Security Practices Research Articles

The Digital Evolution Strategies for Overcoming Cybersecurity and Adoption Challenges in French SMEs

French Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face a crucial juncture in their path towards digital transformation. They encounter notable obstacles in embracing digital technologies and bolstering cybersecurity measures. This integrative literature review examines the complex relationship between digitalization and cybersecurity, highlighting their importance for enterprises' ongoing competitiveness and operational security. The study is focused on two primary areas: the integration of digital technologies and the establishment of robust cybersecurity frameworks. This review thoroughly examines existing research to offer strategic insights for leaders of French SMEs and IT policymakers. It employs rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria, detailed data extraction, and comprehensive synthesis to ensure a systematic analysis. The findings emphasize the critical roles of organizational culture and innovation diffusion in shaping the adoption of technology and the implementation of security practices. The review puts forward practical suggestions to address the digital divide, strengthen cybersecurity readiness, and promote a digital environment accessible to all sectors of French SMEs. These recommendations focus on enhancing operational efficiency, minimizing expenses, and fortifying the security framework to bolster a solid national digital transformation. The study's conclusions highlight the significance of these findings for future research and practice, providing a thorough guide for incorporating digital transformation and cybersecurity in the context of French SMEs.

The Role of Greenhouse Technology in Streamlining Crop Production

Greenhouse technology has revolutionized modern agriculture by enabling year-round crop production, optimizing resource utilization, and enhancing crop yields and quality. This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted role of greenhouse technology in streamlining crop production processes. It delves into the principles of greenhouse design, covering essential components such as structural materials, covering materials, and environmental control systems. The article discusses the advantages of greenhouse cultivation, including extended growing seasons, protection from adverse weather conditions, and reduced pest and disease pressure. It examines the use of advanced technologies like hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics in greenhouse systems, highlighting their potential for maximizing resource efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. The review also addresses the integration of precision agriculture techniques, such as sensors, automation, and data analytics, for optimizing greenhouse operations. Furthermore, it explores the economic aspects of greenhouse crop production, including initial investment costs, operational expenses, and market opportunities. The article emphasizes the importance of sustainable practices in greenhouse agriculture, focusing on energy conservation, water management, and waste reduction strategies. It also discusses the challenges associated with greenhouse technology adoption, such as high initial costs, technical complexity, and the need for skilled labor. Finally, the review concludes by outlining future research directions and the potential for greenhouse technology to contribute to global food security and sustainable agricultural practices.

Deterrence icons as status symbols: American forces in NATO’s eastern flank

How can a signal of extended deterrence, such as prepositioning of foreign military forces, signify status for the beneficiaries of the allied deterrence/reassurance chain? This article explores how the manifestation and communication of allied deterrence can concurrently constitute an affectively charged status symbol for the protégé states of this international security practice. It does so on the example of the Baltic states and Poland, probing the presence and functionality of the American forces as a status marker in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s eastern flank states after 2014. Engaging discourse analysis and expert interviews, the article shows (1) how the intersubjectively determined success of deterrence is dependent on historically potent symbols which have become emblematic of extended deterrence and (2) how deterrence icons can simultaneously serve as multifarious status symbols in intra-alliance politics. The self-identification of protégé states as worthy stakes to deter over emerges as an ambivalent status position defined by the shortage of attributes, rather than a function of their tally. The article contributes to the understanding of the symbolic form of (allied) deterrence and the multivocal status value ascribed to the American ‘boots on the ground’.

UNCANNY ACTIVITY DETECTION USING CCTV MONITORING

"Uncanny Activity Detection Using CCTV Monitoring" introduces an innovative approach to support public safety through the integration of Machine Learning (ML) in real-time monitoring. In the contemporary world, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance stands as a fundamental and highly effective security measure for various premises, including hospitals, malls, and universities. It serves as a widely recognized tool for preventing and detecting unwanted activities. However, envisioning an public space equipped with several CCTV cameras across multiple buildings presents a logistical challenge. The manual monitoring of events across this expansive network is practically impossible. Furthermore, searching for a specific event in recorded video footage, even after it has occurred, proves to be a time-consuming endeavor. This project addresses the need for an efficient solution to manage and analyze extensive CCTV footage in complex environments, optimizing security practices and response times. Keywords: Anomaly Detection, Deep Learning, Human Behavior Recognition.

СТАНОВЛЕНИЕ И РАЗВИТИЕ ПРАКТИК ИНИЦИАТИВНОГО БЮДЖЕТИРОВАНИЯ НА ПРИМЕРЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ СЕВЕРНАЯ ОСЕТИЯ-АЛАНИЯ

The paper is devoted to the analysis and assessment of the formation and development of proactive budgeting practices in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The practice of proactive budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which citizens can decide on the allocation and implementation of a portion of the state budget. The relevance of the research topic is due to the widespread use of proactive budgeting practices at the municipal level in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study is to analyze and assess the current state of proactive budgeting practices in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The research materials include federal laws, government regulations, data from official sources on the implementation of information security projects in the region and Russia, and the works of domestic authors on the formation and development of proactive budgeting. In the process of this issue research, general scientific methods were used: qualitative and quantitative methods, comparative analysis and structure analysis, special research methods in the form of system analysis and strategic planning. As a result of the study, the formation and development of proactive budgeting in the region was studied, the current level of information security development in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania was determined, arguments were given about the need to develop information security practices, and measures were proposed for the further stable development of initiative budgeting practices in the region.

Harmonizing tradition and climate resilience: traditional food practices for food security in the Himalayas

Harmonizing tradition and climate resilience: traditional food practices for food security in the Himalayas

ADVANCED CYBERSECURITY PROTOCOLS FOR SECURING DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN INDUSTRIAL AND HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS

The increasing digitalization of industrial and healthcare environments has heightened the importance of cybersecurity to protect sensitive data and ensure the integrity of data management systems. This article examines advanced cybersecurity protocols designed to address the unique challenges faced by these sectors. It explores various threats, including ransomware, phishing, and insider threats, as well as system vulnerabilities found in legacy systems, IoT and medical devices, and cloud computing. The implementation of robust security measures such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and intrusion detection systems is analyzed in depth. Through a comprehensive review of existing research and real-world case studies, including those of Maersk Line, Memorial Health System, and Norsk Hydro, this study provides insights into effective strategies for enhancing cybersecurity in industrial and healthcare settings. The findings highlight the critical role of these measures, alongside regular staff training and awareness programs, in safeguarding data management systems. By leveraging advanced technologies and proactive security practices, organizations can better protect their sensitive data against evolving cyber threats.

Enhancing Data Security with KeyGuardian: Application of Fernet for Digital Asset Protection

KeyGuardian is a pioneering command-line tool that bolsters digital security by offering functionalities for hash identification, encryption, and decryption. In an era plagued by data breaches and cyber threats, robust digital security measures are paramount. KeyGuardian recognizes the critical role of encryption in safeguarding sensitive information and empowers users with tools to secure their digital assets effectively. Developed using Python and leveraging external libraries, KeyGuardian stands out with its user-friendly interface that simplifies cryptographic operations, making them accessible to a broader audience and democratizing digital security practices. By incorporating advanced technologies and user-centric features, KeyGuardian enhances accessibility, convenience, and overall security, contributing to a more secure and privacy-conscious digital ecosystem. Key Words: digital security, command-line tool, cryptography, data protection, python, Hashlib, zlib

MULTI-BLOCK: A novel ML-based intrusion detection framework for SDN-enabled IoT networks using new pyramidal structure

The ever-expanding Internet of Things (IoT) landscape faces significant security challenges due to limitations in traffic monitoring, device heterogeneity, and weak security practices, leaving networks vulnerable to multi-target and coordinated attacks like large-scale botnets and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS). Existing intrusion detection systems can be computationally expensive and resource-intensive. This can be problematic for resource-constrained IoT devices with limited processing power, memory, and battery life. This paper proposes MULTI-BLOCK, a novel, multi-module framework that leverages machine learning, stateful P4 processing, and a Software-Defined Networking (SDN)-based multi-controller architecture. MULTI-BLOCK tackles critical management tasks within IoT networks, including synchronized communication, traffic monitoring, intrusion detection, and attack mitigation. This comprehensive framework comprises four modules. The first, the proposed pyramidal conceptually decentralized multi-controller structure (PCDMCS), introduces Decentralized Control Interfaces (DCIs) for real-time threat identification through a Decentralized Warning Conduit (DWC). The second module provides comprehensive network monitoring using P4-enabled 24-state tables. The third module leverages 30 new P4-extracted/calculated features and the Enhanced Weighted Ensemble Algorithm (EWEA) for enhanced anomaly detection. The final module presents a novel mitigation approach with 22 steps distributed across multiple controllers for scalability. Extensive evaluation using established IoT datasets (X-IIoTID, TON_IoT, and Edge-IIoTset) and diverse test scenarios (including single-victim and multi-victim attacks) demonstrates MULTI-BLOCK's exceptional performance, achieving high accuracy (99.75 %), precision (99.32 %), F1-score (99.53 %), recall (99.67 %), specificity (99.60 %), low false positive rates (FPR) (0.40 %), and low Average Detection Time (ADT) (2.11 ms). By offering a robust and adaptable solution against evolving threats, MULTI-BLOCK represents a significant advancement in IoT network security.

Implementasi Nilai-Nilai Kebangsaan Berbasis UUD 1945 Guna Mendukung Sistem Cyber Security Dalam Penggunaan Sistem Informasi Akademik (SIA) Di Institusi Perguruan Tinggi

Cyber Security for Higher Education Academic Information System (AIS) data is an increasingly important issue along with the increasing dependence of higher education on information technology. Students have their education data in the Academic Information System (AIS) which is owned by each campus. Campuses are obliged to give their students the right to privacy and the right to information. The right to privacy and limitations on the right to information include state protection of personal data. In this way, students have the right to receive protection for their personal data in the academic information system (AIS). This is regulated by the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945) and the Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP), which are an important foundation for regulations on data management and cyber security systems. This research uses a journal literature review method which aims to investigate the security threats faced by Academic Information System (AIS) data and to design effective protection strategies. The methods used include risk analysis, identification of system vulnerabilities, and development of appropriate security policies. The findings show that sensitive data such as student personal information and academic records are the main targets for attackers. Therefore, the need to implement security measures such as data encryption, use of double authentication, strict system monitoring, as well as training for information system users is very important. Through a policy analysis approach and literature study, this research aims to identify strategies and best practices in integrating national values into cyber security policies and practices. It is hoped that this research will provide an overview of the importance of national principles in terms of cyber security in higher education. It will also provide recommendations for institutions to improve academic information systems in accordance with the country's constitution.

Blockchain for HR Data Security

In today's digital landscape, organizations face an escalating threat of data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information. This vulnerability is particularly pronounced in Human Resources (HR) departments, where vast amounts of personal employee data are stored and managed. This paper delves into the potential of blockchain technology as a formidable solution for bolstering HR data security. By providing a comprehensive examination of blockchain principles, this research elucidates how the decentralized and immutable nature of blockchain can be leveraged to enhance the security of HR data. The paper explores various applications of blockchain within HR, such as secure employee record management, streamlined payroll processes, and verified credentialing. Additionally, it addresses the challenges and considerations associated with implementing blockchain technology in HR systems, including integration with existing infrastructure, scalability issues, and regulatory compliance. Through a detailed analysis, this research underscores the transformative impact blockchain can have on HR data security practices. It emphasizes how blockchain can ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of employee information, thereby fostering a more secure and trustworthy HR environment. Ultimately, this paper aims to provide valuable insights for HR professionals and organizations seeking to safeguard their data against the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.

The familialization of terrorism and the securitization of the family: gendered narratives of infantilization and demonization

AbstractThis article examines the recent proliferation of gendered narratives underpinning and shaping counter‐terrorism laws, policies, and practices. Looking specifically at the United Kingdom, there has been shift in the place of women and gender within international and national security discourses and practices, from historic absence to contemporary presence and influence. The article identifies and critiques some of the gendered and racialized tropes through which Muslim women involved in or associated with Islamist terrorism have been represented since the advent of the ‘War on Terror’. Gendered narratives that oscillate between infantilizing and demonizing Muslim women underline, and are manifested in, two particularly important shifts in the global counter‐terrorism landscape: the familialization of (Islamist) terrorism and the securitization of the (Muslim) family. These changes – which foreground the importance of the private realm in understanding and countering terrorism, and have turned the attention of the security state to the relationship between private intimacies and public threats – rest on gendered assumptions and have gendered implications. Their power is most clearly seen in the rhetoric of the family judiciary in cases that have recently emerged in the English family courts dealing with the radicalization of children and their construction of three discursive figures: the radicalized girl, the radicalized woman/wife, and the radicalized mother.

Voice assistants and U.S. consumer behavior: A comprehensive review: investigating the role and influence of voice-activated technologies on shopping habits and brand loyalty

This study provides a comprehensive review of the influence of voice-activated technologies, particularly voice assistants, on consumer behavior and brand loyalty in the United States. The primary objective is to understand how these emerging technologies are reshaping shopping habits and the dynamics of brand-consumer interactions. The methodology encompasses a thorough analysis of peer-reviewed academic journals, industry reports, and case studies, supplemented by secondary sources such as market analyses and news articles. Key findings reveal that voice assistants have induced a significant paradigm shift in consumer behavior, characterized by changes in purchasing patterns, decision-making processes, and brand interactions. The convenience and personalized experience offered by these technologies have led to increased impulse buying and brand experimentation. However, this shift is accompanied by challenges in data privacy and security. The study also highlights the rapid evolution of voice-activated consumer engagement, with advancements in AI and machine learning enhancing personalization and efficiency. Strategically, the study recommends that brands and retailers invest in voice search optimization, develop secure data practices, and collaborate with technology developers to create engaging consumer experiences. The study concludes that while voice assistants present substantial opportunities for enhanced consumer engagement, they also pose challenges that require careful navigation, particularly in maintaining consumer trust and ethical standards. Future research directions include exploring the long-term effects of voice-activated shopping on consumer loyalty and the impact of demographic factors on the adoption of voice assistants. Keywords: Voice Assistants, Consumer Behavior, Brand Loyalty, Voice-Activated Technologies.

Modeling the impact of measured and projected climate and management systems on agricultural fields: Surface runoff, soil moisture, and soil erosion.

As global climate change poses a challenge to crop production, it is imperative to prioritize effective adaptation of agricultural systems based on a scientific understanding of likely impacts. In this study, we applied an integrated watershed modeling framework to examine the impacts of projected climate on runoff, soil moisture, and soil erosion under different management systems in Central Oklahoma. The proposed model uses measured climate data and three downscaled ensembles from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) at the water resources and erosion watershed to understand the impact of climate change and various climate conditions under three management systems: (1) continuous winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) under conventional tillage (WW-CT; baseline system), (2) continuous winter wheat under no-till (WW-NT), and (3) cool and warm season forage cover crop mixes under no-till (CC-NT). The study indicates that the occurrence of agricultural drought is projected to increase while erosion rates will remain unchanged under the WW-CT. In contrast, climate simulations imposed on the WW-NT and CC-NT systems significantly reduce runoff and sediment while preserving soil moisture levels. Especially, implementing the CC-NT system can bolster food security and foster sustainable farming practices in Central Oklahoma in the face of a changing climate.

Fostering security-related citizenship through the employee-supervisor relationship: An examination of supervisor security embodiment

Organizational information security performance is increasingly dependent on employees’ security-related citizenship behaviors that stretch beyond the scope of formal organizational prescription and control. Unfortunately, cultivating enactment of these valued behaviors has proven challenging for many companies. The literature has recognized workplace relationships as important determinants of behavioral security outcomes and extra-role security behaviors (ERBs) in particular. Taken further, an employee's relationship with the immediate supervisor is recognized as one of the most influential relational factors shaping a variety of workplace behaviors, including those related to security. Consistent with these notions, scholars have called for making the employee-supervisor relationship a more central component of behavioral security research and practice. Currently however, beyond recognition of this relationship's importance, the knowledge base is unclear about how it shapes ERB enactment. Because employees view supervisors as both organizational agents and as individuals in their own rights, this relationship has the potential to drive productive or counterproductive security behaviors, depending on how aligned the supervisor's security values are with those of the organization. Yet, the security literature has given surprisingly little consideration to the notion that employees can differ in the extent to which they perceive supervisors as embodying organizational information security values. Responding to this gap, the current study examines how employee-supervisor relations and perceived security-related value alignment between supervisors and the broader organization shape employees’ commitment to organizational information security and ultimately, ERB enactment. Grounded in the social identity theory of leadership (SITL), a research model is developed that positions high-quality employee-supervisor exchange as a direct antecedent of affective commitment to organizational information security, which then serves as a central intrinsic motivational mechanism driving ERB enactment. Further, rooted in SITL's principles on leader prototypicality and supervisor organizational embodiment, employee-perceived value alignment between the immediate supervisor and the organization as a whole—referred to here as supervisor security embodiment (SSE)—is introduced as a critical boundary condition influencing the extent to which employee-supervisor relations drive commitment. Results from model testing empirically demonstrate the value of SSE in explicating how this important relationship shapes workplace ERB enactment, through its influence on affective commitment to organizational information security performance.

Natural farming negatively influences the growth of Sangyod Muang Phatthalung rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.) but not its grain production or quality in preliminary comparison to conventional farming

Sangyod Muang Phatthalung (SMP) rice is a great source of various nutritional ingredients, but it is only grown in chemical-dependent systems with synthetic fertilizers and insecticides. Farming practices for food security and environmental conservation in the paddy field are highly controversial, but most practices have focused on either chemical-dependent or organic farming. In this study, we compared the growth, yield, quality, phytochemical profiles, and data on grain elements (EDX associated with SEM analysis) of SMP rice along with its production costs when using natural farming (NF) [<i>Azolla</i> and leaf compost applied] with those when using conventional farming (CF) [chemical fertilizer use (18-8-8 and 46-0-0) and high dose fertilizer (HF) as recommended by the supplier (18-4-5, 20-8-20, and 15-15-15)]. Our data show negative results in terms of plant growth and positive results in terms of yield, physical grain qualities, chemical grain qualities, and chemical composition for SMP rice grown under a natural farming system. A total of six important inorganic elements were present in the kernel (C and O) and the aleurone layer (P, K, Mg, and S) of rice grain. This study claims a high performance for natural farming, based on rice yield and quality with decreased production costs and a possible increase in the market price of high-value rice. These findings have significant implications for applying natural farming practices in the context of food security and environmental conservation, without risk to farmers’ finances and health or the agroecosystem.

The Active Form of Security: Technology and the Material-aesthetic Script

How are socially and politically controversial security practices materially-technologically scripted into our lives in ever-deeper ways? This essay proposes that acts of aesthetic design are at the heart of that process and are being deployed by technology corporations to “smooth” the diffusion of security practices, discourses, and politics across global space. To substantiate that claim, we make three moves. First, we propose an understanding of the “script” that returns to the roots of the concept in theater and the arts. That understanding stresses that our material-technological enmeshing is governed strongly by aesthetic and affective factors that operate through forms of resonance (rather that reason). In consequence—we argue—much of the power of technology conglomerates is linked to their capacity to harness these aesthetico-affective resonances. Second, we demonstrate this through a case study focused on the material-aesthetic design activities of Google, teasing out how it deploys aesthetic practices to extend its sociopolitical power. Third, we speculatively conclude by introducing the architect Keller Easterling’s concept of “active form” to show how conceptualizing scripts in aesthetic terms also provides insights into how security practices are diffused across global contexts, irrelevant contextual sociopolitical differences, and seemingly without any limit.

Best practices in police personal security: A systematic review

Best practices in police personal security: A systematic review

Playing “mental judo”: Mapping staff compassion in Canadian federal prisons

Prisons are inherently emotional environments where both staff and prisoners engage in a continuous process of emotion management while working and living in carceral spaces. This paper explores how Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) values and norms shape how predominantly nonuniformed staff manage compassion inside the prison environment. This includes when and to whom they are allowed to express compassion, when they need to hide or suppress the expression of compassion, and how expressing compassion toward prisoners can elicit feelings of disgust among some staff. We argue that, in the emotional arena that is prison, compassion is (re)configured into an individualized and compulsory emotion by way of CSC's organizational emotion culture that emphasizes punishment and control (the security-care nexus) rather than a transformative act that helps to resist the harms of incarceration and encourages healing. Compassion thus becomes a disciplinary apparatus whereby staff self-discipline as they alter their own emotional orientation toward their work, prisoners, and other staff and as a practice to collectively surveil, evaluate, and regulate one another. We contend that compassion bound to questions and practices of security stifles rehabilitation in this environment and that health and other care work must be reintegrated into community settings.

Legal Protection of Consumer Personal Data In Online Loan Transactions

The financial sector, especially through online loan applications, has seen new opportunities thanks to technological advances, especially in the field of communications. Although online loans are easy to use, they also present risks regarding personal data security and unsafe lending practices. Along with the popularity of online loans, crimes in the digital world, such as data theft and misuse of information, are increasing. Although vulnerable to detrimental lending practices, especially illegal loans that have not been registered with the Financial Services Authority (OJK), people with low incomes see online loans as an attractive option. The aim of this research is to study how the protection of consumer personal data in online loan transactions is protected by law, especially considering the phenomenon of violations and unprofitable lending practices. This research examines how Law no. 27 of 2022 concerning Personal Data Protection (UU PDP) protects personal data and how it impacts borrowers socially and psychologically. This research shows regulatory and practical innovation in dealing with the problem of personal data leakage which is detrimental to consumers when borrowing money via the internet. Through regulatory analysis and case studies, this research is expected to provide insight into how effective personal data protection is in online loan transactions. Therefore, this research helps build better regulations and efforts that protect customers in the ever-growing era of online lending.