Isha Sood^*, Varsha Sharma

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.81, No.2, pp. 2791-2818, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2024.055463 - 18 November 2024

Abstract Ransomware has emerged as a critical cybersecurity threat, characterized by its ability to encrypt user data or lock devices, demanding ransom for their release. Traditional ransomware detection methods face limitations due to their assumption of similar data distributions between training and testing phases, rendering them less effective against evolving ransomware families. This paper introduces TLERAD (Transfer Learning for Enhanced Ransomware Attack Detection), a novel approach that leverages unsupervised transfer learning and co-clustering techniques to bridge the gap between source and target domains, enabling robust detection of both known and unknown ransomware variants. The proposed method More >

Amardeep Singh¹, Hamad Ali Abosaq², Saad Arif³, Zohaib Mushtaq^4,*, Muhammad Irfan⁵, Ghulam Abbas⁶, Arshad Ali⁷, Alanoud Al Mazroa⁸

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.79, No.1, pp. 857-873, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2024.048036 - 25 April 2024

Abstract Data security assurance is crucial due to the increasing prevalence of cloud computing and its widespread use across different industries, especially in light of the growing number of cybersecurity threats. A major and ever-present threat is Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) assaults, which enable even individuals with minimal technical knowledge to conduct ransomware operations. This study provides a new approach for RaaS attack detection which uses an ensemble of deep learning models. For this purpose, the network intrusion detection dataset “UNSW-NB15” from the Intelligent Security Group of the University of New South Wales, Australia is analyzed. In the… More >

Manal Abdullah Alohali¹, Muna Elsadig¹, Fahd N. Al-Wesabi², Mesfer Al Duhayyim³, Anwer Mustafa Hilal^4,*, Abdelwahed Motwakel⁴

Computer Systems Science and Engineering, Vol.46, No.3, pp. 3087-3102, 2023, DOI:10.32604/csse.2023.036802 - 03 April 2023

Abstract With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), several devices like sensors nowadays can interact and easily share information. But the IoT model is prone to security concerns as several attackers try to hit the network and make it vulnerable. In such scenarios, security concern is the most prominent. Different models were intended to address these security problems; still, several emergent variants of botnet attacks like Bashlite, Mirai, and Persirai use security breaches. The malware classification and detection in the IoT model is still a problem, as the adversary reliably generates a new variant… More >

Khaled M. Alalayah¹, Fatma S. Alrayes², Mohamed K. Nour³, Khadija M. Alaidarous¹, Ibrahim M. Alwayle¹, Heba Mohsen⁴, Ibrahim Abdulrab Ahmed⁵, Mesfer Al Duhayyim^6,*

Computer Systems Science and Engineering, Vol.46, No.3, pp. 3103-3119, 2023, DOI:10.32604/csse.2023.034034 - 03 April 2023

Abstract Malware is a ‘malicious software program that performs multiple cyberattacks on the Internet, involving fraud, scams, nation-state cyberwar, and cybercrime. Such malicious software programs come under different classifications, namely Trojans, viruses, spyware, worms, ransomware, Rootkit, botnet malware, etc. Ransomware is a kind of malware that holds the victim’s data hostage by encrypting the information on the user’s computer to make it inaccessible to users and only decrypting it; then, the user pays a ransom procedure of a sum of money. To prevent detection, various forms of ransomware utilize more than one mechanism in their attack… More >

Mesfer Al Duhayyim^1,*, Heba G. Mohamed², Fadwa Alrowais³, Fahd N. Al-Wesabi⁴, Anwer Mustafa Hilal⁵, Abdelwahed Motwakel⁵

Computer Systems Science and Engineering, Vol.46, No.2, pp. 1293-1310, 2023, DOI:10.32604/csse.2023.035589 - 09 February 2023

Abstract The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained more popularity in research because of its large-scale challenges and implementation. But security was the main concern when witnessing the fast development in its applications and size. It was a dreary task to independently set security systems in every IoT gadget and upgrade them according to the newer threats. Additionally, machine learning (ML) techniques optimally use a colossal volume of data generated by IoT devices. Deep Learning (DL) related systems were modelled for attack detection in IoT. But the current security systems address restricted attacks and can be… More >

R. T. Pavendan^1,*, K. Sankar¹, K. A. Varun Kumar²

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.35, No.3, pp. 3331-3348, 2023, DOI:10.32604/iasc.2023.028029 - 17 August 2022

Abstract Attacks on the cyber space is getting exponential in recent times. Illegal penetrations and breaches are real threats to the individuals and organizations. Conventional security systems are good enough to detect the known threats but when it comes to Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) they fails. These APTs are targeted, more sophisticated and very persistent and incorporates lot of evasive techniques to bypass the existing defenses. Hence, there is a need for an effective defense system that can achieve a complete reliance of security. To address the above-mentioned issues, this paper proposes a novel honeypot system More >

Farag Azzedin^*, Husam Suwad, Md Mahfuzur Rahman

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.73, No.2, pp. 3003-3020, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.028646 - 16 June 2022

Abstract This article presents an asset-based security system where security practitioners build their systems based on information they own and not solicited by observing attackers’ behavior. Current security solutions rely on information coming from attackers. Examples are current monitoring and detection security solutions such as intrusion prevention/detection systems and firewalls. This article envisions creating an imbalance between attackers and defenders in favor of defenders. As such, we are proposing to flip the security game such that it will be led by defenders and not attackers. We are proposing a security system that does not observe the… More >

Jun-Seob Kim, Ki-Woong Park^*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.72, No.2, pp. 3401-3424, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.026621 - 29 March 2022

Abstract A ransomware attack that interrupted the operation of Colonial Pipeline (a large U.S. oil pipeline company), showed that security threats by malware have become serious enough to affect industries and social infrastructure rather than individuals alone. The agents and characteristics of attacks should be identified, and appropriate strategies should be established accordingly in order to respond to such attacks. For this purpose, the first task that must be performed is malware classification. Malware creators are well aware of this and apply various concealment and avoidance techniques, making it difficult to classify malware. This study focuses… More >

Iman Almomani^1,2,*, Aala AlKhayer¹, Walid El-Shafai^1,3

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.70, No.1, pp. 1209-1228, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.018631 - 07 September 2021

Abstract Ransomware is considered one of the most threatening cyberattacks. Existing solutions have focused mainly on discriminating ransomware by analyzing the apps themselves, but they have overlooked possible ways of hiding ransomware apps and making them difficult to be detected and then analyzed. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel ransomware hiding model by utilizing a block-based High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) steganography approach. The main idea of the proposed steganography approach is the division of the secret ransomware data and cover HEVC frames into different blocks. After that, the Least Significant Bit (LSB) based Hamming Distance (HD)… More >

Akhtar Kamal¹, Morched Derbali², Sadeeq Jan^1,*, Javed Iqbal Bangash³, Fazal Qudus Khan², Houssem Jerbi⁴, Rabeh Abbassi⁴, Gulzar Ahmad⁵

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.67, No.3, pp. 3833-3846, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2021.015941 - 01 March 2021

Abstract Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to a computer by encrypting user’s files until a ransom is paid to the attacker. There have been several reported high-profile ransomware attacks including WannaCry, Petya, and Bad Rabbit resulting in losses of over a billion dollars to various individuals and businesses in the world. The analysis of ransomware is often carried out via sandbox environments; however, the initial setup and configuration of such environments is a challenging task. Also, it is difficult for an ordinary computer user to correctly interpret the complex results presented… More >