International Journal of Internet Technology and Secured Transactions 

About: International Journal of Internet Technology and Secured Transactions is an academic journal published by Inderscience Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Computer science & The Internet. It has an ISSN identifier of 1748-569X. Over the lifetime, 224 publications have been published receiving 854 citations. The journal is also known as: IJITST.

Characterising the robustness of complex networks

Abstract: With increasingly ambitious initiatives such as GENI and FIND that seek to design future internets, it becomes imperative to define the characteristics of robust topologies, and build future networks optimised for robustness. This paper investigates the characteristics of network topologies that maintain a high level of throughput in spite of multiple attacks. To this end, we select network topologies belonging to the main network models and some real world networks. We consider three types of attacks: removal of random nodes, high degree nodes, and high betweenness nodes. We use elasticity as our robustness measure and, through our analysis, illustrate different topologies that can have different degrees of robustness. In particular, elasticity can fall as low as 0.8% of the upper bound based on the attack employed. This result substantiates the need for optimised network topology design. Furthermore, we implement a trade-off function that combines elasticity under the three attack strategies and considers the cost of the network. Our extensive simulations show that, for a given network density, regular and semi-regular topologies can have higher degrees of robustness than heterogeneous topologies, and that link redundancy is a sufficient but not necessary condition for robustness.

PATROL: a comprehensive reputation-based trust model

Abstract: In this paper, we present PATROL, a general and comprehensive reputation-based trust model for distributed computing. The proposed model is an enhancement over our previous model, TRUMMAR, and aims at achieving a truly unique model that incorporates most concepts that are essential to determining trust-based decisions. Among the concepts upon which the trust model is based are reputation values, direct experiences, trust in the credibility of a host to give recommendations, decay of information with time based on a dynamic decay factor, first impressions, similarity, popularity, activity, cooperation between hosts, in addition to a hierarchy of host systems. The simulations performed on this model confirm its correctness and its adaptability to different environments and situations.

Blockchain and bitcoin as a way to lift a country out of poverty - tourism 2.0 and e-governance in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract: In this article, we explore the formidable yet untapped capabilities of Blockchain technology and Bitcoin in order to alleviate poverty. We focus on the Republic of Moldova, which has been plagued by endemic corruption and persistently high poverty levels since her independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The transformative power of Blockchain technology and Bitcoin are then evidenced through a dual analysis of tourism 2.0 (with a real-world case study) and e-governance, which can contribute to increased inward capital investment flows, and help fight off corruption practices. Finally, we conclude that these new technologies constitute a significant step in the right direction, in order to break away from twenty-five years of disappointing socio-economic development performance.

On the security issues of NFC enabled mobile phones

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the possibility that a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled mobile phone, with an embedded secure element (SE), could be used as a mobile token cloning and skimming platform. We show how an attacker could use an NFC mobile phone as such an attack platform by exploiting the existing security controls of the embedded SE and the available contactless APIs. To illustrate the feasibility of these actions, we also show how to practically skim and emulate certain tokens typically used in payment and access control applications with a NFC mobile phone. We also discuss how to capture and analyse legitimate transaction information from contactless systems. Although such attacks can also be implemented on other contactless platforms, such as custom-built card emulators and modified readers, the NFC enabled mobile phone has a legitimate form factor, which would be accepted by merchants and arouse less suspicion in public. Finally, we propose several security countermeasures for NFC phones that could prevent such misuse.

Security analysis of mobile web service provisioning

Abstract: Mobile data services in combination with profluent web services are seemingly the path breaking domain in current information systems research. Mobile web services have vast application domains and effectively pave the way for exciting performance and security challenges. Though numerous standardised security specifications and implementations exist for web services in general, not much has been analysed and standardised for mobile web services. This paper explores some of the critical challenges in providing security to the mobile web services domain and addresses the realisation of security for mobile web service provisioning with special focus at our Mobile Host.