JournalTOCs

European Journal for Security Research
Number of Followers: 1

Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
ISSN (Print) 2365-0931 - ISSN (Online) 2365-1695
Published by Springer-Verlag

[2570 journals]

Digitalization and Its Security Manifestations
- PubDate: 2020-01-13
Of New Technologies and Old Laws: Do We Need a Right to Violate the
Law'
- Abstract: Abstract New technologies that can force compliance with the law are becoming increasingly widespread. At the same time, the previous constitutional arguments for defending against such structures are losing weight under the new conditions of powerful artificial intelligence. This paper opens a new line of argument using the search term of a “right to violate the law,” which will make it possible to restrict the use of modern law-enforcing technologies in an effective and criteria-based manner also in the future.
  PubDate: 2020-01-04
Benefits and Limits of Autonomous Systems in Public Security
- Abstract: Abstract The replacement of traditional deterministic machines by autonomous, self-organizing systems in the realm of security technologies represents a new challenge. Operative and strategic autonomy must be made more distinct, while moral autonomy should remain a human responsibility. Depending on the type of mechanical learning, the systems gain a black box character that impedes the tracing of the authorship of the systems’ actions. The proposed method of monitoring system decisions (Digital Charta Art. 5, DSGVO Art. 22) must deal with complex networks of responsibility. For this reason, a new legal framework and new political terms of negotiation must be developed.
  PubDate: 2019-12-16
A Toy Model Study for Long-Term Terror Event Time Series Prediction with
CNN
- Abstract: Abstract Followed by the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the subsequent events, terrorism and other asymmetrical threat situations became increasingly important for security-related efforts of most western societies. In a similar period, the development of data gathering and analysis techniques especially using the methods of machine learning has made rapid progress. Aiming to utilize this development, this paper employs artificial neural networks for long-term time series prediction of terrorist event data. A major focus of the paper lies on the specific use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for this task, as well as the comparison to the performance of classical methods for (long-term) time series prediction. As the databases like Global Terrorism Database and Fraunhofer’s terrorist event database are not extensive enough to train a deep learning method, a simple toy model for the generation of time series data from one or more terrorist groups with defined properties is established. Metrics for comparison of the different approaches are collected and discussed, and a customized sliding-window metric is introduced. The study shows the principle applicability of CNNs for this task and offers constraints as well as possible extensions for future studies. Based on these results, continuation and further extension of data collection efforts and ML optimization techniques are encouraged.
  PubDate: 2019-12-11
The Complication of Presence in Telemedical Collaboration:
Intersituativity and Its Organizational Consequences
- Abstract: Abstract New information and communication technologies change social relations. The article introduces a concept by Stefan Hirschauer grasping this change as a complication of presence. For Emergency Medical Services, full presence of all participants is usually considered essential; however, telemedicine, telehealth physicians, and telecooperation are also gaining ground here. The study describes the foundation and challenges of telemedical situations and analyses how they are managed by physicians, paramedics, and patients being only gradually present for each other. On the organizational level, formal guidelines become more important, and responsibilities shift toward the rescue workers on-site.
  PubDate: 2019-12-10
Automating Security in and Around Soccer Stadiums Through Camera
Systems' Report on a Research Project
- Abstract: Abstract The article reports on the results of the DFG-funded interdisciplinary (social science and project neuroinformatics) Emotion. Escalation. Violence. The question was whether escalation processes (in and around football stadiums) can be detected automatically using a camera and appropriate evaluation software. The analysis of the data collected in the project (video, participant observation, interviews) showed that an automatic detection system that only looks at all factors in the situation and on site can make only limited statements about the probability of escalation processes. In addition, there is always a need for experienced human actors who are familiar with these processes and can contribute to the assessment of the situation.
  PubDate: 2019-12-10
Using Smartphones in Police Operations: The Necessity of Media Literacy in
Police Forces in the Age of Transparency
- Abstract: Abstract The internet and especially social media networks had and still have a deep impact on the organizational communication. Beside the possibilities of self-representation, social media allow a fast dialogue between organization and its stakeholders—for enterprises as well as for public administration, such as the police. Moreover, not only the official PR departments use these channels, also employees use text, photograph, and video to inform about their experiences. The article deals with the upcoming fuzzy logic of many responders, the new age of transparency and dialogue, the lack of media literacy, and the role of high-rank police officers.
  PubDate: 2019-12-07
Reflecting on the Ethical and Legal Implications of the State-Led War
Against International Terrorism
- Abstract: Abstract This article takes critical issue with the state-led global war against international terrorism, focusing specifically on the ethical and legal implications of that protracted international conflict. Following others, the paper conceptualises terrorism as an aspect of modern political violence that tends to service the overall interest of extant liberal global political economy at the expense of the human security challenges. To this end, the article seeks to shed light on the flux of alliances and allegiances between formal state agents and informal political actors (e.g. religious extremist or terrorist groups and left-/right-wing para-militias, etc.), whose bellicose political activities not only underscore the global war on terror but in part also inform the post-Cold War liberal international order. It is only in viewing the ongoing state-led global war against international terrorism through the prism of the state system’s perennial bellicose activities that we would be able to fully appreciate the adverse effects the global war on terror on the development of both domestic and international law that is critical to safeguarding the security and/or protection of civilians in times of peace and war.
  PubDate: 2019-11-28
Before, Now, and After the Event of Terror: Situational Terror Awareness
for Civilians in US Homeland Security
- Abstract: This article examines terror awareness as an individualized security practice that allows civilians to respond to situations of emergent terror as they occur, that is, in real time. It is a practice that targets the “time–space” (Walters in Comp Eur Polit 15(5):794–817, 2016) just before, during, and immediately after an event of terror. In recent years, the notion of “terror awareness” has gained salience in official US homeland security discourses. To protect themselves and their communities from harm and ensure an uninterrupted “way of life,” citizens are routinely encouraged to be vigilant and aware to signs of potential terror as they attend to their daily affairs. They are asked to stay informed, remain alert, and be ready to respond to the incipiency of terror so that they may avert—or, at least mitigate—its potentially catastrophic and disruptive consequences. According to the authorities, this kind of habitualized threat awareness can help prevent acts of terror and strengthen community resilience. But what exactly do government and security officials mean when they speak of “terror awareness”' What does this practice of being “terror aware” entail' And how is it supposed to function as a protective mechanism against potential terror' What is its relationship to such abstract concepts as “security,” “preparedness,” and “resilience”' This article seeks to answer these questions. It is based on a careful reading of official and publicly available texts (press statements, policy documents, reports, training brochures, websites, etc.) about homeland security and anti-terrorism, where the notion of “awareness” finds mention and a specific understanding of it—namely as an individualized security technology—is being communicated to the wider public.
  PubDate: 2019-11-06
An Acid Test for Europeanization: Public Cyber Security Procurement in the
European Union
- Abstract: Abstract Public procurement refers to processes through which national, regional, and local public authorities, state-owned enterprises, or other related bodies governed by public law, purchase products, services, and public work. Such purchases have been a particularly important element in developing the Internal Market of the European Union (EU). Given recent procurement reforms in the EU, including the 2009 reform on defense procurement, this paper examines public cyber security procurement in Europe. Two questions are examined: (1) whether cyber security procurement differs from public procurement in general, and (2) whether there are any noteworthy signs of Europeanization in terms of cyber security procurement. According to the empirical results, cyber security procurement tends to differ from general public procurement. In particular, competition obstacles are visible in terms of bids for cyber security procurement tenders. This result is accompanied with a visible lack of Europeanization, although the same observation generalizes to public procurement in the EU generally. With these results and the accompanying discussion, the paper contributes to the recent lively discussion about European security and its relation to marketization.
  PubDate: 2019-10-05
A Fast-Track Method for Assessing the Risk of a Terrorist Attack on
Transportation Facilities
- Abstract: Abstract The study reported in this paper was designed to develop a fast-track method for assessing the risk of a terrorist attack on transportation facilities. This method may be of particular significance for transportation systems with numerous facilities, like subways and railroads. For instance, in a situation where there is information that in the coming days a terrorist attack may occur along a subway line, employing this method can enable the experts to promptly determine the facilities (stations) which are the likeliest to be attacked by the terrorists. Upon receipt of the data, the police and security team will be able to go ahead and concentrate the forces around those specific facilities, which should help boost the likelihood of the terrorist attack getting prevented.
  PubDate: 2019-10-01
A Framework for GDPR Compliance for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises
- Abstract: Abstract The EU’s General Data Protection (GDPR) is an EU regulation that affects everyone in the EU and all organisations outside the EU that wants to do business with the EU. GDPR introduces tougher requirements for processing personal data, which may be difficult for many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to follow without major adjustments. This work uses design science to develop a framework for SMEs to adapt to GDPR. The framework was empirically evaluated in three different types of organisations, resulting of GDPR compliance according to their Data Protection Officers. It was also theoretical evaluated against scientific literature including the identified implications of GDPR. In this paper the framework is presented, from initial analysis and design to implementation and future work, with advice on how to work with each part to achieve compliance. The paper also highlights some of the most important changes in GDPR compared to its predecessor, Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (DIR95).
  PubDate: 2019-10-01
Behavioural Economics of Security
- Abstract: Abstract For years, the field of behavioural psychology has shaped the understanding of human behaviour. More and more findings of that discipline are also applied in economics. However, potential implications for the specific area of economics of security have been widely ignored. This paper transfers empirically proven phenomena of behavioural psychology, such as decision heuristics and fallacies, to the economics of security. In particular, we will focus on the subjective perception of risks and its implications on the evaluation of security solutions. Our paper provides an overview on aspects of behavioural psychology in economics of security. We argue that findings from behavioural psychology bear the potential to influence the assessment of security measures, and therefore need to be clearly identified for ensuring the efficient allocation of limited budgets for security solutions. In our view, sensitising decision-makers in the field of security for aspects of behavioural psychology is useful and conducive to enhance the management of risks for public security.
  PubDate: 2019-10-01
Indus Water Treaty in the Doldrums Due to Water–Power Nexus
- Abstract: Abstract Hydropower dams on rivers in the Indus Basin are becoming new elements in power geopolitics due to the threat of “aqua bombs” to downstream regions. Water law may limit such perceived water wars. The transboundary river water sharing agreements that bind bordering states are overstretched, particularly between Pakistan and India. Meanwhile, factors such as the expansion in industry and population, global warming, and reduction in oil and gas resources diminish scarce natural water resources. In addition, due to water pumping at levels above natural recharge rates, the underground water table has reached a state of continual free fall in the Indian and Pakistani Punjab. This work points out the dire need to reform international law to address such transboundary river conflicts, as water conflicts may become fully fledged armed conflicts with the current approach. The concurrence of power, energy, food, and water crises may wreak havoc on international river agreements if not addressed in international law. However, the laws that define rights among developed states may not be suitable for developing countries, and water and food security are critical issues for sovereign nations. Water sustains life, effectively determining all other geopolitical issues. The aim of this work is to investigate how international law could be adjusted with regard to international water sharing in order to resolve issues such as the energy crisis, economic collapse, global warming, and climate change.
  PubDate: 2019-10-01
On the Application of the Safety-II Concept in a Security Context
- Abstract: Abstract This paper presents an alternative and broader security risk perspective, incorporating uncertainty, as a two-dimensional combination of (1) threat (Th) on value (Vl), (2) vulnerability (Vu) given coping capabilities (Cc), and associated uncertainties U (will the threat scenario occur' and to what degree are we vulnerable'). Moreover, this work attempts to provide an integrated approach to the safety and security fields. We look closely into the issues related to Safety-I, Safety-II and security. Whereas conventional safety management approaches (Safety-I) are based on hindsight knowledge and risk assessments calculating historical data-based probabilities, the concept of Safety-II looks for ways to enhance the ability of organisations to be resilient in the sense that they recognise, adapt to and absorb disturbances. Three determinants that shape the Safety-II concept in the security perspective are the capacity of organisations to operate in changing circumstances; formulating strategies that promote a willingness to devote resources to security purposes, driven mainly by the organisation’s leader; and an organisational culture that encourage people to speak up (respond), think creatively (anticipate), and act as mindful participants (monitor and learn). Based on clarifying some of the fundamental building blocks of security risk assessment, this work develops an extended security risk assessment, including an analysis of both vulnerability and resilience. The analysis explores how the system works following any type of threat scenario and determines whether key functions and operations can be sustained.
  PubDate: 2019-10-01
A Review of Methods for Evaluating Security Awareness Initiatives
- Abstract: Abstract The ‘human factor’ is commonly considered to be the weakest link in an organization’s security chain, and a significant percentage of companies have implemented security awareness (SA) programs to address this vulnerability. However, an element whose usefulness is still underestimated is the importance to perform measurements of the different SA programs’ effectiveness in order to assess their adequateness for achieving the intended goals. This gap has serious consequences as most of the security awareness campaigns have resulted to be largely unsuccessful. Awareness measurement tools might be determinant in providing feedback on the outcome of a program as well as in helping with the strategic planning for endorsing security. This article will introduce and critically compare a set of measurement methods. It will then discuss their attributes and suggested applications.
  PubDate: 2019-09-26
Risk and Resilience Analysis of Public Civil Buildings Against Shelling
with Explosive Sources in Urban Contexts
- Abstract: Abstract Due to their high availability and low cost level, passive protection measures are a key factor for reducing the vulnerability of persons within and close to assets against potentially impacting mortar, rocket and artillery threats. Particularly, mortar shelling has even most recently been reported. At risk are permanent and nonpermanent assets of civil, (non)governmental or peacekeeping organizations with corresponding effects, e.g., on civil society, civil services or successful nation building, respectively. Of interest are the identification of vulnerable areas and the assessment of the effectiveness of protective structures while taking also other counter measures into account. To this end, a seven-step quantitative risk and resilience analysis and management methodology is described and applied. It consists of the analysis of scenarios, frequencies, hazards, damage effects and risks and yields individual and collective risks for multi-threat scenarios. Local individual or collective risks can be minimized below criteria, thus reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience in an efficient way, e.g., by using geometrical changes, by structural roof, wall and window retrofits, by mitigating barriers and/or organizational measures. The approach is demonstrated along with three detailed example cases.
  PubDate: 2019-08-26
Obituary
- PubDate: 2019-04-01
Trends of Modern Terrorism in the Metro Systems of the World
- Abstract: Abstract The issue of anti-terrorist protection of metro systems in recent decades has significantly worsened. This is due to the general growth of the terrorist threat in the world. According to the Global Terrorism Database of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a number of terrorist attacks have been committed in metro systems of various countries of the world, including Britain, Russia, USA, Japan and France. For effective measures to counteract such attacks, it is necessary to clearly know the trends of modern terrorism, particularly on the basis of systematization and analysis of statistical data on the terrorist attacks committed in the metro systems with the subsequent formation of a matrix of trends, which in this case was carried out by the authors of the article. The main statistical analysis method is the factor analysis. The proposed matrix helps to assess terrorist threats for metro systems and can be used to develop measures to ensure their security. The Matrix of Trends of Modern Terrorism in the Metro Systems’ main trends are identified: frequency of attacks; object of attacks; tool of attacks; method of attacks.
  PubDate: 2019-04-01
On the Economic Impact of Crypto-ransomware Attacks: The State of the Art
on Enterprise Systems
- Abstract: Abstract According to Cybersecurity Ventures research in 2017, in every 40 s, a business falls prey to a ransomware attack and the rate is predicted to rise to 14 s by 2019. Business organizations have had to pay cybercriminals even up to $1 million in a single attack, while others have incurred losses in hundreds of millions of dollars. Clearly, ransomware is an emerging cyberthreat to enterprise systems that can no longer be ignored. In this paper, we address the various facets of the ransomware pandemic narrowing down to the technical and economic impacts. We formulate an attack model applicable to cascaded network design structures common in enterprise systems, detailing the various susceptible ransomware entry points. We evaluate how the incorporation of asymmetric and symmetric encryption in hybrid cryptosystems with worm-like properties in recent ransomware strains has brought about tragic targeted ransomware attacks campaigns such as WannaCry, Erebus, and SamSam. We also detail the economic impact of ransomware on various businesses in terms of paid ransoms and loss of revenue due to downtime and loss of production. Results show the substantial role played by the Bitcoin cryptocurrency and email as the prevalent attack vector in indiscriminate attack campaigns, while vulnerability exploitation is dominant in targeted attacks. Furthermore, results show that lack of offline backup and poorly implemented offline backup strategies end up costing businesses more than the ransom demand itself. We suggest mitigation strategies and recommend best practices based on the demystified core components of successful ransomware attacks campaigns.
  PubDate: 2019-04-01