Network Slicing Security Controls and Assurance for Verticals

This paper focuses on the security challenges of network slice implementation in 5G networks. We propose that network slice controllers support security by enabling security controls at different network layers. The slice controller orchestrates multilevel domains with resources at a very high level but needs to understand how to define the resources at lower levels. In this context, the main outstanding security challenge is the compromise of several resources in the presence of an attack due to weak resource isolation at different levels. We analysed the current standards and trends directed to mitigate the vulnerabilities mentioned above, and we propose security controls and classify them by efficiency and applicability (easiness to develop). Security controls are a common way to secure networks, but they enforce security policies only in respective areas. Therefore, the security domains allow for structuring the orchestration principles by considering the necessary security controls to be applied. This approach is common for both vendor-neutral and vendor-dependent security solutions. In our classification, we considered the controls in the following fields: (i) fair resource allocation with dynamic security assurance, (ii) isolation in a multilayer architecture and (iii) response to DDoS attacks without service and security degradation.

Efficient Intrusion Detection System for SDN Orchestrated Internet of Things

Internet of Things (IoT) can simply be defined as an extension of the current Internet system. It extends the human to human interconnection and intercommunication scenario of the Internet by including things, to bring anytime, anywhere, and anything communication. A discipline in networking evolving in parallel with IoT is Software Defined Networking (SDN). It is an important technology that is aimed to solve the different problems existing in the traditional network systems. It provides a new convenient home to address the different challenges existing in different network-based systems including IoT. One important security challenge prevailing in such SDN-based IoT (SDIoT) systems is guarantying service availability. The ever-increasing denial of service (DoS) attacks are responsible for such service denials. A centralized signature-based intrusion detection system (IDS) is proposed and developed in this work. Random Forest (RF) classifier is used for training the model. A very popular and recent benchmark dataset, CICIDS2017, has been used for training and validating the machine learning (ML) models. An accuracy result of 99.968% has been achieved by using only 12 features on Wednesday’s release of the dataset. This result is higher than the achieved accuracy results of related works considering the original CICIDS2017 dataset. A maximum cross-validated accuracy result of 99.713% has been achieved on the same release of the dataset. These developed models meet the basic requirement of a supervised IDS system developed for smart environments and can effectively be used in different IoT service scenarios.

Hybrid Encryption for Messages’ Confidentiality in SOSE-Based IOT Service Systems

Internet of Things (IOT) is an essential paradigm where devices are interconnected into network. The operations of these devices can be through service-oriented software engineering (SOSE) principles for efficient service provision. SOSE is an important software development method for flexible, agile, loose-coupled, heterogeneous and interoperable applications. Despite all these benefits, its adoption for IOT services is slow due to security challenges. The security challenge of integration of IOT with service-oriented architecture (SOA) is man-in-the-middle attack on the messages exchanged. The transport layer security (TLS) creates a secured socket channel between the client and server. This is efficient in securing messages exchanged at the transport layer only. SOSE-based IOT systems needs an end-to-end security to handle its vulnerabilities. This integration enables interoperability of heterogeneous devices, but renders the system vulnerable to passive attacks. The confidentiality problem is hereby addressed by message level hybrid encryption. This is by encrypting the messages by AES for efficiency. However, to enable end-to-end security, the key sharing problem of advanced encryption standard (AES) is handled by RSA public key encryption. The results shows that this solution addressed data contents security and credentials security privacy issues. Furthermore, the solution enables end-to- end security of interaction in SOSE-based IOT systems.

Security and Military Relevancies of Digitisation, Globalisation and Cyberspace

The goal of this study is to explore security threats and challenges of digitisation. Digitisation as one of the key technological factors has a significant impact on the development of today’s modern world. Beyond general security circumstances, this impact touches upon economic, financial, social, technological, medical, educational, defence and military issues, as well all over the world.The argument of this study is that the modernisation of defence systems is an essential key to successfully responding to new security challenges in our digital explosion era. Therefore, it is a must that government organisations, including defence and military systems fundamentally upgrade their own technical, structural and operational capabilities and accept digitisation as the driving factor of future defence and military development.In light of the above, the study first examines digitisation as a global security challenge and then presents a comparative analysis of the relationship between hybrid warfare and cybersecurity. Finally, before drawing conclusions, it takes stock of the military policy relevance of the cybersecurity challenges relevant to Hungary.Overall, it can be stated that digitisation and digital transformation are present all over the world as a result of globalisation. Developed nations, including Hungary must be connected to digitisation and by digitisation to each other’s various systems and technologies. This system has to be integrated, but independent at the same time, as well as connected but separable in order to be able to be involved in the whole cyberspace and get the benefits of it or get separated from it to defend threats or direct attacks coming from the outside. The Hungarian Defence Forces has a key role in this very important process.

Unsettled Topics Concerning Airport Cybersecurity Standards and Regulation

A large international airport is a microcosm of the entire aviation sector, hosting hundreds of different types of aviation and non-aviation stakeholders: aircraft, passengers, airlines, travel agencies, air traffic management and control, retails shops, runway systems, building management, ground transportation, and much more. Their associated information technology and cyber physical systems—along with an exponentially resultant number of interconnections—present a massive cybersecurity challenge. Unlike the physical security challenge, which was treated in earnest throughout the last decades, cyber-attacks on airports keep coming, but most airport lack essential means to confront such cyber-attacks. These missing means are not technical tools, but rather holistic regulatory directives, technical and process standards, guides, and best practices for airports cybersecurity—even airport cybersecurity concepts and basic definitions are missing in certain cases. Unsettled Topics Concerning Airport Cybersecurity Standards and Regulation offers a deeper analysis of these issues and their causes, focusing on the unique characteristics of airports in general, specific cybersecurity challenges, missing definitions, and conceptual infrastructure for the standardization and regulation of airports cybersecurity. This last item includes the gaps and challenges in the existing guides, best-practices, standards, and regulation pertaining to airport cybersecurity. Finally, practical solution-seeking processes are proposed, as well as some specific potential frameworks and solutions.

The Tomato ddm1b Mutant Shows Decreased Sensitivity to Heat Stress Accompanied by Transcriptional Alterations

Heat stress is a major environmental factor limiting crop productivity, thus presenting a food security challenge. Various approaches are taken in an effort to develop crop species with enhanced tolerance to heat stress conditions. Since epigenetic mechanisms were shown to play a regulatory role in mediating plants’ responses to their environment, we investigated the role of DNA methylation in response to heat stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), an important vegetable crop. To meet this aim, we tested a DNA methylation-deficient tomato mutant, Slddm1b. In this short communication paper, we report phenotypic and transcriptomic preliminary findings, implying that the tomato ddm1b mutant is significantly less sensitive to heat stress compared with the background tomato line, M82. Under conditions of heat stress, this mutant line presented higher fruit set and seed set rates, as well as a higher survival rate at the seedling stage. On the transcriptional level, we observed differences in the expression of heat stress-related genes, suggesting an altered response of the ddm1b mutant to this stress. Following these preliminary results, further research would shed light on the specific genes that may contribute to the observed thermotolerance of ddm1b and their possibly altered DNA methylation status.

Do Diaspora Remittances Guarantee Food Security in Nigeria?

The burgeoning remittances into Nigeria and their effect on the economy have received renewed attention in recent times. Literature has suggested the existence of a relationship between remittances and food security. The extent to which this is true for Nigeria is uncertain. Using Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), this study examined the link between remittances and food security using secondary data for the period 1980 to 2018. Findings revealed a robust long and short-run relationship between remittances and food security. In the short-run, a positive and significant relationship was found between remittances and food security in the current period such that a 1 per cent increase in remittances was associated with a 5.08 per cent improvement in food security. In the long-run, a cointegrated relationship was observed as the error correction term depicting this relationship was well-behaved, properly signed and significant indicating that any previous period deviation in long-run equilibrium is corrected in the current period at an adjustment speed of 28.8 per cent. In addition, the Granger test suggests a unidirectional causality running from remittances to food security such that past values of remittances determined food security during the period investigated. Consequent to the findings, the study recommended with a caveat, the design and proper implementation of a diaspora and remittances policy to cater for the welfare of Nigerians in the diaspora to improve remittance receipts and by implication, food security. However, since remittances alone cannot guarantee food security in Nigeria, this study further recommends a holistic and multidimensional approach to address the food security challenge and close the food deficit gap.

Neglected and Underutilized Plant Species (NUS) from the Apulia Region Worthy of Being Rescued and Re-Included in Daily Diet

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) are cultivated, semi-domesticated, or wild plant species, not included in the group of the major staple crops, since, in most cases, they do not meet the global market requirements. As they often represent resilient species and valuable sources of vitamins, micronutrients, and other phytochemicals, a wider use of NUS would enhance sustainability of agro-systems and a choice of nutritious foods with a strategic role for addressing the nutritional security challenge across Europe. In this review, we focused on some examples of NUS from the Apulia Region (Southern Italy), either cultivated or spontaneously growing species, showing interesting adaptative, nutritional, and economical potential that can be exploited and properly enhanced in future programs.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Economic and Political Situation in Germany. Part 1

The COVID-19 epidemic has become a major security challenge for Germany. The country was faced with the need to protect its own citizens, transform the health care system and support the economy. On the eve of the elections to the Bundestag, German elite concern how COVID-19 and restrictive measures will affect the electoral preferences of the population. At the same time, the pandemic has become a test for European solidarity. The first isolationist reaction of the EU member states gave way to attempts to find a solution at the supranational level. In a twopart article, the team of authors made an attempt to analyze how the German government solves the problems facing the country at the national and European levels, as well as to identify how citizens’ moods change under the influence of the pandemic, what predictions can be made about the results of the upcoming elections to the Bundestag. The first part is devoted to German anti-virus policy, as well as a study of economic damage and measures to support the economy. The second will analyze the FRG’s policy at the European level, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the mood in society and the political preferences of Germans.

The Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Challenges of National Security in Nigeria: A Case Study of Adamawa State

The proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) is a major national security challenge in Nigeria. The insecurity resulting from insurgency, banditry, militancy, kidnapping, armed robbery, ethno-religious and communal conflicts have become worrisome in Nigeria. All this, are perpetrated with small arms and light weapons, which are easily concealed and used to unleash violence in the society. There is hardly any week that passes by, without a report of one attack or the other somewhere in Nigeria. Adamawa state is not different as security challenges perpetrated with SALWs have destroyed lives and properties, and displaced a lot of people many of whom are farmers thereby, threatening food security. Again, Boko-Haram insurgency has over the years increased the availability of SALWs in the state. Porosity of Nigerian borders in Adamawa state axis has equally made it much easier for criminals to smuggle in SALWs into the state from neighboring Cameroon. The security agencies that are saddled with the responsibility to check this are complicit, as the bad ones facilitate the smuggling or are themselves sources of SALWs. Today, there is mutual distrust and deep seated grievances among the various ethnic groups co-habiting the state due to injustice. The deep seated grievances have made groups to acquire SALWs for self-help and retaliation. Furthermore, suspicion is commonplace and many people have lost trust and faith in the security architecture of the state government. Thus, people have resorted to the acquisition of SALWs for self-defense. Above all, politicians procure arms for the youths during elections. These arms are never returned as they are used to make ends meet due to poverty and unemployment ravaging the country. It is within the context of this broad narrative that the proliferation of SALWs is situated in Adamawa state nay Nigeria. Therefore, to check this menace, there is need to rejig the security architecture of Adamawa state and indeed Nigeria. Border security must be strengthened through cross-border security arrangement with Nigeria neighbors. The culture of violence in politics must be de-emphasized and the premium attached to political office should be reduced. Poverty and unemployment should be reduced and Justice should be served to all who deserve it. Finally, mutual trust should be encouraged by the government to foster inter-ethnic and religious co-existence and harmony among the diverse people in the state.