement has reached a critical juncture; the future will require a new generation of activists, to negotiate, resist and contest the new hegemonic politics of social control and supporter engagement.

Social Capital of Banjarese for Peatland Fire Mitigation: Combining of Local Wisdom and Environment

Repeated fires cause peatlands to degrade. Fire management has been carried out, but fires continue to occur, especially during the dry season. Through social capital that exists in the community based on the local wisdom of the Banjar people in environmental management, it is hoped that peatland fires can be overcome in this area. This research aims to analyze the social capital of the Banjar people in mitigating land fires based on local wisdom and the environment. The sample in this study was 250 people who live in an area prone to fires on peatlands in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. There are three variables in this study, namely Trust (T), Network (N), and Norm (N). There are 33 Likert scale questions (1–4, strongly agree-strongly disagree). We also conducted interviews with 20 members of the Fire Care Community (MPA) to obtain information about the social capital of the Banjar community in mitigating land fires. The analysis used is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study results show norms have the greatest influence on disaster mitigation of peatland fires compared to trust and social networks. Norms in the community in the form of values from peatlands, rules, norms, and sanctions regulate the community more to deal with the problem of peatland fires than trust and social networks

Social network trust relationship environment based advanced ovarian cancer treatment decision-making model: An approach based on linguistic information with experts’ multiple confidence levels

Advanced ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer in World. The survival rate is not significant, and it depends on how well cancer responds to treatment. Generally, the treatment decision depends on Gynecologic oncology experts, which treatment is best for the patient. However, a Gynecologic oncology expert’s limited rationality and personality traits strongly impact a patient’s treatment decision. In addition, according to the American Cancer Society, a patient’s treatment decision may change if Gynecologic oncology experts change. To solve this kind of medical problem, we design a group decision-making model (GDM) based on linguistic preference relations (LPRs) with multiple confidence levels like confidence and doubting levels of experts to analyse experts’ treatment decision opinions digitally for improving the survival rate of patients. In a GDM, consistency analysis and obtaining expert weights are two keys. Hence, this paper design an LPRs with confidence and doubting levels (LPRs-CDLs) based GDM model under a unique consistency improvement algorithm and Pythagorean linguistic trust relations social network analysis driven expert weight determination. First, we define the additive consistency of LPRs-CDLs based on minimum confidence and maximum doubting levels. Second, a consistency reaching process (CRP) algorithm with convergence theorem is offered to improve the consistency of experts’ opinion decisions. Third, develop a trust propagation model based on Pythagorean linguistic trust relations under a social network environment for expert’s weights determination. Then, a social network trust relationship-based GDM model with LPRs-CDLs information is presented to the advanced ovarian cancer patient’s treatment final decision. Finally, we show the rationality of this study with some comparative analysis.

FEATURES OF STUDENTS’ PERSONALITY TRUST IN COMMUNICATIVE NETWORK ACTIVITY

The article is devoted to the actual problem of personality trust of students in the conditions of network activity. The study of students’ personality trust in communicative network activity is of scientific significance due to the widespread inclusion of the Internet in life. Personality trust in the virtual world regulates human behavior. The aim of the study is to identify the features of students’ personality trust in communicative network activity.
 Methodology and methods of research. The article used research methods: theoretical, empirical, methods of mathematical processing of psychological data: Friedman’s Xr2–criterion, Mann-Whitney U-criterion, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Computer data processing was carried out using the software packages “Excel” and “IBM SPSS Statistics 21”. A set of the following methods was used: “Methodology for studying the trust/distrust of a person to the world, other people, and oneself” (A. B. Kupreichenko) (the authors introduced an additional construct “virtual world”); “Questionnaire for problematic use of social networks” (N.A. Sirota, D.V. Moskovchenko, V.M. Yaltonsky, A.V. Yaltonskaya); “Methodology for assessing involvement in the use of information and communication technologies” (A.N. Tatarko, E.V. Maklasova, Z.H. Lepshokova, V.N. Galyapina, M.V. Efremova, D.I. Dubrov, M.A. Bultseva, E. .V Bushina, A.A Mironova). The empirical base of the study consisted of 200 respondents: boys – 100 people, girls – 100 people. Average age 20,6 years.
 Results and scientific novelty. For the first time, the personality trust of students in communicative network activity is considered. As a result of the empirical study, conclusions were drawn that self-confidence prevails among students in the virtual world. A comparative analysis based on gender showed that girls trust other people online more than boys. Differences were found on the scales “Trust in other people”, “Compulsive use”, “Cognitive absorption”, “Committing economic actions”, “Smartphone use”. The analysis revealed significant relationships between the components of personality trust and communicative network activity. A high level of self-confidence reduces anxious mental return to virtuality, growing trust in other people contributes to a feeling of comfort and security in communication, and with demonstrated trust in the virtual world, the desire to regularly stay in it increases.
 Practical significance. The results obtained during the study of the characteristics of students’ personality trust in communicative network activity can be used to organize a digital educational environment and make practical recommendations for conducting training work in order to develop digital competence skills.

Dependence assessment in human reliability analysis based on cloud model and best-worst method

Dependence assessment, which is to assess the dependence level of human errors, is an essential part of human reliability analysis, which could be affected by the complexity and uncertainty of the real world. In this paper, a novel dependence assessment method based on cloud model and best-worst method (BWM) is proposed. Firstly, the influential factors used to measure the dependence level are identified. Then, the social network trust graph of different experts is constructed, and the weights of different experts are determined. Next, the cloud model is adopted to represent the linguistic judgments of experts, where the linguistic judgments are transferred into cloud models, and the assessments of different experts are combined. Finally, based on the dependence level of each factor, the final dependence assessment result is obtained. Two numerical examples are presented to show that the proposed method can effectively provide reliable assessment results under uncertainty. In conclusion, the proposed method provides a novel and effective way for dependence assessment in human reliability analysis.

A survey of security, privacy and trust issues in vehicular computation offloading and their solutions using blockchain.

Continuous improvement in transportation systems and smart vehicles' appearance make new highly intensive applications. Complex applications need high-performance capabilities, real-time responses, and generate massive amounts of data to process and exchange. This presents the idea of vehicular edge computing (VEC), which is proposed to handle complex applications and satisfy smart vehicle processing requirements. VEC enables computation offloading to an edge server to reduce communication latency, execution cost and energy consumption greatly. However, offloading to another node opens up new vulnerabilities regarding security and privacy. Moreover, trust issues in such an untrustworthy environment need an effective trust management solution and incentive mechanisms to improve overall security. This will increase the computation offloading success rate and the vehicles' willingness to share their resources. Particularly given the high transportability and heterogeneity of vehicular networks, the conventional security and trust management methods are inadequate. Blockchain, the rapidly emerging trend technology, is a unique solution that can help overcome security and privacy issues and meet trust management and incentive mechanism goals. Blockchain's immutable distributed ledger, traceability, consensus validation system and smart contract features can improve vehicular network security. Although most research is focused on enhancing the performance of computation offloading algorithms, blockchain security solutions in computation offloading scenarios are not fully discussed. Thus, security and trust issues related to computation offloading in VEC environments need more consideration since supporting the new complex vehicular applications is essential. Therefore, this paper provides a review of recent surveys and studies, an overview of VEC, computation offloading and blockchain, in addition to discussing security, privacy and trust in vehicular networks and computation offloading while considering blockchain as a distributed security solution. We propose a new paradigm called blockchain edge of vehicle (BEoV) at the end, which enables several blockchain-based security services for vehicular computation offloading in particular.

Exploring and envisioning the application of blockchain technology for privacy data protection

Addressing the issue of data leakage in social networks, this paper presents a classification of users' privacy information and introduces various personal data protection schemes utilizing blockchain technology. These schemes employ timestamp data storage within the blockchain, hash function anonymization techniques, and the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) asymmetric encryption algorithm for encrypting and digitally signing transmitted data files. This innovative blockchain-based approach effectively tackles privacy leakage concerns in social networks and sets a benchmark for research in data security and social network safety. In this article, we propose a unique blockchain-based data protection scheme, specifically designed for different types of privacy leaks. This innovative solution addresses the pervasive problem of privacy leaks in social networks. However, current methods require more computational power during data interaction, which may hinder performance. Future research will concentrate on optimizing blockchain computational efficiency, aiming to develop a more robust data privacy protection system for blockchain-based social networks. By enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of these privacy protection schemes, we hope to create a more secure environment for users to interact and share information on social platforms, ultimately fostering trust and confidence in digital social networks.

Sustainability of the local stakeholder network in semi-steppe rangelands in southern Iran

Sustainable land management (SLM) as a holistic method seeks to combine ecological values with socio-cultural and policy concepts, through which local populations play a significant role in achieving this management. Qasr Yaqoub village was selected for the present study, which is located in Safashahr city in Fars province, south of Iran. The common method of herding in Qasr Yaqoub village is participatory and in the form of assistance systems. Therefore, in order to have a comprehensive evaluation of the stability of the local stakeholder network in different dimensions of sustainability and social networks, two methods of indicators analysis including social network analysis (SNA) and sustainability barometer model (SBM) were used. The index values for trust and social cooperation ties among stakeholders in the local stakeholders' network in Qasr Yaqoub village, consisting of 42 individuals, were found to be 63.1% and 59.8%, respectively. These values indicate a stable density in the trust network and an average density in the cooperation network among stakeholders in the region. In addition, the social network index, which measures the extent of connections, is 1086 for trust and 1030 for social cooperation, both covering more than 50% of the expected ties. This signifies a significant level of interaction between stakeholders regarding relevant issues, facilitating the promotion of social cohesion in the study area. These findings highlight the positive dynamics within the stakeholder network, fostering trust, cooperation, and social cohesion in Qasr Yaqoub village. This study showed that the combination of network analysis and sustainability barometer model could be a useful tool in the sustainability analysis of local communities in rangeland ecosystems.