Robust Smart Research Articles

Cryptanalysis and improvement of a robust smart card secured authentication scheme on SIP using elliptic curve cryptography

The session initiation protocol (SIP) has been receiving a lot of attention to provide security in the Voice over IP (VoIP) in Internet and mobility management. Recently, Yeh et al. proposed a smart card-based authentication scheme for SIP using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). They claimed that their scheme is secure against known security attacks. However, in this paper, we indicate that Yeh et al.'s scheme is vulnerable to off-line password guessing attack, user impersonation attack and server impersonation attack, in the case that the smart card is stolen and the information stored in the smart card is disclosed. As a remedy, we also propose an improved smart card-based authentication scheme which not only conquers the security weaknesses of the related schemes but also provides a reduction in computational cost. The proposed scheme also provides the user anonymity and untraceability, and allows a user to change his/her password without informing the remote server. To show the security of our protocol, we prove its security the random oracle model.

Optimal subcarrier pairing for MRC in powerline/wireless diversity OFDM systems

In this paper, we consider the parallel use of powerline/wireless orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems for robust smart grid communication, where the powerline and wireless subcarriers are paired to perform maximal ratio combining (MRC). An optimal subcarrier pairing scheme is proposed to maximize the data rate for MRC reception in powerline/wireless diversity OFDM systems. We verify the performance enhancement of the proposed optimal subcarrier pairing scheme by varying the system and channel parameters. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme provides about 15–30Mbps of higher data rate, which corresponds to a capacity gain of about 5–22%, compared to the pairing scheme without specific intelligence. Performance improvement in terms of outage probability is also shown.

Cryptanalysis of robust smart card secured authentication scheme on SIP using elliptic curve cryptography

In 2014, Yeh et al. proposed a robust smart card secured authentication scheme on SIP using elliptic curve cryptography to conquer many forms of attacks in previous protocols. Yeh et al. claimed that their proposed protocol is more efficient than Diffie-Hellman’s concept authentication protocols for SIP and performs secured mutual authentication, which can be implemented on different real network environments such as VoIP. However, this paper points out that Yeh et al.’s protocol not only suffers from stolen smart card attack, but also does not provide perfect forward secrecy.

Robust password and smart card based authentication scheme with smart card revocation

User authentication scheme allows user and server to authenticate each other, and generates a session key for the subsequent communication. How to resist the password guessing attacks and smart card stolen attacks are two key problems for designing smart cart and password based user authentication scheme. In 2011, Li and Lee proposed a new smart cart and password based user authentication scheme with smart card revocation, and claimed that their scheme could be immunity to these attacks. In this paper, we show that Li and Lee’s scheme is vulnerable to off-line password guessing attack once the information stored in smart card is extracted, and it does not provide perfect forward secrecy. A robust user authentication scheme with smart card revocation is then proposed. We use a most popular and widely used formal verification tool ProVerif, which is based on applied pi calculus, to prove that the proposed scheme achieves security and authentication.

An electrochemically switched smart surface for peptide immobilization and conformation control.

We report an electrochemically switched smart surface for controlled peptide immobilization and conformation control. This dynamic surface is based on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) containing surface-bound trimethoxybenzene moieties, which can undergo electrochemically modulated surface activation to be stepwisely converted to two catechol derivatives. This new smart surface can be used to realize stepwise immobilization of a peptide, and more importantly, to control peptide conformation on a surface. We demonstrate herein that with one electrochemical activation step, a linear peptide containing an RGD sequence can be attached onto the SAMs. With the subsequence activation step, the attached linear RGD peptide can be converted into cyclic conformation. The SAMs bounded with linear and cyclic RGD exhibit different adhesion behaviors to fibroblasts cells. The reaction procedure can be well-monitored by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical surface enhanced Raman microscopy (EC-SERS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is believed this robust smart surface can find wide applications in surface immobilization of bioactive moieties.

Cryptanalysis and Improvement of a Robust Smart Card Authentication Scheme for Multi-server Architecture

A multi-server authentication scheme enables a remote user to access the services provided by multiple servers after registering with the registration center. Recently, Pippal et al. (Wirel Pers Commun 2013, doi: 10.1007/s11277-013-1039-6 ) introduced a robust smart card authentication scheme for multi-server architecture. They also illustrated that their scheme could be free from potential network attacks, and validated the scheme by using BAN logic. In this paper, by presenting concrete attacks, we demonstrate that Pippal et al.'s scheme can not withstand off-line password guessing attacks, impersonation attacks and privileged insider attacks. Furthermore, to overcome these attacks, we propose an improved authentication scheme for multi-server architecture using smart card and password. Security and efficiency analysis indicates that our scheme not only actually achieves intended security goals (e.g., two-factor authentication, perfect forward secrecy etc.), but also is efficient enough to be implemented for practical applications.

Analysis of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for the smart grid of Canada

The conventional electricity grids, which are supposed to supply the electricity to the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), need to adapt to overcome the problems of reliability, security, economics and environmental concerns. Accordingly, electric utilities in several countries are exploring the possibilities of implementing more robust interactive smart grids. This article analyses salient features of a smart grid in the Canadian perspective, and discusses PHEV and its role in the future smart grid. A simulation tool has been used to assess the impacts of charging of PHEV on the future electricity grid of Canada under different penetration rates. The article indicates the associated environmental benefits of PHEV.

Robust smart card secured authentication scheme on SIP using Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Recently, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been one of the more popular applications in Internet technology. For VoIP and other IP applications, issues surrounding Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) have received significant attention. SIP is a widely used signaling protocol and is capable of operating on Internet Telephony, typically using Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) digest authentication protocol. Authentication is becoming increasingly crucial because it accesses the server when a user asks to use SIP services. In this paper, we concentrate on the security flaws in the current SIP authentication procedure. We propose a secure ECC-based authentication mechanism to conquer many forms of attacks in previous schemes. By a sophisticated analysis of the security of the ECC-based protocol, we show that it is suitable for applications with higher security requirements.

A robust smart card‒based anonymous user authentication protocol for wireless communications

ABSTRACTAnonymous user authentication is an important but challenging task for wireless communications. In a recent paper, Das proposed a smart card‒based anonymous user authentication protocol for wireless communications. The scheme can protect user privacy and is believed to be secure against a range of network attacks even if the secret information stored in the smart card is compromised. In this paper, we reanalyze the security of Das' scheme, and show that the scheme is in fact insecure against impersonation attacks. We then propose a new smart card‒based anonymous user authentication protocol for wireless communications. Compared with the existing schemes, our protocol uses a different user authentication mechanism, which does not require different entities to maintain a synchronized clock. We show that the proposed new protocol can provide stronger security and better efficiency and scalability than previous schemes.

An enhanced smart card based remote user password authentication scheme

Smart card based password authentication is one of the simplest and efficient authentication mechanisms to ensure secure communication in insecure network environments. Recently, Chen et al. have pointed out the weaknesses of some password authentication schemes and proposed a robust smart card based remote user password authentication scheme to improve the security. As per their claims, their scheme is efficient and can ensure forward secrecy of the session key. However, we find that Chen et al.'s scheme cannot really ensure forward secrecy, and it cannot detect the wrong password in login phase. Besides, the password change phase of Chen et al.'s scheme is unfriendly and inefficient since the user has to communicate with the server to update his/her password. In this paper, we propose a modified smart card based remote user password authentication scheme to overcome the aforementioned weaknesses. The analysis shows that our proposed scheme is user friendly and more secure than other related schemes.

A survey of software engineering best practices for the development of smart applications in Ambient Intelligence

Over the past decade, the world of Ambient Intelligence and smart environments has brought us a wide variety of novel applications with potential for exhibiting sophisticated intelligent behavior. These applications are called smart because they can sense, anticipate and adapt themselves to the context, desires and intentions of their users. However, the unpredictability of human behavior, the unanticipated circumstances of execution and a growing heterogeneity of future operational environments impose significant development challenges if these innovative applications are to gain wide acceptance in our daily life. Therefore, applying well-established software engineering methodologies is a fundamental prerequisite for delivering high quality and robust smart software applications. This survey provides a illustrative presentation of software engineering best practices in the area of smart environments and Ambient Intelligence. The aim of this survey is not to explore and compare every possible related work in detail, but to offer insights into the latest developments in this domain and to further the research into the successful design, development and evaluation of Ambient Intelligence frameworks and applications. (This research is partially funded by the Interuniversity Attraction Poles Programme Belgian State, Belgian Science Policy, and by the Research Fund KU Leuven.)

Where are the Smart Investors? New Evidence of the Smart Money Effect

Prior research debates focus on whether investors are smart enough to invest in funds that subsequently outperform. This paper documents a robust smart money effect among small fund investors who invest in the top performing funds, even after controlling for the momentum factor argued by Sapp and Tiwari (2004). I further explore the reason for the smart money effect and find that such outperformance comes from the market timing ability of smart investors. Market timing ability distinguishes smart investors from investors who naively chase the winners.

Where are the smart investors? New evidence of the smart money effect

Abstract Previous research debates whether investors are smart enough to invest in funds that subsequently outperform. This paper documents a robust smart money effect among top-performing small fund investors, even after controlling for the momentum factor. I further explore the reason for the smart money effect and find that such outperformance comes from the market-timing ability of smart investors. Market-timing ability distinguishes smart investors from investors who naively chase the winners.

The Development of Robust Structural Health Monitoring Sensors Utilizing TRIP Steel

The feasibility of using the inherently smart properties of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels as a basis for low cost, robust smart structural health monitoring sensors has been investigated. These steels undergo an irreversible strain-induced phase transformation from paramagnetic austenite to ferromagnetic martensite. Specific needs were identified in the geotechnical industry, and a primary aim of the project was the development of a load cell based on this technology. Cast TRIP steel alloys were designed and tested for their transformation performance during deformation. The response of the phase transformation was also studied under various environmental and loading conditions. The inaccuracies accumulated under unknown environmental and loading conditions were found to be substantial but not excessive for some applications, where other characteristics such as cost and reliability are more important. Results point to potential methods for the reduction of the inaccuracies. Prototype load cells were built and tested, and one variation was installed in a suspension bridge.

Attacking smart card systems: Theory and practice

Smart card technology has evolved over the last few years following notable improvements in the underlying hardware and software platforms. Advanced smart card microprocessors, along with robust smart card operating systems and platforms, contribute towards a broader acceptance of the technology. These improvements have eliminated some of the traditional smart card security concerns. However, researchers and hackers are constantly looking for new issues and vulnerabilities. In this article we provide a brief overview of the main smart card attack categories and their corresponding countermeasures. We also provide examples of well-documented attacks on systems that use smart card technology (e.g. satellite TV, EMV, proximity identification) in an attempt to highlight the importance of the security of the overall system rather than just the smart card.

Which Money Is Smart? Mutual Fund Buys and Sells of Individual and Institutional Investors

ABSTRACTGruber (1996) and Zheng (1999) report that investors channel money toward mutual funds that subsequently perform well. Sapp and Tiwari (2004) find that this “smart money” effect no longer holds after controlling for stock return momentum. While prior work uses quarterly U.S. data, we employ a British data set of monthly fund inflows and outflows differentiated between individual and institutional investors. We document a robust smart money effect in the United Kingdom. The effect is caused by buying (but not selling) decisions of both individuals and institutions. Using monthly data available post‐1991 we show that money is comparably smart in the United States.

Robust Wideband Beamforming by the Hybrid Steepest Descent Method

This paper uses the hybrid steepest descent method (HSDM) to design robust smart antennas. Several design criteria as well as robustness are mathematically described by a finite collection of closed convex sets in a real Euclidean space. Desirable beamformers are defined as points of the generalized convex feasible set which is well defined even in the case of inconsistent design criteria. A quadratic cost function is formed by the correlations of the incoming data, and the HSDM constructs a point sequence that (strongly) converges to the (unique) minimizer of the cost function over the generalized convex feasible set. Numerical examples validate the proposed design.

Low-swing current mode logic (LSCML): A new logic style for secure and robust smart cards against power analysis attacks

A new logic style called low-swing current mode logic (LSCML) is presented. It features a dynamic and differential structure and a low-swing current mode operation. The LSCML logic style may be used for hardware implementation of secure smart cards against differential power analysis (DPA) attacks but also for implementation of self-timed circuits thanks to its self-timed operation. Electrical simulations of the Khazad S-box have been carried out in 0.13μm PD (partially depleted) SOI CMOS technology. For comparison purpose, the Khazad S-box was implemented with the LSCML logic and two other dynamic differential logic styles previously reported. Simulation results have shown an improved reduction of the data-dependent power signature when using LSCML circuits. Indeed the LSCML based Khazad S-box has shown a power consumption standard deviation more than two times smaller than the one in DyCML and almost two times smaller than the one in DDCVSL.