Blockchain Security Threats and Collaborative Defense:A Literature Review

As a distributed database,the system security of the blockchain is of great significance to prevent tampering,protect privacy,prevent double spending,and improve credibility.Due to the decentralized and trustless nature of blockchain,the security defense of the blockchain system has become one of the most important measures.This paper comprehensively reviews the research progress of blockchain security threats and collaborative defense,and we first introduce the overview,classification,and threat assessment process of blockchain security threats.Then,we investigate the research status of single-node defense technology and multi-node collaborative defense technology and summarize the blockchain security evaluation indicators and evaluation methods.Finally,we discuss the challenges of blockchain security and future research directions,such as parallel detection and federated learning.This paper aims to stimulate further research and discussion on blockchain security,providing more reliable security guarantees for the use and development of blockchain technology to face changing threats and challenges through continuous updating and improvement of defense technologies.

Security evaluation of compounded microbial flocculant

A new kind of compounded microbial flocculant (CMBF) for water and wastewater treatment has been developed through biological technology. In order to discuss its biological security, four groups of experiments, rat acute toxicity test via mouth, salmonella assay in vitro, mouse micronucleus in vivo test and teratogenesis test were conducted to evaluate its general toxicity, genotoxicity and generative toxicity. The experimental results showed that this type of compounded microbial flocculant was a substantial non-toxic substance based on the fact that LD50 value was over 10 mg/kg. The results from salmonella in vivo test and mouse micronucleus in vivo test revealed that the compounded microbial flocculant is a genetically non-toxic substance. Furthermore, compounded microbial flocculant has little effect on the growth of all the rats, and any morphologic abnormal phenomenon hasn’t appeared.

Comprehensive Information Security Evaluation Model Based on Multi-Level Decomposition Feedback for IoT

The development of the Internet of Things(IoT)calls for a comprehensive in-formation security evaluation framework to quantitatively measure the safety score and risk(S&R)value of the network urgently.In this paper,we summarize the architecture and vulnerability in IoT and propose a comprehensive information security evaluation model based on multi-level decomposition feedback.The evaluation model provides an idea for information security evaluation of IoT and guides the security decision maker for dynamic protection.Firstly,we establish an overall evaluation indicator system that includes four primary indicators of threat information,asset,vulnerability,and management,respectively.It also includes eleven secondary indicators of system protection rate,attack detection rate,confidentiality,availability,controllability,identifiability,number of vulnerabilities,vulnerability hazard level,staff organization,enterprise grading and service continuity,respectively.Then,we build the core algorithm to enable the evaluation model,wherein a novel weighting technique is developed and a quantitative method is proposed to measure the S&R value.Moreover,in order to better supervise the performance of the proposed evaluation model,we present four novel indicators includes residual risk,continuous conformity of residual risk,head-to-tail consistency and decrease ratio,respectively.Simulation results show the advantages of the proposed model in the evaluation of information security for IoT.

Generalized dominance-based rough set approach to security evaluation with imprecise information

The model of grey multi-attribute group decision-making （MAGDM） is studied, in which the attribute values are grey numbers. Based on the generalized dominance-based rough set approach （G-DR- SA）, a synthetic security evaluation method is presented. With-the grey MAGDM security evaluation model as its foundation, the extension of technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution （TOPSIS） integrates the evaluation of each decision-maker （DM） into a group＇s consensus and obtains the expected evaluation results of information system. Via the quality of sorting （QoS） of G-DRSA, the inherent information hidden in data is uncovered, and the security attribute weight and DMs＇ weight are rationally obtained. Taking the computer networks in a certain university as objects, the example illustrates that this method can effectively remove the bottleneck of the grey MAGDM model and has practical significance in the synthetic security evaluation.

Analysis of Water Resources Supply and Demand and Security of Water Resources Development in Irrigation Regions of the Middle Reaches of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

Based on the data for meteorology, hydrology, soil, planting, vegetation, and socio-economic development of the irrigation region in the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin, Northwest China, the model of balance of water supply and demand in the region was established, and the security of water resource was assessed, from which the results that the effects of unified management of water resources in the Heihe River basin between Gansu Province and Inner Mongolia on regional hydrology are significant with a decrease in water supply diverted from Heihe River and an increase in groundwater extracted. In addition, it was found that the groundwater level has been steadily decreasing due to over pumping and decrease in recharges. In present year （2003）, the volume of potential groundwater in the irrigation districts is far small because of the groundwater overdraft; even in the particular regions, there is no availability of groundwater resources for use. By 2003, water supply is not sufficient to meet the water demand in the different irrigation districts, the sustainable development and utilization of water resources are not secured, and the water supply crisis occurs in Pingchuan irrigation district. Achieving water security for the sustainable development of society, agriculture, economy, industry, and livelihoods while maintaining or improving the abilities of the management and planning of water resources, determining of the reasonable percentage between water supply and groundwater utilization and water saving in agricultural irrigation are taken into account. If this does not occur, it is feared that the present performance of water development and planning may further aggravate the problem of scarcities of water resources and further damage the fragile ecological system.

Cybersecurity: A Statistical Predictive Model for the Expected Path Length

The object of this study is to propose a statistical model for predicting the Expected Path Length (expected number of steps the attacker will take, starting from the initial state to compromise the security goal—EPL) in a cyber-attack. The model we developed is based on utilizing vulnerability information along with having host centric attack graph. Utilizing the developed model, one can identify the interaction among the vulnerabilities and individual variables (risk factors) that drive the Expected Path Length. Gaining a better understanding of the relationship between vulnerabilities and their interactions can provide security administrators a better view and an understanding of their security status. In addition, we have also ranked the attributable variables and their contribution in estimating the subject length. Thus, one can utilize the ranking process to take precautions and actions to minimize Expected Path Length.

Security-Critical Components Recognition Algorithm for Complex Heterogeneous Information Systems

With the skyrocketing development of technologies,there are many issues in information security quantitative evaluation(ISQE)of complex heterogeneous information systems(CHISs).The development of CHIS calls for an ISQE model based on security-critical components to improve the efficiency of system security evaluation urgently.In this paper,we summarize the implication of critical components in different filed and propose a recognition algorithm of security-critical components based on threat attack tree to support the ISQE process.The evaluation model establishes a framework for ISQE of CHISs that are updated iteratively.Firstly,with the support of asset identification and topology data,we sort the security importance of each asset based on the threat attack tree and obtain the security-critical components(set)of the CHIS.Then,we build the evaluation indicator tree of the evaluation target and propose an ISQE algorithm based on the coefficient of variation to calculate the security quality value of the CHIS.Moreover,we present a novel indicator measurement uncertainty aiming to better supervise the performance of the proposed model.Simulation results show the advantages of the proposed algorithm in the evaluation of CHISs.

Ecological Security Assessment of Red River Basin in Guangxi

[Objective] The study aimed at assessing the ecological security of Red River basin in Guangxi. [Method] Firstly, the ecological security assessment index system of Red River basin was established based on the framework of 'pressure-state-response' model, and index information of ecological security assessment was extracted by using RS and GIS technology; afterwards, the ecological security of Red River basin was divided into five grades according to ecological security index, and the distribution and characteristics of ecological security at various levels were analyzed; finally, the measures to maintain the ecological security of Red River basin were put forward on the basis of problems in ecological security. [Result] Most areas of Red River basin in Guangxi were in generally safe state, especially Lingyun County, Fengshan County, Du'an County, Dahua County, Shanglin County, Binyang County, Guiping City, etc., and the area accounted for 74.25% of total area; next came safer state (12.74%), the regions in the two states above were the most important environmental areas of Red River basin. The ecological security problems of Red River basin were mainly related to fragile ecological environment, lagging economic development, rapid population growth, excessive development and utilization of natural resources and so forth. [Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the rational development and utilization of land resources, protection and construction of ecological environment in Red River basin.

A Design of the Network Security Evaluation System

The security evaluation for an information network system is an important management tool to insure its normal operation. We must realize the significance of the comprehensive network security risks. A network evaluation model and the algorithm are presented and adapt the hierarchical method to characterize the security risk situation. The evaluation method is used to evaluate the key nodes and the mathematics is used to analyze the whole network security situation. Compared with others, the method can automatically create a rule-based security evaluation model to evaluate the security threat from the individual security elements and the combination of security elements, and then evaluation the network situation. It is shown that this system provides a valuable model and algorithms to help to find the security rules, adjust the security

Abusive adversarial agents and attack strategies in cyber-physical systems

The exponential increase in IoT device usage has spawned numerous cyberspace innovations.IoT devices,sensors,and actuators bridge the gap between physical processes and the cyber network in a cyber-physical system(CPS).Cyber-physical system is a complex system from a security perspective due to the heterogeneous nature of its components and the fact that IoT devices can serve as an entry point for cyberattacks.Most adversaries design their attack strategies on systems to gain an advantage at a relatively lower cost,whereas abusive adversaries initiate an attack to inflict maximum damage without regard to cost or reward.In this paper,a sensor spoofing attack is modelled as a malicious adversary attempting to cause system failure by interfering with the feedback control mechanism.It is accomplished by feeding spoofed sensor values to the controller and issuing erroneous commands to the actuator.Experiments on a Simulink-simulated linear CPS support the proof of concept for the proposed abusive ideology,demonstrating three attack strategies.The impact of the evaluations stresses the importance of testing the CPS security against adversaries with abusive settings for preventing cyber-vandalism.Finally,the research concludes by highlighting the limitations of the proposed work,followed by recommendations for the future.

Impact of Tools and Techniques for Securing Consultancy Services

In a digital world moving at a breakneck speed,consultancy services have emerged as one of the prominent resources for seeking effective,sustainable and economically viable solutions to a given crisis.The present day consultancy services are aided by the use of multiple tools and techniques.However,ensuring the security of these tools and techniques is an important concern for the consultants because even a slight malfunction of any tool could alter the results drastically.Consultants usually tackle these functions after establishing the clients’needs and developing the appropriate strategy.Nevertheless,most of the consultants tend to focus more on the intended outcomes only and often ignore the security-specific issues.Our research study is an initiative to recommend the use of a hybrid computational technique based on fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP)and fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions(TOPSIS)for prioritizing the tools and techniques that are used in consultancy services on the basis of their security features and efficacy.The empirical analysis conducted in this context shows that after implementing the assessment process,the rank of the tools and techniques obtained is:A7>A1>A4>A2>A3>A5>A6>A7,and General Electric McKinsey(GE-McKinsey)Nine-box Matrix(A7)obtained the highest rank.Thus,the outcomes show that this order of selection of the tools and techniques will give the most effective and secure services.The awareness about using the best tools and techniques in consultancy services is as important as selecting the most secure tool for solving a given problem.In this league,the results obtained in this study would be a conclusive and a reliable reference for the consultants.

Tourism Ecological Security in Wuhan

The concept of ecological security stems from environmental security theory, and is generally used to evaluate the ecological security of land, water resources and the city. This study applies the Pressure-Station-Response （P-S-R） model and theory of ecological security with field research in 2010 to establish an index system for tourism ecological security evaluation. The findings show that tourism ecological security in Wuhan has increasingly improved from a comprehensive evaluation value of 5.8023 in 2004 to 6.459 in 2010, and has moved from a ＂sensitive＂ condition to ＂safe＂ condition. Ecological pressure and ecological response are negatively correlated, and the value of ecological response was below that of ecological pressure during the seven years. In order to make clear the impact factors affecting tourism ecological security in Wuhan, this paper summarizes ten limiting factors influencing tourism ecological security and makes several recommendations to improve tourism ecological security.

Evaluation of regional water security using water poverty index

Water security is a widely concerned issue in the world nowadays.A new method,water poverty index(WPI),was applied to evaluate the regional water security.Twelve state farms in Heilongjiang Province,Northeastern China were selected to evaluate water security status based on the data of 2006 using WPI and mean deviation grading method.The method of WPI includes five key indices:resources(R),access(A),capacity(C),utilization(U)and environment(E).Each key index further consists of several sub-indices.According to the results of WPI,the grade of each farm was calculated by using the method of mean deviation grading.Thus,the radar images can be protracted of each farm.From the radar images,the conclusions can be drawn that the WPI values of Farm 853 and Hongqiling are under very safe status,while that of Farm Raohe is under safe status,those of Farms Youyi,597,852,291 and Jiangchuan are under moderate safe status,that of Farm Beixing is under low safe status and those of Farm Shuangyashan,Shuguang and Baoshan are under unsafe status.The results from this study can provide basic information for decision making on rational utilization of water resources and regulations for regional water safety guarantee system.

Evaluating the Ecological Security of Land Resources based on Multi-source Data in the Altay Region of China

As a material carrier contributing to human survival and social sustainable development,the ecological environment is declining in its integrity and overall health.With the rapid development of society and economy,it is currently very necessary to carry out ecological security evaluation research to provide scientific guidance and suggestions for the construction of ecological civilization and the harmonious co-existence between man and nature.Taking Altay region as the research area,this paper collected and integrated regional geological,geographical,cultural,socio-economic,and statistical data,as well as previous research results.Combined with DPSIR and EES framework model,the evaluation index system of land resource ecological security in Altay region was constructed by using the analytic hierarchy process,entropy method and linear weighted summation function method.Using this index system,the evaluation research work was carried out to determine the current state of the security situation and the major threats which should be addressed.(1)The overall ecological security situation of Altay region was relatively safe,while the local ecological security situation was relatively fragile.Among them,the areas with safe and safer ecological environment accounted for 38.72%,while the areas with critically safe status accounted for 30.83%,and the areas with a less safe and unsafe environment accounted for 30.45%.In terms of spatial characteristics,the areas with unsafe ecological environment were mainly distributed in the west and east of the study area,while the areas with good ecological environment were distributed in the north of the study area.(2)Large-scale mining activities,frequent geological disasters,large-scale reclamation and long-term cultivation of arable land,and long-term large-scale grazing activities resulting in the destruction of grassland and vegetation were the main factors leading to the prominent ecological security problems of land resources in the Altay region.Therefore,in the process of the continuous development of the urban economy,we should pay more attention to the harmony between man and nature,and also actively and effectively advocate and implement certain policies and measures,such as returning farmland to forest,returning grazing land to grassland and integrating the mining of mineral resources.

Evaluation of Agricultural Ecological Security in Hubei Province

With the promotion of agricultural ecological civilization construction in China, agricultural ecological security has received increasing attention. How to ensure agricultural ecological security has become a great concern for many scholars. As an important agricultural province in China, Hubei is of great significance to Chinese food security and agricultural sustainable development. This paper aims to establish an index system of agricultural ecological security and security classification of Hubei via Analytic Hierarchy Process and Pressure-State-Response methods. An evaluation of agricultural ecological security in Hubei, with a base of the national average value in 2015, reveals that the security degree has increased by 0.07566 from 0.90150 in 2005 to 0.97716 in 2015. Results show that agricultural ecological security in Hubei has improved but failed to reach the national average and there is still large space for improvement of the security level, considering a trend of deterioration in some indexes, such as per capita water resources, population density, per unit area pesticide load of farmland, forest coverage, grassland degradation rate and average annual precipitation. Influencing factors, especially population spatial distribution, misconduct in agricultural production, insufficient ability in agricultural natural disaster prevention, deficiency of agro-ecological technology of agricultural ecological security in Hubei are analyzed. For improvement of the degree of agricultural ecological security in Hubei, some countermeasures and suggestions are discussed.

MSMAM:Testing Resources Allocation,Obtaining Non-Functional Indexes Based on Functional Testing Results,and Evaluating Security

Security testing is a key technology for software security.The testing results can reflect the relationship between software testing and software security,and they can help program designers for evaluating and improving software security.However,it is difficult to describe by mathematics the relationship between the results of software functional testing and software nonfunctional security indexes.In this paper,we propose a mathematics model（MSMAM） based on principal component analysis and multiattribute utility theory.This model can get nonfunctional security indexes by analyzing quantized results of functional tests.It can also evaluate software security and guide the effective allocation of testing resources in the process of software testing.The feasibility and effectiveness of MSMAM is verified by experiments.

Quantum secure circuit evaluation

In order to solve the problem of classical secure circuit evaluation, this paper proposes a quantum approach. In this approach, the method of inserting redundant entangled particles and quantum signature has been employed to strengthen the security of the system. Theoretical analysis shows that our solution is secure against classical and quantum attacks.