一种新的密码本原:棘轮密钥交换的定义、模型及构造

在传统密码学应用中,人们总假定终端是安全的,并且敌手只存在于通信信道上。然而,主流的恶意软件和系统漏洞给终端安全带来了严重和直接的威胁和挑战,例如容易遭受存储内容被病毒破坏、随机数发生器被腐化等各种攻击。更糟糕的是,协议会话通常有较长的生存期,因此需要在较长的时间内存储与会话相关的秘密信息。在这种情况下,有必要设计高强度的安全协议,以对抗可以暴露存储内容和中间计算结果(包括随机数)的敌手。棘轮密钥交换是解决这一问题的一个基本工具。文中综述了密码本原——棘轮密钥交换,包括单向、半双向和双向等棘轮密钥交换的定义、模型及构造,并展望了棘轮密钥交换的未来发展趋势。     

Analysis and proposition of limiting current density measurement protocol

Limiting current density at different temperatures, backpressures, and balance gases can be used to separate molecular diffusion resistance, Knudsen diffusion resistance and local transport resistance of membrane electrode assembly (MEA). However, the measurement of limiting current density has no unified protocol. The diverse choices in the literature, either in the control of current or voltage or in the atmosphere like relative humidity and O₂ concentrations, make it difficult to compare the results and identify the true bottleneck hindering the mass transport. In this work, the current-voltage curves obtained by current scanning/stepping and voltage scanning/stepping methods under dilute O₂ of different concentrations and a wide range of relative humidity were measured and analyzed systematically. It is found that the voltage stepping method is superior to the other three ways of control for the reliable determination of the limiting current density. Aided with simultaneous electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement, the limiting current density can be determined with pinpoint accuracy. When the limiting current density is just used to qualitatively evaluate different MEA, the voltage scanning method can be used instead for its high time efficiency. The selection of the atmosphere also plays an important role in suppressing the distortion from excessive water and reducing the spurious contribution from proton conduction resistance. It is found that O₂ concentrations at 0.5 vol% and relative humidity at 90% can give the best estimation of O₂ transport resistance in membrane electrode assembly.     

An adjusted K‐medoids clustering algorithm for effective stability in vehicular ad hoc networks

Recently, the routing problem in vehicular ad hoc networks is one of the most vital research. Despite the variety of the proposed approaches and the development of communications technologies, the routing problem in VANET suffers from the high speed of vehicles and the repetitive failures in communications. In this paper, we adjusted the well‐known K‐medoids clustering algorithm to improve the network stability and to increase the lifetime of all established links. First, the number of clusters and the initial cluster heads will not be selected randomly as usual, but based on mathematical formula considering the environment size and the available transmission ranges. Then the assignment of nodes to clusters in both k‐medoids phases will be carried out according to several metrics including direction, relative speed, and proximity. To the best of our knowledge, our proposed model is the first that introduces the new metric named “node disconnection frequency.” This metric prevents nodes with volatile and suspicious behavior to be elected as a new CH. This screening ensures that the new CH retains its property as long as possible and thus increases the network stability. Empirical results confirm that in addition to the convergence speed that characterizes our adjusted K‐medoids clustering algorithm (AKCA), the proposed model achieves more stability and robustness when compared with most recent approaches designed for the same objective.     

Beta-Binomial删除信道中的喷泉码文件传输协议

由于命名数据网络(NDN,Named-Data Networking)无环路、逐包、逐跳转发的特点,使得数据包回传成功率降低,而传统的TCP/IP协议中的ARQ和ACK机制对于多播会话不再适用.由于NDN中的传输信道可以等效为二进制删除信道,因此可以通过应用层编码来实现文件的可靠传输.传统的信道编码技术如卷积码、级联码和RS码等复杂度较高,而将NDN与低复杂度的喷泉码的结合可以实现分布式的存储架构,因而可通过喷泉编码在应用层协议中实现可靠的纠删机制,保证整体文件的传输可靠性.以往的研究一般是基于确定的删除概率信道模型,但是由于网络的异构性和信道噪声等因素影响,可能会造成信道丢包概率呈随机性分布.因此,本文在Beta-Binomial分布模型的前提下,根据贝叶斯统计的先验信息和中心极限定理,对随机概率下的纠删信道的文件可靠传输协议进行了数学建模和理论推导.仿真结果显示此模型更具有普适性,此传输协议可在信道状况未知的前提下从理论上求出最小发包数,减少冗余编码包,提高文件整体的投递成功率,在保证传输可靠性的同时有效提升协议传输效率.     

Rapid Discovery of Aspartyl Protease Inhibitors Using an Anchoring Approach

Pharmacophore searches that include anchors, fragments contributing above average to receptor binding, combined with one-step syntheses are a powerful approach for the fast discovery of novel bioactive molecules. Here, we are presenting a pipeline for the rapid and efficient discovery of aspartyl protease inhibitors. First, we hypothesized that hydrazine could be a multi-valent warhead to interact with the active site Asp carboxylic acids. We incorporated the hydrazine anchor in a multicomponent reaction and created a large virtual library of hydrazine derivatives synthetically accessible in one-step. Next, we performed anchor-based pharmacophore screening of the libraries and resynthesized top-ranked compounds. The inhibitory potency of the molecules was finally assessed by an enzyme activity assay and the binding mode confirmed by several soaked crystal structures supporting the validity of the hypothesis and approach. The herein reported pipeline of tools will be of general value for the rapid generation of receptor binders beyond Asp proteases.     

Identifying and Verifying Vulnerabilities through PLC Network Protocol and Memory Structure Analysis

Cyberattacks on the Industrial Control System (ICS) have recently been increasing, made more intelligent by advancing technologies. As such, cybersecurity for such systems is attracting attention. As a core element of control devices, the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) in an ICS carries out on-site control over the ICS. A cyberattack on the PLC will cause damages on the overall ICS, with Stuxnet and Duqu as the most representative cases. Thus, cybersecurity for PLCs is considered essential, and many researchers carry out a variety of analyses on the vulnerabilities of PLCs as part of preemptive efforts against attacks. In this study, a vulnerability analysis was conducted on the XGB PLC. Security vulnerabilities were identified by analyzing the network protocols and memory structure of PLCs and were utilized to launch replay attack, memory modulation attack, and FTP/Web service account theft for the verification of the results. Based on the results, the attacks were proven to be able to cause the PLC to malfunction and disable it, and the identified vulnerabilities were defined.