Use Of Cloud Services Research Articles

ОРГАНІЗАЦІЯ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО ТА ЗМІШАНОГО НАВЧАННЯ В ЗАКЛАДАХ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ ЗАСОБАМИ ХМАРНИХ СЕРВІСІВ

The article examines the theoretical and practical aspects of the application of cloud services in the process of IT training of students of higher education institutions during distance and mixed learning. In recent years, the national education system has faced a number of problems related to the organization of the educational process in the conditions of quarantine restrictions, military operations and the need to ensure the quality and availability of higher education. In particular, among the main activities of the teaching staff is the search for and effective use of modern technologies, methods and means of organizing distance and mixed forms of education. In today's realities, the distance and, later, the mixed form of education have become an integral part of the organization of the educational process of higher education institutions in Ukraine. Regardless of the specifics of the training of higher education applicants, training is, to varying degrees, based on the use of remote technologies and cloud services. There is a sufficient number of educational materials management systems (LCMS Moodle, ATutor, NEO LMS, etc.) and cloud services (Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, etc.) to support and organize the educational process. Among a large number of various systems and services, it is advisable to pay attention to the Microsoft Teams cloud service, as it is integrated with other Microsoft tools. An analysis of the functionality of the Microsoft Teams cloud service, which is the "core" of the virtual learning environment, was carried out. The advantages of its use are highlighted and the expediency of introducing cloud services into the educational process is substantiated. General approaches to the use of the Microsoft Teams cloud service are proposed, in particular, the organization and division of academic groups, methods of communication between participants in the educational process, methods of presenting methodical and educational materials, methods of evaluating the results of educational activities. According to the results of the research, it can be stated that the use of cloud services during distance and mixed learning can fully ensure the assimilation of the theoretical and practical aspects of computer science disciplines, regardless of certain problems in the self-organization of students. In our opinion, it is caused by the lack of direct student-teacher communication, which is obvious in the case of distance education.

DNS Tunnelling, Exfiltration and Detection over Cloud Environments

The domain name system (DNS) protocol is fundamental to the operation of the internet, however, in recent years various methodologies have been developed that enable DNS attacks on organisations. In the last few years, the increased use of cloud services by organisations has created further security challenges as cyber criminals use numerous methodologies to exploit cloud services, configurations and the DNS protocol. In this paper, two different DNS tunnelling methods, Iodine and DNScat, have been conducted in the cloud environment (Google and AWS) and positive results of exfiltration have been achieved under different firewall configurations. Detection of malicious use of DNS protocol can be a challenge for organisations with limited cybersecurity support and expertise. In this study, various DNS tunnelling detection techniques were utilised in a cloud environment to create an effective monitoring system with a reliable detection rate, low implementation cost, and ease of use for organisations with limited detection capabilities. The Elastic stack (an open-source framework) was used to configure a DNS monitoring system and to analyse the collected DNS logs. Furthermore, payload and traffic analysis techniques were implemented to identify different tunnelling methods. This cloud-based monitoring system offers various detection techniques that can be used for monitoring DNS activities of any network especially accessible to small organisations. Moreover, the Elastic stack is open-source and it has no limitation with regards to the data that can be uploaded daily.

Modeling of the process of providing telecommunication services in cloud systems

The topic discussed in this article is related to the efficient use of resources when providing telecommunications services in a cloud environment. Telecommunications companies pay special attention to testing and introducing new digital services, including data networks. And the use of cloud services is one of the promising tasks, the solution and integration of which with existing systems and equipment will significantly increase the efficiency of the devices involved in favor of expanding the range of services provided both in relation to telecommunication networks within the technological process and in the business management of the entire company. And taking into account the currently ongoing global project to organize a multi-service data transmission network and the widespread modernization of individual regions to organize a high-speed transport data transmission network, it will allow modeling and preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of the services provided in such communication networks at the current stage.

Безпека даних підприємства у хмарному середовищі: аналіз загроз

Wider use of cloud services leads to increased cyber attacks on data arrays in cloud storage. Ensuring privacy in the cloud comes at a cost, and businesses are willing to bear these costs for data security. However, there is still a high risk of data being tracked and stolen due to existing vulnerabilities in the Internet environment. The purpose of the article is to analyze threats to data in the cloud environment under conditions of uncertainty and to reveal their increase in the virtual IT infrastructure of the enterprise. The advantages and disadvantages of enterprises using cloud services for data storage were revealed. Considering the amount of financial losses and reputational risks, the issue of protecting networks and services in the cloud, especially when hosting confidential or secret information, is a priority for enterprises of all industries. According to Significant Cyber Incidents, cyber incidents against government, defence and high-tech companies in the world were analyzed during 2021-2022. It was found that the attacks were primarily aimed at critical infrastructure enterprises and government organizations. Analysis of data from the Future Risk Report 2022 shows that climate change, geopolitical tensions, cyber security risks, and energy risks will remain the most significant risks over the next decade. It was revealed that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of attacks on Ukrainian enterprises of critical infrastructure and the telecommunications sphere has increased significantly. This shows that hacker attacks are one of the tools of hybrid warfare, capable of causing significant damage to the country's economy. The revealed trend in Ukraine confirms the predictions of international experts that cyber threats will grow in conditions of uncertainty and geopolitical instability. The article provides a chronology of massive cyberattacks on Ukrainian enterprises and organizations in the IT sphere over the past two years. It was determined that the means of reducing risks in the field of cyber security, which lead to the saving of costs of enterprises for data security, are the tools of artificial intelligence of security and further automation of threat identification. Thus, cyber security becomes an integral component in ensuring the full functioning of the enterprise, and the ways and means of its achievement require further research.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises’ Perceptions of the Use of Cloud Services

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises’ Perceptions of the Use of Cloud Services

ФАКТОРЫ, ПРЕПЯТСТВУЮЩИЕ И СПОСОБСТВУЮЩИЕ РАЗВИТИЮ ЦИФРОВОЙ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЙ СРЕДЫ

Statement of the problem. The article actualizes the problem of the need to model digital educational environment. The problem is determined by several aspects at once, which can be identified as trends of the last two years. The main trend is the development of forms of education, the forced transition to distance learning, including secondary school. If earlier, distance education was widely spread in higher educational institutions, educational organizations of vocational education, then in recent years it has also entered general education schools. The purpose of this article is to identify the need to model digital educational environment based on the use of cloud services. The relevance of the topic and the need for its development and adjustment by practice, allow us to speak about the insufficiency of developments in terms of modeling digital educational environment in secondary schools. The methodology of the research consists of analysis and generalization of open statistical and sociological research, experience of working with teachers of educational institutions during the period of Covid-19 restrictions, scientific works of Russian and foreign specialists in the field of management of educational institutions. Research results. On the basis of the activity and competence approaches, the need is revealed to develop the education personnel potential in parallel with the development of digital educational environment. Conclusion. The model of digital space of an educational institution presented in the article does not claim to be complete. The main idea of modeling is the need to develop organizational, technical, technological, human, social, and pedagogical conditions for adapting the educational environment to environmental conditions and risk factors. The proposed project of the model of educational digital environment for a secondary school assumes group interaction, a high level of competence in the field of design, in the field of ICT, in the field of pedagogy and education.

Enhancing the cloud security using side channel attack free QKD with entangled fuzzy logic

As technology advances, it becomes easier to share large amounts of data over the internet. Cloud computing is one of the technologies that allows for easy data sharing over the internet. It is critical to provide security for this data when they are being shared across the internet. The security of data saved in cloud storage, as well as data transport and transmitting a key required to encrypt data between two parties, has been a source of concern for the industry, as a result of the growing use of cloud services in recent years. Collective attacks are significantly more powerful than individual strikes, according to our research. Despite the fact that additional research works were studied in the previous literature review, there are some study concerns for not correcting third-party data hacking. Therefore, this paper focuses on the design of Secured Quantum Key Distribution (SQKD) with Fuzzy logic to improve the security of the shared key. Quantum Key Distribution, Post Quantum Key Distribution, and the EPR Proto-col are technologies that increase the security of data sharing. We have incorporated the Secured Quantum Key Distribution (SQKD) with Fuzzy logic in our proposed work to improve the security of the shared key. The proposed systems include some additional characteristics in addition to the existing approaches. The proposed model uses shifting algorithms and the fuzzification procedure to assure the security of the secret key in the Fuzzification of Quantum Key approach. The experimental results states that the mean value of security losses in SFQ is 1.8306051, and the mean value of QKD is 14.6448416, with standard deviations of 1.7329 and 13.863 for SFQ and QKD, respectively.

Financial innovations as assets protection tool

The consequences of long-term strict quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the military actions caused by the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, led to the deepening of disparities in all sectors of the Ukrainian economy. Furthermore, the paradigm of economic relations proved the effectiveness of their reconstruction and ensuring further sustainable development based on the principles of innovation. It is the financial sphere that is able to implement the tools of innovative development most quickly and at the lowest cost while simultaneously complying with the conditions for minimizing financial risks. That is why we consider it necessary to define clear vectors of innovative development in the financial sphere, aimed at minimizing financial risks, protecting assets and financial instruments, ensuring smooth operation of all links in the financial system. The study of the components of the financial policy in our state, in particular the tax and currency policy, proved the absence of actual scientifically based recommendations regarding rational strategies of action in the extreme conditions in which Ukraine is and which indirectly indicates certain negative trends in the quality of the management of the state's financial system. Positive trends of innovative development are observed in the banking system that protects the owners and clients of banks from a significant part of the risks. Among such measures, the transfer of servers of one of the leading Ukrainian state banks abroad and the active use of cloud services should be outlined. The innovative set of tools that made it possible to preserve the stability of the financial system during hostilities are payment tools based on modern information technologies: payment cards, banking mobile applications, POS terminals at retail outlets, cryptocurrencies. Under the current conditions, cryptocurrencies are turning into a powerful and convenient innovative financial instrument. The main advantages of cryptocurrencies are defined as preservation of financial assets, ability to relieve tension significantly from the foreign exchange market; efficiency in the organization of cash flows and financial settlements on a regional and global scale. The following are identified as the main problems of using cryptocurrencies: high volatility of cryptocurrencies; lack of widespread practice of using cryptocurrencies in business transactions; the probability of an increase in the cost of transactions and exchange rate risks in comparison with traditional financial and monetary instruments; limited distribution of cryptocurrencies in Ukraine in the corporate sector, small and medium-sized businesses due to imperfect regulation by the state, and the financial system. Keywords: financial innovations, financial assets, minimization of financial risks, financial instruments, cryptocurrencies

Fast keyword search over encrypted data with short ciphertext in clouds

Nowadays, it is convenient for people to store their data on clouds. To protect the privacy, people tend to encrypt their data before uploading them to clouds. Due to the widespread use of cloud services, public key searchable encryption is necessary for users to search the encrypted files efficiently and correctly. However, the existing public key searchable encryption schemes supporting monotonic queries suffer from either infeasibility in keyword testing or inefficiency such as heavy computing cost of testing, large size of ciphertext or trapdoor, and so on. In this work, we first propose a novel and efficient anonymous key-policy attribute-based encryption (KP-ABE). Then by applying Shen et al.’s generic construction to the proposed anonymous KP-ABE, we obtain an efficient and expressive public key searchable encryption, which to the best of our knowledge achieves the best performance in testing among the existing such schemes. Only 2 pairings are needed in testing. By applying our searchable encryption, one is able to expressively and efficiently search their encrypted data on clouds, without leaking the keyword information. Besides, we also implement our scheme and others with Python for comparing the performance. From the implementation results, our scheme owns the best performance on testing, and the size of ciphertexts and trapdoors are smaller than most of the existing schemes.

Factors influencing the implementation of cloud accounting: evidence from small and medium enterprises in Oman

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of cloud accounting (CA) in Oman’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The research model is developed based on relationships between technology, organisational and environmental contexts.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a questionnaire to collect data from a sample of SMEs in Oman’s information and communication sector. In total, 300 enterprises were selected, and the questionnaire was distributed to the executives. The questionnaires valid for analysis were 159. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling through analysis of a moment structures software.FindingsThis study tested seven factors, namely, support from top management, firm size, infrastructure (technology readiness), security and privacy, compatibility, competitive pressure and relative advantage. The results revealed that compatibility has a significant impact on the adoption of CA.Practical implicationsThis study suggests the mangers in SMEs should play a more decisive role in identification of technological, organisational and environmental factors that affect the success of implementing CA in a comprehensive model.Originality/valueThis study constitutes a management strategy that helps the enterprises in light of limited economic resources and concerns about the use of cloud services to make the appropriate decision in adopting CA.

Cloud Outsourcing in the Financial Sector: An Assessment of Internal Governance Strategies on a Cloud Transaction Between a Bank and a Leading Cloud Service Provider

Cloud applications are becoming central and critical to the delivery of financial services. Despite their significance, banks face increased exposure to transaction risks related to the use of cloud services and internal and external pressures to improve their risk management practices. In this study, we use a unique data set from a bank’s cloud register to examine the effectiveness of internal governance on an ongoing cloud outsourcing transaction between a bank and cloud service provider. We employ structural equation modeling and a simple linear regression to test for transaction misalignment and causes of governance inefficiencies. We find that a strong degree of misalignment is largely due to poor design of internal controls and a weak control system that does not provide acceptable indications of residual risk likelihood. The findings indicate that cloud risks are driven not only by agency costs, but also by firm-specific risks which contribute to a number of transaction uncertainties and governance misalignment.

Development a Data Validation Module to Satisfy the Retention Policy Metric

Every year the size of the global big data market is growing. Analysing these data is essential for good decision-making. Big data technologies lead to a significant cost reduction with use of cloud services, distributed file systems, when there is a need to store large amounts of information. The quality of data analytics is dependent on the quality of the data themselves. This is especially important if the data has a retention policy and migrates from one source to another, increasing the risk of a data loss. Prevention of negative consequences from data migration is achieved through the process of data reconciliation – a comprehensive verification of large amounts of information in order to confirm their consistency.
 This article discusses probabilistic data structures that can be used to solve the problem, and suggests an implementation – data integrity verification module using a Counting Bloom filter. This module is integrated into Apache Airflow to automate its invocation.

Smart Product Marketing Strategy in a Cloud Service Wireless Network Based on SWOT Analysis

Wireless network systems have multiplied, and mobile communication systems have grown. This article is aimed at developing a cloud-based service wireless network system to smartly market products online. It makes use of cloud services combined with various technologies of the wireless network system. An intelligent product is a device connected to the Internet via sharing information with its users. The usage of smart products has increased day by day, resulting in increased production numbers by various companies. Here, Arises a problem of marketing among huge competition all the manufactured products. So, a marketing strategy has to be designed to market the products. This marketing task can be done using cloud computing services. Cloud computing refers to accessing various computing applications online, such as storing and accessing data, servers, software, databases, and networking. Users can store and access data from a remote server, and there is no need to store it on one’s computer hard disc. Large clouds have data centers located at various locations. Data and computing services are available on-demand, whenever they are needed. With the help of a SWOT analysis, this article will investigate smart product marketing strategies in cloud service wireless network systems. The advantages and disadvantages of using the cloud service wireless network system are analyzed based on SWOT analysis. A technically detailed analysis is done by identifying its strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T), considering various aspects. In this research, smart product marketing analysis with SWOT is performed to implement a novel hybrid algorithm with the Smart Product Marketing Crisis Prediction (SPMCP) method. For the Smart Product Marketing application, the proposed method is compared with the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and has obtained a higher accuracy of 99.54%.

The Public Sector Cloud Service Procurement in Sweden

This paper investigates the use of cloud services in the public sector and management of information security challenges in the procurement of such services. The findings are based on an exploratory approach that included a systematic literature review and a survey among the public agencies and municipalities in Sweden. The literature review is used to derive a conceptual framework that structures our empirical results into the three groups: a) contractual and legal, b) operational and c) managerial competency. The survey explored all these three groups. Our findings show that the information security challenges are mostly related to the potential breaching of national security and laws applicable to cross-border cloud services. Most of the cloud contracts of public organizations are found to be supplier driven. In this case, lack of knowledge and awareness in managing procurement are mostly raised compared to technical risks.

The optimum assessment of the information systems of shipboard hardware reliability in cloud services

The world wide pandemic situation revealed the problems in all spheres of human life which haven’t been faced before. Recently the world has changed greatly as well as the relationship between people and their professional activity. The great bunch of the workload, if basically acceptable, is done with the use of modern innovative technologies. Such problems have not trampled down the sphere of higher education as well. Distance learning, which was previously addressed to only as accompanying possibility of lessons conduct, nowadays is considered to be the only practicable form of conducting lectures, practical lessons, tests, i.e. it has become a usual daily practice for both teachers and students. Among the basic functional requirements to the electronic educational resources in the system of distance learning there are the visualization and interaction principles both when getting familiar with the theoretical material and when completing virtual laboratory and practical tasks. The Microsoft Office documents have become the most widespread elements among the electronic educational resources. That is why there is a pressing need in presenting the electronic MS Excel spreadsheets on the resource web-pages. The simple and convenient way to solve the problem of Excel documents introduction into the electronic resources of the distance learning systems is the use of cloud services. The services help to acquire the access to the information resources of any level and of any capacity with the possibility to allocate the rights of the users belonging to different groups in relation to the resources. For that purpose the availability of the Internet network access and web-browser would be enough \cite{Kravtsova2020}. The cloud calculation technologies introduction allows for the use of the programs that do not require special licensing, update versions monitoring and eliminates the need of software technical support as the provider himself exercises control over the functioning, data saving, antivirus protection and possible cyberassaults.The peculiarities of professional training of navigators require the students to acquire the knowledge of professionally-oriented tasks algorithms as well as the knowledge of technologies that can help to implements them. One of the main routines the officer needs to deal with on the navigational bridge is the use of the information systems of shipboard hardware. But before usage he needs to assure of the systems reliability. That is why it is extremely important to gain during the course of professional training the necessary skills of navigation equipment exploitation reliability assessment by means of Microsoft Office documents and cloud services. So the subject matter of the suggested research is the procedure development for the navigation equipment exploitation reliability assessment by means of modern services use in the course of professional training of future seafarers. The aim of the paper is the solution of the problems of optimum assessment of the information systems of shipboard hardware reliability by means of cloud technologies usage. The following tasks are completed in the course of the research: the peculiarities and characteristics of navigational information processed by the shipboard navigation and information system have been analyzed; the results of the information systems of shipboard hardware usage have been studied; the technological diagram of the basic components structuring of the “Information systems of shipboard hardware” complex for the Master’s degree training course has been created; the effective technology of the program Excel documents processing has been chosen; the system of access and usage of web-services for calculation tables processing in the system of distance learning has been designed;the process of competency formation which will enable students to use cloud services has been suggested.

The drivers of cyber risk

Cyber incidents are becoming more sophisticated and their costs difficult to quantify. Using a unique database of cyber events across sectors in the US, we document the characteristics and drivers of cyber incidents. Cyber costs are higher for larger firms and for incidents that impact several organisations simultaneously. Events with malicious intent (i.e. cyber attacks) tend to be less costly, unless they are on the upper tail of the loss distribution. The financial sector is exposed to a larger number of cyber attacks but suffers lower costs, on average. The use of cloud services is associated with lower costs, especially when cyber incidents are relatively small. As cloud providers become systemically important, cloud dependence is likely to increase tail risks. Finally, we document that higher expenditure on IT is associated with future reduced costs from cyber incidents.

Application of ROC and CODAS Techniques for Cloud Service Provider Selection

Due to the widespread use of cloud services, the choice of cloud service providers has become an important problem for companies. It is a strategic decision-making problem for companies to determine the most suitable service provider that can meet their expectations and needs. Choosing the most effective service provider for a firm depends on numerous criteria based on the firm's strategies, needs and resources. Therefore, in the present study, an integrated decision model based on Rank Order Centroid (ROC) and Combinative Distance-Based Assessment (CODAS) techniques has been developed. In the first stage of the application, the criteria were evaluated using the ROC method, and the service providers were listed using the CODAS technique in the second stage. The effectiveness of the proposed model has been tested by a software company that wants to select a cloud service provider. The results of the research are expected to contribute to service providers and firms that want to select cloud service providers that can meet their needs.

Should Users Trust Their Android Devices? An Analysis and Scoring System for Pre-Installed Applications

Most users have no idea that their Android devices are equipped with many pre-installed applications which have the capability of tracking and monitoring them. Although applications coming pre-installed pose a great danger to user security and privacy, they have received little attention so far among researchers in the field. In this study, we collect a dataset comprising such applications and make it publicly available. Using this dataset, we analyze tracker SDKs, manifest files and the use of cloud services and report our results. We also conduct a user survey to understand concerns and perceptions of users. Last but not least, we present a scoring system which assigns scores for smart phones consolidating our findings based on certain criteria. Users could give their own trust decisions based on the available concise information about the security and privacy impacts of applications pre-installed on their devices.

Analysis of modern cloud services to ensure cybersecurity

This article describes the use of cloud services. The analysis of the most popular cloud services and comparison of their basic functionality is carried out. Examples of practical application of cloud services among well-known companies around the world are given. Basic recommendations to secure access organization to cloud-based services are presented.

Analysing RSA and PAILLIER homomorphic Property for security in Cloud

One of the critical goals of advanced cryptography is to protect data privacy. Although protecting sensitive data has always been essential, it has become much more due to the widespread use of cloud services. Conventional encryption schemes have one drawback: data must be decrypted before processing. Best practices have long recommended that data must be secured at rest and in motion when using public cloud services, i.e., we need encryption at the storage as well as at processing levels. Homomorphic encryption is an advanced cryptographic approach in which the processing of encrypted data is possible. In this paper, we have presented the insights required for understanding homomorphic encryption approaches. We examined and compared two partial homomorphic techniques, RSA and Pallier algorithm based on efficiency, base method, and homomorphic property.