Abstract: Methods and apparatus to validate and restore machine configurations are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a context identifier to obtain first context information for a first set of configuration update events occurring on a computing device, a guest agent interface to transmit the first set of configuration update events to a security manager for generation of a policy, the policy including allowable configuration update events and responses to unallowable configuration update events, an event comparator to compare second context information of a subsequent configuration update event obtained by the context identifier to the policy received from the security manager, and an event handler to determine, when the subsequent configuration update event is not included in the policy, that the subsequent configuration update event is to be transmitted to the security manager for generation of an updated policy.

Abstract: A Deep Learning Dendritic Cell Algorithm (DeepDCA) is employed in an intrusion detection system (IDS) and method. The framework adopts both a Dendritic Cell Algorithm (DCA) and a Self Normalizing Neural Network (SNN). The IDS classifies interned of things (IoT) intrusion, while minimizing false alarm generation, and it automates and smooths the signal extraction phase which improves the classification performance. The IDSselects the convenient set of features from the IoT-Bot dataset, and performs their signal categorization using the SNN. Experimentation demonstrated that the IDS with DeepDCA performed well in detecting IoT attacks with a high detection rate demonstrating over 98.73% accuracy and a low false-positive rate. Also, IDS was capable of performing better classification tasks than SVM, NB, KNN and MLP classifiers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for distorting CAPTCHA images with generative adversarial networks include an image distortion interface that can select an image record from a database, determine the size of the selected image, and apply an adversarial attack algorithm to create an array of pixels that is the same size as the selected image so that the majority of the pixels in the array are zero values and the remaining pixels in the array are in the red-green-blue value range. The image distortion interface can merge the array of pixels with the selected image to form a distorted image. A server can include a CAPTCHA test interface that can select a set of images having the same label, retrieve corresponding distorted images, and provide a CAPTCHA test using the distorted images. The CAPTCHA test can use distorted images with different applied adversarial attack algorithms.

Abstract: Computer systems, devices, and associated methods of detecting and/or preventing injection attacks in databases are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method includes determining whether parsing a database statement received from an application on the application server cause a syntax error in a database. In response to determining that parsing the received database statement does not cause a syntax error, determining whether an identical syntactic pattern already exists. In response to determining that an identical syntactic pattern already exists in the database, the method includes indicating that the received database statement does not involve an injection attack.

Abstract: Hosted server implementation is provided for intermediating anonymous firm matching and exit strategy negotiations. The system generates user accounts in response to user interaction with a hosted server interface, and matches client users based on at least an industry type and user-selected criteria, and electronically presents users with anonymized profiles corresponding to the users matched therewith. Responsive to selection of an anonymized profile, the system enables confidential and anonymous sharing of client user data corresponding to the selection criteria. Further responsive to authorization from each corresponding client user, the system generates intermediated and anonymous correspondence between a first client user and selected client users via a hosted server platform, wherein the hosted server interfaces substantially prevent identification of either client user participating in the intermediated correspondence.

Abstract: A computerized method of reducing a probability for falsely classifying a legitimate authentication process conducted by a legitimate user as a password guessing attack, comprising estimating a password guessing attack risk for an authentication process conducted by a user for accessing a secure service by performing the following for each of a plurality of failed access attempts in which the user provides incorrect authentication credentials: (1) calculate a risk score for a respective failed access attempt based on analysis of the incorrect authentication credentials provided during the respective failed access attempt and (2) update an authentication session score of the authentication process according to the calculated risk score and initiate one or more actions in case the updated authentication session value exceeds one or more threshold values extracted from a security policy predefined for the secure service.

Abstract: Implementations of the present specification provide a blockchain-based transaction method and apparatus, and a remitter device. The method includes: calculating a transaction amount commitment, a first commitment random number ciphertext, and a second commitment random number ciphertext; and submitting transaction data to the blockchain, the transaction data including the transaction amount commitment, the first commitment random number ciphertext, and the second commitment random number ciphertext, for the transaction amount commitment and the first commitment random number ciphertext to be recorded into a remitter account, and the transaction amount commitment and the second commitment random number ciphertext to be recorded into a remittee account.

Abstract: Techniques for controlling the performance of remote operations on computing devices within a video processing environment are described. One embodiment determines to perform a remote operation on a remote device in a media processing environment and determines a signal chain within the media processing environment that includes the remote device. An operational status of the signal chain is determined, based on a media processing schedule for the signal chain. Upon determining that the operational status indicates that the remote device is available for performance of the remote operation, embodiments initiate the performance of the remote operation on the remote device.

Abstract: Techniques for selectively initiating security scanning operations on remote devices are described. Embodiments determine to perform a security scanning operation on a remote device in a media processing environment. A signal chain within the media processing environment that includes the remote device is determined. Embodiments determine an operational status of the signal chain, based on a media processing schedule for the signal chain. Upon determining that the operational status indicates that the remote device is available for performance of the security scanning operation, performance of the security scanning operation on the remote device is initiated.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system, method, and computer readable storage medium having instructions for applying a plurality of interconnected filters to protect a computing device from a DDoS attack. The method includes, responsive to detecting the computing device is subject to the DDoS attack, intercepting data from a network node to the computing device, determining data transmission parameters, assigning an initial danger rating to the network node, identifying a subset of the plurality of the interconnected filters which are concurrently triggered, changing the danger rating of the network node based on an application of the subset of the plurality of interconnected filters that are triggered and the data transmission parameters, and responsive to determining that the danger rating of the network node exceeds a threshold value, limiting a transmittal of data from the network node to the computing device by limiting channel capacity between the network node and the computing device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting attacks using a handshake request are provided. A plurality of devices can receive a plurality of handshake requests to establish TLS connections that include a respective application request. At least one of the plurality of handshake requests can include a first application request. The plurality of devices can record each of the respective application requests to a registry of application requests. A first device of the plurality of devices can receive a subsequent handshake request to establish a subsequent TLS connection that includes the first application request. The first device can query, prior to accepting the first application request, the registry for the first application request. The first device can determine whether to accept or reject the first application request responsive to identifying from the query that the first application request has not been or has been recorded in the registry.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for identifying copyrighted material based on embedded copyright information. One of the methods includes generating, by a computing device, a unique identifier (ID) based on copyright information associated with the textual content, wherein the text and the copyright information are recorded on a blockchain of a blockchain network; adding, by the computing device, one or more function words to the textual content without altering a meaning of the textual content; and embedding, by the computing device, the unique ID in the function words to produce an information-embedded textual content that enables retrieval of the copyright information from the blockchain based on the unique ID.

Abstract: A method to assess network vulnerabilities of devices may include accessing, by a relay device, a network that includes a firewall to separate the network from external networks such that the relay device is coupled to the network from behind the firewall attached to the network. The method may further include establishing a communication channel over a secondary network between the relay device and a monitor system. The method may further include detecting one or more devices behind the firewall attached to the network by the relay device. The method may also include after establishing the communication channel and detecting the one or more devices and while the relay device is coupled to the network from behind the firewall attached to the network, performing, by the monitor system, one or more network vulnerability assessments on the one or more devices via network communications that pass through the relay device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for electronic authentication, validation, storage, and third party verification of documents by a document service. The method provides a system for authenticating a user by a process that includes presentation of photo identification by the user and generation of an authenticated user code. The user then requests transfer of a document to the document service. The document service then validates, encrypts, and stores the document and associated metadata. A request for verification by a third party is responded to by the document service if the user sends the authenticated user code to confirm permission for verification by the document service.

Abstract: An entity runs in background mode on a computing device and automatically determines when the current user is attempting to open an age-restricted app. The age of the user is automatically determined, e.g., by passively capturing a biometric image and estimating the user's age. A camera on the computing device can be used to take a picture of the user, and a facial image can be recognized in the picture by applying a facial recognition algorithm. The age of the user can be estimated based on the facial image, by applying an age estimation algorithm. The app is locked responsive to determining that the user's age does not meet a corresponding requirement. A communication can be transmitted to the primary user of the computing device, indicating that the current user of the device unsuccessfully attempted to open the app, optionally including a picture of the user.

Abstract: Minimizing the latency of on-device detection of malicious executable files, without sacrificing accuracy, by applying a machine learning model to an executable file in quantized steps. Allowing a threshold confidence level to be set to different values enables controlling the tradeoff between accuracy and latency in generating a confidence level indicative of whether the executable file includes malware.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of registering image data in the context of a biometric security system includes receiving an indication of image data, detecting a first point set and a second point set, based on the image data, and generating a metric of closeness between the first point set and the second point set. In addition, the computer-implemented method includes applying the metric of closeness to a transformation model to obtain a transformation parameter and transforming the first point set with respect to the second point set, based on the transformation parameter. Further, the computer-implemented method includes determining whether transformation of the first point set with respect to the second point set indicates convergence and, if so, generating an output indicative of an aligned point set.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for processing a data record including encrypted and decrypted data is described. Various embodiments include receiving a data record including ciphertext and plaintext blocks and determining whether each block in the data record is a ciphertext block or a plaintext block. If a block is a ciphertext block, the ciphertext block is stored into a ciphertext record, decrypted into a plaintext block utilizing a decryption algorithm, and stored in a plaintext record. If the block is a plaintext block, the plaintext block is stored into the plaintext record, encrypted into a ciphertext block utilizing an encryption algorithm, and stored in the ciphertext record. Embodiments described also include authenticating the data record by passing each block of the ciphertext record to an authentication scheme and outputting the plaintext record to a destination application.

Abstract: Disclosed are some implementations of systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products for facilitating the authentication of computing system requests across tenants of at least one multi-tenant database system. Authentication is facilitated using a central registry that is accessible by and independent from the tenants of the multi-tenant database system.

Abstract: A method of operating at least one node in a communication network that uses a shared communication medium has been developed. The method includes adjusting, with a controller in a first node, a resistance of a first potentiometer in the first node to a first resistance level that the controller in the first node determines randomly, the first potentiometer in the first node being connected to an output of a transceiver in the first node and to a shared communication medium, and transmitting, with the transceiver in the first node, a first data bit through the output that is connected to the shared communication medium with the first potentiometer producing the first resistance level.