Assignment Final Report Format
Assignment Final Report Format
Introduction/ Background:
the progress of digitalization, which has become the mainstream, more risks lie ahead for the
maritime industry through cyberattacks, such as fraud and identity-based ones. Effective identity
verification would play a crucial role in ensuring security and trust in digitized process operations.
The current traditional password, although acceptable today, will not meet the demands of future
needs. This paper introduces a biometric signature-based system with blockchain technology that
can strengthen proof of identity in maritime operations. The framework uses unique biological
features to authenticate in overcoming fraudulent identity and better data management; it
addresses maritime-specific cybersecurity enhancing information integrity.
Related Work:
1. In 2023 and 2024, several impactful studies happened in identity proofing and
cybersecurity issues within the maritime industry and surrounding issues, including
biometric signatures and blockchain technology. A comparison of some of the key
research findings is listed below:
2023 Key Findings
Focus: This paper focuses on the biometric signature application that is integrated with
the block-chain based IPFS framework to prevent fraud and fake identity problems in
maritime operations. This paper also gives an overview of how cyber threats are
continually increasing, and therefore, data security is needed.
Key Contributions: It talks about behavioral biometrics and states that those are readily
applicable in identity verification whereas implementing proper cybersecurity measures
should be crucial in maritime-based operations
2. Cybersecurity Challenges:
This research focuses on vulnerabilities in maritime systems, such as cargo handling and
communication, which have been the core of the cyber attacks; this research laid
emphasis on a robust identity proofing mechanism to ensure the integrity and security of
data
Building on the work conducted in 2023, the research focuses on more sophisticated
biometric technologies, such as multi-factor authentication with physical and behavioral
biometrics.
•Focus: These research articles look to raise the identity verification process security by
incorporating AI-generated analytics for real-time assessment of user behavior patterns.
In 2024, it further came to explore the amalgamation between blockchain technology and
biometric systems as regards decentralized identity management. This is the recent trend,
but studies show that an approach to reduce reliance on centralized databases cannot be
breached.
This includes smart contracts with blockchain frameworks towards automatic and
secured identity verification processes that should add more efficiency to maritime
operations.
References:
1.Akbas, T., Koltuksuz, A., & Yucel, C. "Distributed and Biometric Signature-Based
Identity Proofing System for the Maritime Sector." 2023 8th International Conference on
Computer Science and Engineering (UBMK). DOI:
10.1109/UBMK59864.2023.10286659.
In this paper, an identity verification framework that incorporates biometric signatures into
blockchain-based identity systems for more accurate identification of people within
maritime operations is presented.
4.
Kumar, A., & Singh, R. (2024). "Multi-Factor Authentication in Maritime Cybersecurity:
Challenges and Solutions." International Journal of Maritime Engineering, 166(1), 45-56.
This article discusses the integration of multi-factor authentication frameworks in the
maritime sector to improve cybersecurity.
5.
Meyer, H., & Schmidt, T. (2023). "Behavioral Biometrics: Current Trends and Future
Directions." Computers & Security, 118, 102742.
The above article represents the latest trends in behavioral biometrics and their application
in future security frameworks.
•Behavioral Biometrics: Monitoring user behavior patterns is the approach used, thereby
adding a further layer of security by analyzing how individuals interact with devices.
Biometric systems, although offering greater security than non-biometric methods, are not
perfect and vulnerable to many types of attacks. Below is a collection of common types of
biometric attacks and their corresponding countermeasures:
1. Spoofing Attacks:
Definition: Spoofing attacks attempt to gain unauthorized access using an artificial biological
feature, such as a silicone fingerprint or printed photographs of faces.
Countermeasure:
•Liveness Detection: Design tools to ensure that when the biometric is captured, there is a
living being (for example, pulse within the finger veins or face-alive analytics).
2. Replay Attacks:
•Definition: Attackers capture and utilize valid, duplicated biometric values to gain
unauthorized entry.
•Countermeasures:
•Time-Stamps and Session Tokens: Utilize unique session identifiers and time-stamped data
to make sure the biometric data captured cannot be reused.
•Dynamic Data Generation: Produce new biometric templates for every session based upon
user behavior patterns.
3. Data Breaches:
•Description: Unauthorized access to stored biometric data results in identity theft and fraud.
•Mitigation:
•Encryption: protect biometric data in both rest and transit against unauthorized access.
• Blockchain Technology: Use blockchain for distributed storage to ensure that the biometric
data is tamper-proof, and further added with proper logging.
• Integrity Checks: Conduct cryptographic hashing of the biometric template for a secure
fingerprint; this will allow integrity verification in the course of authentication.
• Description: The attackers can flood the biometric system, thus keeping it unavailable for
its rightful users.
•Counter Measure:
•Redundancy and Load Balancing: Implement the principle of redundant systems and load
balancing to ensure the system remains available in high traffic or an attack scenario.
•Rate Limiting: Have rate limiting on authentication requests to avoid flooding the system.
• Cybersecurity Challenges: The maritime sector faces significant issues related to cybersecurity,
including fraud and user authentication.
• Biometric Signatures: Utilizes unique biological traits (e.g., fingerprints, voice patterns) for identity
verification, enhancing accuracy and security.
• Behavioral Biometrics: Analyzes unique user interactions (e.g., signing patterns) to provide an
additional layer of security.
• Blockchain Integration: Ensures data integrity and immutability by recording each biometric
signature as a secure transaction on a blockchain.
• InterPlanetary File System (IPFS): Allows for decentralized storage of biometric data, reducing
risks associated with centralized databases.
• Smart Contracts: Automates authentication processes, enabling real-time identity verification and
reducing manual errors.
• Cryptanalysis Considerations:
• Spoofing Attacks: Implement liveness detection to ensure biometric data is captured from a
live subject.
• Replay Attacks: Use time-stamped transactions and unique session identifiers to prevent
the reuse of captured biometric data.
• Data Breaches: Encrypt biometric data at rest and in transit to protect against unauthorized
access.
• Performance Metrics:
• Aim for low false acceptance rates (FAR) and false rejection rates (FRR) during identity
verification.
• Measure the speed of authentication compared to traditional methods.
• Gather user satisfaction feedback regarding the authentication process.
• Emerging Threats: The framework must consider potential cyber threats specific to the maritime
sector, such as malware attacks targeting port systems.