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Jaouhar Fattahi

Publications and source records attributed to Jaouhar Fattahi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Machine Learning and Deep Learning Techniques used in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics: a Review

In the paced realms of cybersecurity and digital forensics machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have emerged as game changing technologies that introduce methods to identify stop and analyze cyber risks. This review presents an overview of the ML and DL approaches used in these fields showcasing their advantages drawbacks and possibilities. It covers a range of AI techniques used in spotting intrusions in systems and classifying malware to prevent cybersecurity attacks, detect anomalies and enhance resilience. This study concludes by highlighting areas where further research is needed and suggesting ways to create transparent and scalable ML and DL solutions that are suited to the evolving landscape of cybersecurity and digital forensics.

cs.CR

Impact of Feature Encoding on Malware Classification Explainability

This paper investigates the impact of feature encoding techniques on the explainability of XAI (Explainable Artificial Intelligence) algorithms. Using a malware classification dataset, we trained an XGBoost model and compared the performance of two feature encoding methods: Label Encoding (LE) and One Hot Encoding (OHE). Our findings reveal a marginal performance loss when using OHE instead of LE. However, the more detailed explanations provided by OHE compensated for this loss. We observed that OHE enables deeper exploration of details in both global and local contexts, facilitating more comprehensive answers. Additionally, we observed that using OHE resulted in smaller explanation files and reduced analysis time for human analysts. These findings emphasize the significance of considering feature encoding techniques in XAI research and suggest potential for further exploration by incorporating additional encoding methods and innovative visualization approaches.

cs.LG

FPGA Implementation of SIMON-128 Cryptographic Algorithm Using Artix-7

FPGA is a hardware architecture based on a matrix of programmable and configurable logic circuits thanks to which a large number of functionalities inside the device can be modified using a hardware description language. These functionalities must often be secured especially when the context is sensitive (military, banking, medical, legal, etc.). In this paper, we put forward an efficient implementation of SIMON's block cipher algorithm using Xilinx Vivado 2018.2. The proposed design is analyzed through simulation on Xilinx Artix-7. A prototype of our design is implemented using the xc7a35tcsg324-1 FPGA chip. Performance and results are discussed.

cs.CR

SpaML: a Bimodal Ensemble Learning Spam Detector based on NLP Techniques

In this paper, we put forward a new tool, called SpaML, for spam detection using a set of supervised and unsupervised classifiers, and two techniques imbued with Natural Language Processing (NLP), namely Bag of Words (BoW) and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF). We first present the NLP techniques used. Then, we present our classifiers and their performance on each of these techniques. Then, we present our overall Ensemble Learning classifier and the strategy we are using to combine them. Finally, we present the interesting results shown by SpaML in terms of accuracy and precision.

cs.CR

Damaged Fingerprint Recognition by Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory Networks for Forensic Purposes

Fingerprint recognition is often a game-changing step in establishing evidence against criminals. However, we are increasingly finding that criminals deliberately alter their fingerprints in a variety of ways to make it difficult for technicians and automatic sensors to recognize their fingerprints, making it tedious for investigators to establish strong evidence against them in a forensic procedure. In this sense, deep learning comes out as a prime candidate to assist in the recognition of damaged fingerprints. In particular, convolution algorithms. In this paper, we focus on the recognition of damaged fingerprints by Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory networks. We present the architecture of our model and demonstrate its performance which exceeds 95% accuracy, 99% precision, and approaches 95% recall and 99% AUC.

cs.CV

Towards a reliable approach on scaling in data acquisition

Data acquisition is an important process in the functioning of any control system. Usually, the acquired signal is analogic, representing a continuous physical measure, and it should be processed in a digital system based on an analog to digital converter (ADC) and a microcontroller. The ADC provides the converted value in ADC units, but the system and its operator need the value expressed in physical units. In this paper we propose a novel design solution for the scaling module, which is a key component of a digital measurement system. The scaling module refers to fitting the sensor result of a variable number of bits depending on the ADC resolution into physical units. A general method for scaling is proposed and a SageMath script is presented for obtaining easily the scaling function. In the last part of the paper, the proposed method is validated in a case study, by calculus, and it is implemented on a low-cost development system in order to create a wireless sensor node.

eess.SP

Authentication by Witness Functions

Witness functions have recently been introduced in cryptographic protocols' literature as a new powerful way to prove protocol correctness with respect to secrecy. In this paper, we extend them to the property of authentication. We show how to use them safely and we run an analysis on a modified version of the Woo-Lam protocol. We show that it is correct with respect to authentication.

cs.CR

On the Security of Cryptographic Protocols Using the Little Theorem of Witness Functions

In this paper, we show how practical the little theorem of witness functions is in detecting security flaws in some category of cryptographic protocols. We convey a formal analysis of the Needham-Schroeder symmetric-key protocol in the theory of witness functions. We show how it helps to teach about a security vulnerability in a given step of this protocol where the value of security of a particular sensitive ticket in a sent message unexpectedly plummets compared with its value when received. This vulnerability may be exploited by an intruder to mount a replay attack as described by Denning and Sacco.

cs.CR

Relaxed Conditions for Secrecy in a Role-Based Specification

In this paper, we look at the property of secrecy through the growth of the protocol. Intuitively, an increasing protocol preserves the secret. For that, we need functions to estimate the security of messages. Here, we give relaxed conditions on the functions and on the protocol and we prove that an increasing protocol is correct when analyzed with functions that meet these conditions.

cs.CR

Considerations regarding security issues impact on systems availability

Control systems behavior can be analyzed taking into account a large number of parameters: performances, reliability, availability, security. Each control system presents various security vulnerabilities that affect in lower or higher measure its functioning. In this paper the authors present a method to assess the impact of security issues on the systems availability. A fuzzy model for estimating the availability of the system based on the security level and achieved availability coefficient (depending on MTBF and MTR) is developed and described. The results of the fuzzy inference system (FIS) are presented in the last section of the paper.

cs.CR

Circular Antenna Array Design for Breast Cancer Detection

Microwave imaging for breast cancer detection is based on the contrast in the electrical properties of healthy fatty breast tissues. This paper presents an industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) bands comparative study of five microstrip patch antennas for microwave imaging at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. The choice of one antenna is made for an antenna array composed of 8 antennas for a microwave breast imaging system. Each antenna element is arranged in a circular configuration so that it can be directly faced to the breast phantom for better tumor detection. This choice is made by putting each antenna alone on the Breast skin to study the electric field, magnetic fields and current density in the healthy tissue of the breast phantom designed and simulated in Ansoft High Frequency Simulation Software (HFSS).

physics.med-ph

Secrecy by Witness-Functions on Increasing Protocols

In this paper, we present a new formal method to analyze cryptographic protocols statically for the property of secrecy. It consists in inspecting the level of security of every component in the protocol and making sure that it does not diminish during its life cycle. If yes, it concludes that the protocol keeps its secret inputs. We analyze in this paper an amended version of the Woo-Lam protocol using this new method.

cs.CR

Fusion of ANN and SVM Classifiers for Network Attack Detection

With the progressive increase of network application and electronic devices (computers, mobile phones, android, etc.) attack and intrusion, detection has become a very challenging task in cybercrime detection area. in this context, most of the existing approaches of attack detection rely mainly on a finite set of attacks. These solutions are vulnerable, that is, they fail in detecting some attacks when sources of informations are ambiguous or imperfect. However, few approaches started investigating in this direction. This paper investigates the role of machine learning approach (ANN, SVM) in detecting a TCP connection traffic as a normal or a suspicious one. But, using ANN and SVM is an expensive technique individually. In this paper, combining two classifiers are proposed, where artificial neural network (ANN) classifier and support vector machine (SVM) are both employed. Additionally, our proposed solution allows to visualize obtained classification results. Accuracy of the proposed solution has been compared with other classifier results. Experiments have been conducted with different network connections selected from NSL-KDD DARPA dataset. Empirical results show that combining ANN and SVM techniques for attack detection is a promising direction.

cs.CR

Secrecy by Witness-Functions under Equational Theories

In this paper, we use the witness-functions to analyze cryptographic protocols for secrecy under nonempty equational theories. The witness-functions are safe metrics used to compute security. An analysis with a witness-function consists in making sure that the security of every atomic message does not decrease during its lifecycle in the protocol. The analysis gets more difficult under nonempty equational theories. Indeed, the intruder can take advantage of the algebraic properties of the cryptographic primitives to derive secrets. These properties arise from the use of mathematical functions, such as multiplication, addition, exclusive-or or modular exponentiation in the cryptosystems and the protocols. Here, we show how to use the witness-functions under nonempty equational theories and we run an analysis on the Needham-Schroeder-Lowe protocol under the cipher homomorphism. This analysis reveals that although this protocol is proved secure under the perfect encryption assumption, its security collapses under the homomorphic primitives. We show how the witness-functions help to illustrate an attack scenario on it and we propose an amended version to fix it.

cs.CR

A Slow Read attack Using Cloud

Cloud computing relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. Nowadays, cloud computing has become one of the fastest growing fields in information technology. However, several new security issues of cloud computing have emerged due to its service delivery models. In this paper, we discuss the case of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack using Cloud resources. First, we show how such attack using a cloud platform could not be detected by previous techniques. Then we present a tricky solution based on the cloud as well.

cs.CR

Radiation Pattern Synthesis Using Hybrid Fourier- Woodward-Lawson-Neural Networks for Reliable MIMO Antenna Systems

In this paper, we implement hybrid Woodward-Lawson-Neural Networks and weighted Fourier method to synthesize antenna arrays. The neural networks (NN) is applied here to simplify the modeling of MIMO antenna arrays by assessing phases. The main problem is obviously to find optimal weights of the linear antenna array elements giving radiation pattern with minimum sidelobe level (SLL) and hence ameliorating the antenna array performance. To attain this purpose, an antenna array for reliable Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) applications with frequency at 2.45 GHz is implemented. To validate the suggested method, many examples of uniformly excited array patterns with the main beam are put in the direction of the useful signal. The Woodward-Lawson-Neural Networks synthesis method permits to find out interesting analytical equations for the synthesis of an antenna array and highlights the flexibility between the system parameters in input and those in output. The performance of this hybrid optimization underlines how well the system is suitable for a wireless communication and how it participates in reducing interference, as well.

eess.SP

Cryptographic Protocol for Multipart Missions Involving Two Independent and Distributed Decision Levels in a Military Context

In several critical military missions, more than one decision level are involved. These decision levels are often independent and distributed, and sensitive pieces of information making up the military mission must be kept hidden from one level to another even if all of the decision levels cooperate to accomplish the same task. Usually, a mission is negotiated through insecure networks such as the Internet using cryptographic protocols. In such protocols, few security properties have to be ensured. However, designing a secure cryptographic protocol that ensures several properties at once is a very challenging task. In this paper, we propose a new secure protocol for multipart military missions that involve two independent and distributed decision levels having different security levels. We show that it ensures the secrecy, authentication, and non-repudiation properties. In addition, we show that it resists against man-in-the-middle attacks.

cs.CR