Computers get a better way to detect threats

Technique nicknamed 'space travel' allows a machine to travel virtually to another system

2012-09-20

(Press-News.org) UT Dallas computer scientists have developed a technique to automatically allow one computer in a virtual network to monitor another for intrusions, viruses or anything else that could cause a computer to malfunction.

The technique has been dubbed "space travel" because it sends computer data to a world outside its home, and bridges the gap between computer hardware and software systems.

"Space travel might change the daily practice for many services offered virtually for cloud providers and data centers today, and as this technology becomes more popular in a few years, for the user at home on their desktop," said Dr. Zhiquian Lin, the research team's leader and an assistant professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

As cloud computing is becoming more popular, new techniques to protect the systems must be developed. Since this type of computing is Internet-based, skilled computer specialists can control the main part of the system virtually – using software to emulate hardware.

Lin and his team programmed space travel to use existing code to gather information in a computer's memory and automatically transfer it to a secure virtual machine – one that is isolated and protected from outside interference.

"You have an exact copy of the operating system of the computer inside the secure virtual machine that a hacker can't compromise," Lin said. "Using this machine, then the user or antivirus software can understand what's happening with the space traveled computer setting off red flags if there is any intrusion. Previously, software developer had to manually write such tools.

"With our technique, the tools already being used on the computer become part of the defense process," he said.

The gap between virtualized computer hardware and software operating on top of it was first characterized by Drs. Peter Chen and Brian Noble, faculty members from the University of Michigan.

"The ability to leverage existing code goes a long way in solving the gap problem inherent to many types of virtual machine services," said Chen, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, who first proposed the gap in 2001. "Fu and Lin have developed an interesting way to take existing code from a trusted system and automatically use it to detect intrusions."

Lin said the space travel technique will help the FBI understand what is happening inside a suspect's computer even if they are physically miles away, instead of having to buy expensive software.

Space travel was presented at the most recent IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. Lin developed this with Yangchun Fu, a research assistant in computer science.

"This is the top conference in cybersecurity, said Bhavani Thuraisingham, executive director of the UT Dallas Cyber Security Research and Education Center and a Louis A. Beecherl Jr. Distinguished Professor in the Jonsson School. "It is a major breakthrough that virtual developers no longer need to write any code to bridge the gap by using the technology invented by Dr. Lin and Mr. Fu. This research has given us tremendous visibility among the cybersecurity research community around the world."

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

'Psychopaths' have an impaired sense of smell

2012-09-20

People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain. These findings by Mehmet Mahmut and Richard Stevenson, from Macquarie University in Australia, are published online in Springer's journal Chemosensory Perception. Psychopathy is a broad term that covers a severe personality disorder characterized by callousness, manipulation, sensation-seeking and antisocial behaviors, traits which may also be found in otherwise healthy and functional people. Studies have shown that people with psychopathic ...

Two bionic ears are better than the sum of their parts

2012-09-20

Cochlear implants — electronic devices surgically implanted in the ear to help provide a sense of sound — have been successfully used since the late 1980's. But questions remain as to whether bilateral cochlear implants, placed in each ear rather than the traditional single-ear implant, are truly able to facilitate binaural hearing. Now, Tel Aviv University researchers have proof that under certain conditions, this practice has the ability to salvage binaural sound processing for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. According to Dr. Yael Henkin of TAU's Department of Communication ...

Astrochemistry enters a bold new era with ALMA

2012-09-20

Combining the cutting-edge capabilities of the ALMA telescope with newly-developed laboratory techniques, scientists are opening a completely new era for deciphering the chemistry of the Universe. A research team demonstrated their breakthrough using ALMA data from observations of the gas in a star-forming region in the constellation Orion. Using new technology both at the telescope and in the laboratory, the scientists were able to greatly improve and speed the process of identifying the "fingerprints" of chemicals in the cosmos, enabling studies that until now would ...

Abnormal carotid arteries found in children with kidney disease

2012-09-20

A federally funded study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center has found that children with mild to moderate kidney disease have abnormally thick neck arteries, a condition known as carotid atherosclerosis, usually seen in older adults with a long history of elevated cholesterol and untreated hypertension. The findings — published online ahead of print on Sept. 13 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology — are particularly striking, the researchers say, because they point to serious blood vessel damage much earlier in the disease ...

In obesity, a micro-RNA causes metabolic problems

2012-09-20

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have identified a key molecular player in a chain of events in the body that can lead to fatty liver disease, Type II diabetes and other metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity. By blocking this molecule, the researchers were able to reverse some of the pathology it caused in obese mice. Their ...

Gamers confront copyright law, says Rutgers law scholar

2012-09-20

CAMDEN — These days, gamers aren't just saving the virtual world, they're creating it. Video games have evolved into a fully immersive, customizable experience in which gamers not only play, but also create new content. Players are encouraged to contribute their creativity by designing their own maps, customizing characters, and adding new material to games. But user-generated content has the potential to infringe upon copyright law, which is casting a shadow on the legality of gamer authorship. Rutgers–Camden law professor Greg Lastowka is mapping the intersection ...

DNA analysis aids in classifying single-celled algae

2012-09-20

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- For nearly 260 years -- since Carl Linnaeus developed his system of naming plants and animals -- researchers classified species based on visual attributes like color, shape and size. In the past few decades, researchers found that sequencing DNA can more accurately identify species. A group of single-celled algae -- Symbiodinum -- that live inside corals and are critical to their survival -- are only now being separated into species using DNA analysis, according to biologists. "Unfortunately with Symbiodinium, scientists have been hindered by a ...

Survival of safety-net hospitals at risk

2012-09-20

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Many public safety-net hospitals are likely to face increasing financial and competitive pressures stemming in part from the recent Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act, according to researchers at Penn State and the Harvard School of Public Health. "The issue for these hospitals going forward is that the Affordable Care Act promises to change how care for low-income and uninsured populations is funded, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape," said Jonathan Clark, assistant professor of health policy and administration, Penn ...

Virtual reality simulator helps teach surgery for brain cancer, reports Neurosurgery

2012-09-20

Philadelphia, Pa. (September 20, 2012) – A new virtual reality simulator—including sophisticated 3-D graphics and tactile feedback—provides neurosurgery trainees with valuable opportunities to practice essential skills and techniques for brain cancer surgery, according to a paper in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part ofWolters Kluwer Health. The prototype system, called "NeuroTouch," uses 3-D graphics and haptic (sense of touch) technology to ...

No 'July phenomenon' for neurosurgery patients, reports Neurosurgery

2012-09-20

Philadelphia, Pa. (September 20, 2012) – For patients undergoing neurosurgery at teaching hospitals, there's no "July phenomenon" of increased death and complication rates when new residents start their training, reports a study in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The risk of adverse outcomes after common brain and spinal procedures are no different in July compared to any other month, according to the research by Dr. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Be careful trusting TikTok for gout advice

A study by the University of Seville links the vanishing of the specific heats at absolute zero with the principle of entropy increase

Violence against women and children among top health threats: New global study reveals disease burden far larger than previously estimated

University of Maryland School of Medicine names distinguished scientist and academic leader Gerald M. Wilson, PhD, as Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology