Open Systems Interconnection Layers Research Articles

5G Security Challenges and Solutions: A Review by OSI Layers

The Fifth Generation of Communication Networks (5G) envisions a broader range of services compared to previous generations, supporting an increased number of use cases and applications. The broader application domain leads to increase in consumer use and, in turn, increased hacker activity. Due to this chain of events, strong and efficient security measures are required to create a secure and trusted environment for users. In this paper, we provide an objective overview of 5G security issues and the existing and newly proposed technologies designed to secure the 5G environment. We categorize security technologies using Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layers and, for each layer, we discuss vulnerabilities, threats, security solutions, challenges, gaps and open research issues. While we discuss all seven OSI layers, the most interesting findings are in layer one, the physical layer. In fact, compared to other layers, the physical layer between the base stations and users’ device presents increased opportunities for attacks such as eavesdropping and data fabrication. However, no single OSI layer can stand on its own to provide proper security. All layers in the 5G must work together, providing their own unique technology in an effort to ensure security and integrity for 5G data.

Pro-Active and Pre-Emptive Intelligent Network Management Strategies in Internet of Things

Whenever a user browses the internet, the content he sends or receives takes the form a Protocol Data Unit as packets according to the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) layers. These packets travel from the source to the destination through the path chosen by the routing protocols as OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol). OSPF is used for interior routing within an AS (Autonomous System) and BGP is used for exterior routing between two external AS. Some customers are dual-homed where they have connections to two AS with one as the primary and the other one as secondary. Such diversed enormous traffic generated by the end users and the Internet Service Providers (ISP) have to be efficiently managed and monitored for the purpose of billing, security, QoS (Quality of Service) and SLA(Service Level Agreement) parameters. Hence the existing routing algorithms need to provide intelligent routing. The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) generates the corresponding packets called SNMP traps. These specific packets are exchanged between the server and the appropriate interfaces of the routers when they are being polled. This polling technique generates a utilization graph which indicates the incoming and outgoing traffic at the core layer, distribution layer and access layer. The last mile traffic also has to be examined for checking the the bandwidth utilization. The traditional SNMP also has to incorporate the machine learning technique. This paper focuses on implementing intelligent network management in an Internet of Things environment.

Unified Communication Framework

The unified communication framework (UCF) is a unified network protocol and field programmable gate array core for high-speed serial interfaces employed in data acquisition systems. It provides up to 64 different communication channels via a single serial link. One channel is reserved for timing and trigger information, whereas the other channels can be used for slow control interfaces and data transmission. All channels except the timing are bidirectional and share network bandwidth according to assigned priority. The timing channel distributes messages with fixed and deterministic latency in one direction. In this regard, the protocol implementation is asymmetric. The precision of the timing channel is given by the jitter of the recovered clock and is typically in the order of 10–20 ps rms. The timing channel has highest priority and a slow control interface should use the second highest priority channel in order to avoid long delays due to high traffic on other channels. The framework supports point-to-point connections and starlike 1:n topologies for optical networks with a passive splitter. It always employs one of the connection parties as a master and the others as slaves. The starlike topology can be used for front ends with low data rates or pure time distribution systems. In this case, the master broadcasts information according to assigned priority, whereas the slaves communicate in a time sharing manner to the master. In the open systems interconnection layer model, the UCF can be classified as layers one to three, which includes the physical, the data, and the network layer.

Mathematical Bottom-to-Up Approach in Video Quality Estimation Based on PHY and MAC Parameters

This paper presents an extension of research scope of the relationship between quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE), which is based on contribution of lower open system interconnection layers, such as physical and media access control, in overall QoS/QoE paradigm. Degradations that inevitably occur in transmission channel are an important reason for appearance of QoS distortion and therefore low values of video quality. Various channel quality indicators (CQIs) relating to domain of communication channel can be used for notification of different interferences in the channel. In order to extend the relationship between QoS and QoE to the transmission channel, the paper proposed the mathematical model that used CQI to estimate values of QoS indicators by using statistical analysis. The model was also expanded by objective video quality metrics in order to evaluate QoE. Verification of the model was checked by experimental method with consideration of Internet protocol television (IPTV) service delivery in Digital Subscriber Line network.

Feature extraction and feature selection for classifying cyber traffic threats

Cyber networks frequently encounter amounts of network traffic too large to process real-time threat detection efficiently. This research examines combined classification and feature selection using the artificial neural network (ANN) for cyber network threat detection. Examined network traffic data was from the 2003–2007 and 2009 Department of Defense Cyber Defense Exercises (CDXs). Firstly, a feature extraction process is developed using Fullstats to extract 248 features from the CDX dataset. Security Onion is used to determine class labels (cyber attack and severity of attack). Various threat detection scenarios are considered in analyzing the data: threats versus no-threats, severity of threats (low, medium, and high) for known threats, and complete (no-threat, low, medium, and high). ANN signal-to-noise ratio feature selection was used to remove non-salient features and determine an appropriate level of dimensionality for classifying cyber attack and normal operating conditions. Considering the set of 248 features from the CDX data, consistent classification accuracy of 83–97% (testing/training sets) and 63–88% (validation sets) is seen until 18 features. Thus, a 90% data reduction is shown to be possible with negligible reduction in performance with additional insight into the source (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or Open Systems Interconnection layer) of salient features.

How and where the R&D takes place in creative industries? Digital investment strategies of the book publishing sector

ABSTRACTThe innovative and strategic models of creative industries (CIs) in the digital economy are capturing an increasing interest in recent years. Yet, most of the literature deals with creation and talent and very little with technological and innovation perspectives. Innovation is in general considered from a single viewpoint: a means to develop new creative contents. This article investigates an important issue that has been surprisingly neglected in scientific literature and public reports: the topic of R&D and technological innovations in CIs. The article characterises how and where R&D takes place in the book publishing industry. A systematic identification of R&D developments concerning e-book technology has been achieved using an original methodology set up to feature the technological strategic evolutions. The results provide a reliable cartography of the value chain through an adaptation of the open systems interconnection layers model. This framework helps to understand the new digital ecosystem of the book publishing sector and the strategies carried out by the editorial houses.

Performance Analysis of Cluster BasedProtocols in Sensor Networks and theirVulnerabilities

Wireless sensor networks as gained lots of impact in the real time applications like monitoring, surveillances and tracking. These applications are mainly rely on the collection of critical information where manual information collection is very difficult task. WSNs are more vulnerable to many types of threats, providing security will be very complex due to the resource constraint sensors. The proposed work aims to study and analyze the vulnerabilities and its effect on the performance of sensor networks in cluster based routing protocols. An exhaustive analysis is presented by captivating the standard clustering architecture with its different stage of operating modes. A comparison is done for with latest existing security solutions which mainly deal with cluster based protocols in wireless sensor networks. An Open Systems Interconnection layer wise comparison is presented with the possible vulnerabilities at each layer. This work also enlightens the literal need of security and its requirements in wireless sensor networks for an efficient information system

A multilayer non‐repudiation system: a Suite‐B approach

AbstractSecurity provisioning is an essential part in the design of any communication systems, which becomes more critical for wireless systems. The consideration and comparisons of security algorithms in various Open Systems Interconnection layers is a difficult task, because there are many performance metrics involved. The aim of this novel research article is to present research results for the design of a wireless system revolving around the practical and low‐cost implementation of Suite‐B algorithms in different layers. Suite‐B, promulgated by the National Security Agency, is a set of cryptographic algorithms, including non‐repudiation. The end results include the deployment of Suite‐B algorithms at the application, transport, and network layers and the protocol flow at each layer. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PSO based Cross Layer Optimization for Primary User selection in Cognitive Radios

In Cognitive Radio Networks, selection of primary users (PUs) is an important process for achieving optimal performance during a session. The selection process of PU is limited due to the strict boundaries between layers that are enforced in Open System Interconnection (OSI) model which prevent the coordination, interaction and data transfer between the layers. To overcome such limitations, cross layer optimization is proposed where different operating parameters such as transmission power, packet length, bandwidth etc. across the OSI layers of a device are optimized. In this paper Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed to optimize different operating parameters with the objective to optimize throughput, power consumption, interference, Bit Error Rate and spectral efficiency for a set of PUs across the physical, network and Media Access Control (MAC) layer in OSI model. The fitness values of these objective functions in different modes and channels are investigated using MATLAB and the results shows that PSO is 70% faster than the Genetic Algorithm in terms of convergence rate. Finally paper proposes that PSO based algorithm is an efficient, reliable and fast technique for primary user selection in cognitive radios.

Implementation of WirelessHART in the NS-2 simulator and validation of its correctness.

One of the first standards in the wireless sensor networks domain, WirelessHART (HART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer)), was introduced to address industrial process automation and control requirements. This standard can be used as a reference point to evaluate other wireless protocols in the domain of industrial monitoring and control. This makes it worthwhile to set up a reliable WirelessHART simulator in order to achieve that reference point in a relatively easy manner. Moreover, it offers an alternative to expensive testbeds for testing and evaluating the performance of WirelessHART. This paper explains our implementation of WirelessHART in the NS-2 network simulator. According to our knowledge, this is the first implementation that supports the WirelessHART network manager, as well as the whole stack (all OSI (Open Systems Interconnection model) layers) of the WirelessHART standard. It also explains our effort to validate the correctness of our implementation, namely through the validation of the implementation of the WirelessHART stack protocol and of the network manager. We use sniffed traffic from a real WirelessHART testbed installed in the Idrolab plant for these validations. This confirms the validity of our simulator. Empirical analysis shows that the simulated results are nearly comparable to the results obtained from real networks. We also demonstrate the versatility and usability of our implementation by providing some further evaluation results in diverse scenarios. For example, we evaluate the performance of the WirelessHART network by applying incremental interference in a multi-hop network.

Ad Hoc Networking Solutions

The decentralization of wireless networks to reduce the dependence on fixed infrastructures such as base stations has become the subject of vast interest in the past few years. In the future, this might form the backbone of general commercial mobile networks too. Such a system would be quite attractive for network operators and users alike, as it is inherently better suited to respond robustly to any unforeseen situation. At the same time, it does not require a fixed infrastructure that reduces both the setup and maintenance costs of a network. However, decentralization gives rise to various network setup and management issues on different open systems interconnection (OSI) layers. In this article, we present a few solutions, on different OSI layers, that provide a good end-to-end performance of such a scheme while ensuring that the network is decentralized and operates in a self-organized manner.

Application of wavelet-based RF fingerprinting to enhance wireless network security

This work continues a trend of developments aimed at exploiting the physical layer of the open systems interconnection (OSI) model to enhance wireless network security. The goal is to augment activity occurring across other OSI layers and provide improved safeguards against unauthorized access. Relative to intrusion detection and anti-spoofing, this paper provides details for a proof-of-concept investigation involving “air monitor” applications where physical equipment constraints are not overly restrictive. In this case, RF fingerprinting is emerging as a viable security measure for providing device-specific identification (manufacturer, model, and/or serial number). RF fingerprint features can be extracted from various regions of collected bursts, the detection of which has been extensively researched. Given reliable burst detection, the near-term challenge is to find robust fingerprint features to improve device distinguishability. This is addressed here using wavelet domain (WD) RF fingerprinting based on dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) features extracted from the non-transient preamble response of OFDM-based 802.11a signals. Intra-manufacturer classification performance is evaluated using four like-model Cisco devices with dissimilar serial numbers. WD fingerprinting effectiveness is demonstrated using Fisher-based multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) with maximum likelihood (ML) classification. The effects of varying channel SNR, burst detection error and dissimilar SNRs for MDA/ML training and classification are considered. Relative to time domain (TD) RF fingerprinting, WD fingerprinting with DT-CWT features emerged as the superior alternative for all scenarios at SNRs below 20 dB while achieving performance gains of up to 8 dB at 80% classification accuracy.

Cross-layer wireless multimedia transmission: challenges, principles, and new paradigms

Wireless networks are poised to enable a variety of existing and emerging multimedia streaming applications. As the use of wireless local area networks spreads beyond simple data transfer to bandwidth-intense, delay-sensitive, and loss-tolerant multimedia applications, addressing quality of service issues become extremely important. Currently, a multitude of protection and adaptation strategies exists in the different layers of the open systems interconnection (OSI) stack. Hence, an in-depth understanding and comparative evaluation of these strategies are necessary to effectively assess and enable the possible trade-offs in multimedia quality, power consumption, implementation complexity, and spectrum utilization that are provided by the various OSI layers. This further opens the question of cross-layer optimization and its effectiveness in providing an improved solution with respect to the above trade-offs. In this article we formalize the cross-layer problem, discuss its challenges, and present several possible solutions. Moreover, we also discuss the impact the cross-layer optimization strategy deployed at one station has on the multimedia performance of other stations. We introduce a new fairness concept for wireless multimedia systems that employs different cross-layer strategies, and show its advantages when compared to existing resource allocation mechanisms used in wireline communications. Finally, we propose a new paradigm for wireless communications based on competition, which allows wireless stations to harvest additional resources or free up resources as well as optimally and dynamically adapt their cross-layer transmission strategies to improve multimedia quality and/or power consumption.

Congestion controls in SS7 signaling networks

The descriptions of the various congestion-control functions for the common channel signaling system No. 7 (SS7), which are spread widely and piecemeal across the CCITT recommendations, are presented. The protocol architecture of SS7, structured according to Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) principles, is described. The message transfer part (MTP) provides the OSI Layer 1 and 2 services, plus part of the Layer 3 network service for the transmission of common channel signaling (CCS) message signal units (MSUs). The full Layer 3 service is provided by the addition of the signaling connection control part (SCCP) (designated Level 4 in the CCS functional model) in conjunction with the MTP. The SCCP provides an enhanced addressing capability over the MTP and enables connectionless services, and, if required, connection-oriented services. The user parts (UPs) make use of the MTP directly, although I5UP may make use of the SCCP for some services. Each UP defines a specific set of signal types to meet the signaling requirements of a user. >

A conformance tester for X.25 DTE implementations

The authors review briefly the testing architecture of ISO 9646, a standard for defining testing methodology and architecture for all of the ISO Open Systems Interconnection layers. They then describe the test systems of the US National Institute for Standards and Technology for both the link and packet layers, and, for vendors interfacing their data terminal equipment to DDN. They explain how conformance to the Defense Data Network (DDN) X.25 interface can be verified. They also discuss the possibility of porting the test system to other test equipment. >

Examination of the applicability of router and bridging techniques

Bridges are compared to routers from a number of perspectives. Routers are systems that interconnect networks based on information contained in layer 3, the networking layer, of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Bridges use layer 2 (data link layer) information to determine whether packets should be passed from one network to another. This type of interconnection strategy use node address data only and thus is independent of the protocol used for OSI layer 3 and above. Processing requirements of bridges and routers are compared, highlighting the more complex processing needs of the latter. The greater functionality and flexibility of routing, which accompanies this increased complexity, is discussed. In particular, the focus is on the ability of routers to interconnect different local area network techniques, deal with heavy traffic, and control topology. >

A temporal ordering specification of some session services

The achievement of widely accepted standards for Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) is closely tied to the ability of producing unambiguous and implementation independent specifications of related protocols and services. LOTOS, the L anguage f O r T emporal O rdering S pecification, is a Formal Description Technique (FDT) whose definition, though not completed, has already reached such a state as to allow trial specifications of rather sophisticated services and protocols. This paper explores the specification in LOTOS of some of the session services whose discussion is underway within various standardization bodies. Conciseness of specification is tried by adopting a few notational variants which are guessed to be useful at various OSI layers. The session services selected for this trial specification comprise the Basic Combined Subset (BCS) enriched with the Expedited Data service.

Some Methods for Providing OSI Transport in SNA

This paper is made up of three parts: first, a review of open systems interconnection (OSI) objectives, followed by a comparison/contrasting of OSI and systems network architecture (SNA) objectives; second, a description of techniques for providing communication between programs residing in systems based on different architectures; and third, the possible application of these techniques to the four lower OSI layers, demonstrating some ways which could be used to provide connectivity between SNA end users and other heterogeneous system end users through OSI protocols.