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Detecting Variadic Functions in Stripped Binaries from C/C++
No full textC and C++ are the most popular programming languages used to implement browsers,runtime libraries, internet of things devices and operating system kernels. Due to the important nature of these devices and their software, it is important to identify security vulnerabilities in the software before adversaries find them. One of the common low-level vulnerabilities in C/C++ programming languages involves the misuse of variadic functions. Variadic functions take a variable number of arguments and pass them to other functions. Misusing variadic functions can lead to memory safety violations, mismatching of function arguments or can enable execution of remote code. The most common attack vectors involve providing input that forces a function in the program to assume it has received more arguments than were actually passed. This allows the attacker to read and possibly write values on the control stack, and in effect dynamically patch the code while it is running. The goal of this research is to develop a theory and proof of concept tool for the automated detection of variadic functions in stripped binaries and the actual numbers of arguments passed to that function. This technology will enable future automated patching of vulnerable variadic functions. We implemented an automated tool, called Detector for identifying variadic functions to assist software developers and security analysts in pinpointing and repairing vulnerable code. The approach presented in this dissertation focuses on analyzing stripped binaries, which are those with all debug and symbol data removed. These binaries represent the difficulty found in fixing security vulnerabilities in legacy code and third-party libraries, although they can also be used to represent newly developed software. The target binaries were compiled by three different compilers: GCC, Clang, and ICC in both popular Intel x86 and x64 architectures. Our major contribution in this research is using syntactic and semantic analysis to detect the variadic functions based on their behavior in the stripped binary code. Our experimental results indicate that the Detector is more accurate than other existing tools. The average of precision and recall for GCC x64 and x86 are more than 99%, Clang X64 is around 98%, and ICC X64 is around 94%.doctoral, Ph.D., Computer Science -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-1
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Based Quantification of Ophthalmic Adaptations to Microgravity and Microgravity Analogs
No full textSpaceflight has long been known to have adverse effects on the human body. Many spaceflight-induced alterations such as bone and muscle atrophy are well understood and have mitigation strategies that have been successfully implemented. More recently, some astronauts have been presenting with a series of unusual physiologic and pathologic neuro-ophthalmic symptoms after long-duration spaceflight (> 6 months). These symptoms are collectively referred to as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), and include optic disc edema, posterior optic globe flattening, retinal and choroidal folds, cotton wool spots, and hyperopic refractive error shift. SANS is thought to be caused in part by mild but chronic elevation in intracranial pressure (ICP) caused by a headward fluid redistribution that occurs in space due to the lack of a gravitational vector. To simulate these headward fluid distributions, head-down tilt (HDT) studies have been implemented as a ground-based analog to spaceflight. HDT studies are advantageous in that they offer more opportunities to test mitigation techniques, more comprehensive imaging and monitoring, and allow for a larger number of study subjects in a shorter amount of time. The following studies provide automated and quantitative assessment of physiologic neuro-ophthalmic changes that occur due to spaceflight and HDT. Optic nerve (ON) and optic nerve sheath (ONS) cross sectional areas and ON deviation were assessed in healthy subjects during acute head-down tilt. While ON area did not change, both ONS area and ON deviation increased significantly. The posterior globes of long-duration spaceflight astronauts and HDT subjects were quantitatively assessed for globe flattening in the form of posterior volume displacement. Both cohorts reported significant volume displacement that in the case of astronauts did not resolve within a year after landing. Furthermore, centrifugation was tested as a mitigation technique for globe flattening in the HDT cohort and was not found to significantly reduce volume displacement. The quantitative methods described here will help in the understanding of SANS etiology and will inform future mitigation strategies.masters, M.S., Biological & Agricultural Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-1
Bounding Cyber in Design Basis Threat
No full textThe emergence of cyberweapons and the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), contribute to the exponential growth in the number and sophistication of cyber-attacks, targeting critical infrastructure. The nuclear sector has recognized that it must employ compensating measures in order to ensure its most critical systems can defend, detect, delay, respond, and recover from cyber-attacks. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has included cybersecurity requirements in the Physical Security and Design Basis Threat Orders. Design Basis Threat (DBT) is a profile of the type, composition, and capabilities of an adversary used to design protection systems at nuclear power plants. These prescribed cybersecurity requirements, are an alternate approach to traditional DBT analysis, that even if implemented correctly, may not be sufficient to defend against an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). The use of a compliance-based approach has left nuclear power plants unable to quantitatively measure their ability to defend against adversaries with cyber capabilities. This research identifies residual cyber risk at nuclear power plants, advocates for the adoption of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and face recognition technologies at nuclear facilities, and proposes a novel approach to developing cyber DBTs specific to the facility, its material, or adversary activities that can be empirically investigated through a combination of modeling, simulation and live exercises.doctoral, Ph.D., Computer Science -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-0
Design of an Automatic Voltage Regulator With Limited Plant Information
No full textMaintaining system voltage is a primary concern for power system stability. Within the excitation system, the voltage is maintained at the set point by a compensator known as the Automatic voltage regulator (AVR). One popular compensator design in AVR and other applications is the ProportionalIntegral Derivative (PID). The PID controller is popular in modern control applications due to its simplicity and robustness. In recent years a large body of research has been conducted on the optimization of PID tuning parameters using heuristic techniques. While PID is popular, the low order limits the performance of this design. In this paper, a PID compensator is used to develop a high-order compensator for an AVR system. The performance of the system with the new compensator is shown to be superior to that of the default system. Compensator performance is tested using a high-fidelity model of a nuclear generating station.masters, M.Engr., Electrical and Computer Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-1
The Relationship Between FFA and SAE Involvement and College Involvement with College of Agricultural and Life Sciences College Students
No full textAbstractEducation is a critical part in one’s future to being hired for a job. Post-secondary education is a sought after skill for many jobs out there, yet so many people are lacking it. Research suggests that career and technical education is a key component to getting a post-secondary education. Although, research has also shown that students who were involved in secondary FFA and SAE were not more successful than students who did not participate in those activities. The purpose of this study was to determine if involvement in FFA and SAEs during high school had a relationship with college involvement. Survey research methods were used to collect the data. At the University of Idaho, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, 211 students completed the survey. There were 92 out of 210 students who were involved in FFA during secondary education and 82 out of 92 students who had SAE projects. The researcher identified that there was a moderate correlation of 0.345 between FFA involvement and college involvement and Pearson Chi Square correlation of 28.50 between SAE involvement and college involvement. The researcher recommends that college recruiters focus their attention on higher involved FFA students rather than just FFA members. It is also recommended that secondary agricultural educators push their students towards higher-level FFA events and leadership roles and that the students’ SAE projects be more rigorous.masters, M.Ed., Agricultural Education & 4H Youth Development -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-1
Bayesian Inference of Biological Networks Using Probabilistic Graphical Models
No full textGene regulatory networks are a visual representation of genes and their interactions. In this visual representation, nodes correspond to genes, while edges correspond to interactions among genes. Learning the structure of a gene regulatory network from data can provide valuable insights on how genes regulate one another. Understanding the complex regulatory relationships among genes is key to understanding many biological processes. Methods that infer the structure of a gene regulatory network are powerful tools for understanding these processes. The inference from these methods has a wide range of applications such as understanding complex traits or diagnosing and treating disease. Probabilistic graphical models or networks describe the statistical dependence between variables in a system and graphical model based methods are commonly used to infer the structure of a gene regulatory network. We present a Bayesian graphical model based approach to infer the structure of a network and develop a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for the inference. Our method quantifies uncertainty in the inference, uses edge-level prior probabilities, and incorporates prior or external knowledge of the network structure, and accounts for multiple data types (for example, discrete, continuous, and mixed). We illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of our method through simulation studies and compare our method to existing Bayesian methods. We demonstrate the practical application of our method by applying it to two different biological networks. First, we infer a gene regulatory network from individual level genotype and gene expression data in humans. Second, we infer the combinatorial binding profiles of transcription factors during Drosophila mesoderm development. We extend our method to infer gene regulatory networks by including biological assumptions that regulate the relationships between data types. Specifically, we use the principle of Mendelian randomization to infer causal relationships among genes by incorporating individual level genotype data in the network. We carry out a wide range of simulation studies on gene regulatory networks and demonstrate that our method can accurately infer regulatory relationships among genes.doctoral, Ph.D., Bioinformatics & Computational Biology -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-1
Impact of Non-Fiber Carbohydrates and Dietary Cation-Anion Difference on Milk Yield in Lactating Cows: A Meta-Analysis
No full textRecently, increasing demand for butter has resulted in milk fat accounting for 50% of the value of Class III milk, and increasing milk fat yield (MFY) can positively impact profitability for dairies. Nutritional strategies to accomplish greater MFY can be multifactorial. Increasing non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC) has resulted in a quadratic effect in some studies. Previous meta-analysis evaluating dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) reported a quadratic or linear relationship to MFY. Some studies fed varying rates of DCAD with different levels of NFC to evaluate lactation performance. To better understand the results of these studies and determine if there were possible interactions between NFC and DCAD, we conducted a meta-analysis. Fifteen studies were identified which reported adequate information for the analysis. Studies included 62 observations, 60 treatment diets, and 362 cows. We hypothesized that increasing DCAD would improve milk fat yield for all levels of NFC and the response to DCAD would be more impactful as NFC in diets became greater. Interactions were tested by binning NFC into Low NFC (mean= 38.6), Medium NFC (mean=42.7), and High NFC (mean=47.1), while DCAD was a continuous variable. A difference in MFY between the model intercept (Low NFC) and Medium NFC was not detected, but there was a reduction (P<0.01) for High NFC (-.242 ± 0.082) compared to the model intercept (Low NFC). Increasing DCAD had a positive linear effect (P<0.05) on MFY for all levels of NFC. The response to DCAD was 0.004 kg/d greater (P<0.05) for High NFC compared to Medium NFC. The positive response to DCAD for all NFC levels and reduction in milk fat yield to High NFC suggests that both DCAD and NFC should be considered when formulating diets to increase milk fat yield.masters, M.S., Animal and Veterinary Science -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-0
An Analogy Between Wisdom and Dead Foliage
No full textThis thesis describes the intention and development of the thesis exhibition body of work by Theresa Rushing for the fulfillment of her Master of Fine Arts Degree. Her drawings are each a small installment describing facets of wisdom as presented in the Bible, using dead foliage as its physical analogy. Wisdom, as presented in the Bible, describes generalities that bridge finite situations and also provides perspective for life in its entirety. These perspectives guide the short phrases that accompany the dead foliage renderings. The phrases through, quote, paraphrase, or general idea connect Theresa’s lived experience with her understanding of the Bible. Through the medium of watercolor and ink, in understated and simple compositions, Theresa constructs highly detailed replicas of familiar and small pieces of foliage, accompanied by a few words. This body of work directs the viewer towards an interpretation of wisdom as familiar, simple, and small in delivery, but complex, ancient, and encompassing once it is understood.masters, M.F.A., Art & Design -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-0
Using a Sinusoidal Water Temperature Signal to Relate Sediment Thermal Properties with Sediment Composition Within Streambeds
No full textAs our climate changes and urban sprawl continues to expand, it becomes increasingly important to quantify and track impacts on the environment. Rivers and streams are continuously changing due to high flows and sediment transportation caused by both natural and anthropogenic means. Specifically scour and deposition influence the structural stability of bridges, damns, and other structures, as well as influencing behaviors of fish and other organisms within rivers. This thesis defense tests a novel methodology to monitor streambed elevation changes and relates thermal properties of the sediment to sediment porosity based on daily variations of stream water temperatures. The method uses one-dimensional heat advection and diffusion equations to determine streambed elevations. The same equations are also used to determine thermal properties of the sediment, which may provide insight to how the thermal property relates to sediment composition.masters, M.S., Civil Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-0
Connected by Water: The Confluence of Self and Place
No full textThe installation, Connected by Water, is a culmination of experiences and places that shape my sense of self and place. My family has lived along the Salmon River for five generations, and I have guided rafts down its waters since high school. The Salmon River is not just my home; it is a shaping force for who and how I am. While depicting the specific landscape of the Salmon, Snake, and Clearwater Rivers and the positioning of the exhibit in Moscow Idaho, Connected by Water invites viewers to consider their own experiences in this landscape or other places with which they have relationships. As the outdoors play such a crucial role in my art and formative life experiences, it seems only fitting that my thesis took shape on the sides of mountains and banks of rivers that inspired Connected by Water. This written thesis, The Confluence of Self and Place, explains how my experience of growing up where and how I did informs my work and is entangled with my understanding of self and place. In addition to the direct inclusion of journal entries from the past year, a majority of the ideas and phrasing existed first in handwritten journals that traveled across the places featured in this thesis. The introduction acknowledges the land and the role it has played in shaping my work and my sense of self. In Chapter 1, watersheds literally and metaphorically define the boundaries within the Snake River drainage and connect all elements within. Chapter 2 explores how pacing and movement inform one’s experience, attentiveness, and awareness of details within a landscape. Lastly, Chapter 3 decenters dualistic notions of right/wrong to pose questions of how and why we can authentically engage and interact with place. Together, Connected by Water: The Confluence of Self and Place expresses my upbringing along the Salmon River and the new experiences and continuous relationships I have with the watersheds of the Northwest. By asking viewers to consider their own relationships with place, I hope to engage with the question of how we (humans) settle our weight into dynamic landscapes as part of an intricate community.masters, M.F.A., Art & Design -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2020-0