Available via license: CC BY 4.0
Content may be subject to copyright.
Applied Computing Journal https://doi.org/10.52098/acj.202260
ISSN: 2788-9688 Volume 2, Issue 4, pp 227-244, October 2022
Received: 19/12/2022 Revised: 26/12/2022 Accepted: 29/12/2022
Author(s) and ACAA permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work with proper citation. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution
International License (CC BY 4.0).
Cyber Security Threats, Vulnerability,
Challenges with Proposed Solution
Vaman Ashqi Saeed1, and Renas Rajab Asaad2
1 1Technical College of Administration, Information Technology Management Department, Duhok,
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
2 Department of Computer Science, Nawroz University, Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
* Corresponding author: Vaman Ashqi Saeed 1 , vamanatroushi@gmail.com
Abstract
Internet security is one of the most pressing concerns in the twenty-first century when taken into
consideration with other online concerns. This is because technological progress, the growth of communications,
and the development of the cyber-Internet have all led to a revolution in the way information and data is sent, as
well as in e-commerce. Because of this, it was important to find ways to protect information and data on the
internet, as well as electronic money accounts and electronic wallets. Information security on the Internet,
security of electronic operations, network security, and application security are all included under the umbrella
term "cybersecurity." Cybersecurity refers to the measures that are taken to protect data and information stored
on all electronic devices that are connected to the Internet from malicious attacks, hacking operations, data theft,
and sabotage. All electronic activities and applications require some kind of cyber security, including websites,
financial institutions (including banks, banks, and bank accounts), satellite operations (including military
missions), and drone management.
Keywords: Cyber Security, Threats, Vulnerability, Attacks.
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1. Introduction
Communication through the internet has become an essential component of modern infrastructure. The majority
of applications and control mechanisms for infrastructure systems are now able to be run over the internet (Zebari et
al., 2018). The tremendous improvements in network and communication technology led to significant advances in
communication technology, which in turn led to substantial improvements in communications. Communication for
multimedia material, particularly picture content, is becoming increasingly chronic via the internet. This is especially
true for image content (Mohammad et al, 2017). Despite this, the openness and accessibility of the Internet pose a
significant threat to the confidentiality of multimedia data, which slows down the pace of advancement in the field of
communication. Therefore, the general public has to exercise extreme caution with regard to the privacy and safety of
their multimedia communication (Ban Al-Omar et al., 2012; Zebari et al., 2021).
Under the concept of cybersecurity, various technologies and practices aimed at maintaining the security of
computer systems and the data of their users have been incorporated, especially at the present time, which is witnessing
a remarkable increase in the various actions carried out by individuals via electronic networks that use the Internet.
Perhaps the most serious challenges facing cybersecurity are the electronic hacking operations carried out by criminal
entities, with the aim of obtaining material benefits by stealing people’s data; or public or governmental institutions
(Zebari et al., 2019; Yousif & Saini, 2020). Therefore, cyber security is important for many reasons, the most
prominent of which are the following: Because it acts as the primary firewall to protect the various confidential data
of these parties, cyber security is of utmost importance to a large number of public and private institutions and
companies. If it were to fail or be penetrated, the institution or company would be an easy target for criminals.
Cybersecurity prevents numerous sorts of sensitive and critical data from being stolen or harmed (Asaad, 2021;
Pearson et al., 2011). This protection may be afforded to either the nation as a whole, corporations, or even individual
persons. The breach of cyber security might cause significant harm to the reputation of the firm or organization, which
would, in turn, have an effect on the volume of transactions carried out in commercial marketplaces. Hacking the
cyber security of any party results in a significant and direct threat to a large number of customers' personal data. This
is a process that would ruin the customer's relationship with this party and therefore expose the company to the risk
of collapse if customers decide to stop cooperating with it because of this breach (Zebari et al., 2017). The purpose of
computer or cyber security is to protect information and property from being stolen, corrupted, or destroyed by natural
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disasters, while at the same time ensuring that information and property can continue to be used effectively and can
be accessed by the people for whom they were designed (Clements & Kirkham, 2010).
2. The Importance of Cybersecurity
Every government and every society should make the safeguarding of sensitive data in cyberspace a top priority
in order to ensure its continued use. The use of cyber security is required on an individual basis for the purpose of
protecting one's personal data, including photos, files, videos, personal accounts, passwords, and bank accounts. On
the community level, we gathered data and protected community privacy in order to protect society from social
engineering and target social behavior (Asaad, 2021). When it comes to protecting electronic assets, data, and
information (including data on employees), servers, and websites at the corporate level and across various types of
companies. At the state level, it protects the state's electronic security in addition to defending the state's financial,
economic, military, television, and radio networks from electronic attacks, piracy, and interruption (Jubair et al., 2022).
Losses that occur as a direct consequence of cyberattacks cost businesses and whole nations tens of billions of
dollars each year. This is a result of the fact that nations are subjected to hundreds of thousands of electronic attacks
every single day, in addition to incidents involving the interruption or theft of systems and information, and other
forms of electronic attacks (Saini & Yousif, 2021). As a result of this, countries, governments, and large companies
have developed new departments that specialize in cyber security, information security, and network security. And in
the same way that every nation possesses both military and economic power, and that power is ranked according to
which nations are the strongest, the cyber power of the state, as well as its capacity to protect itself and its electronic
security, was also invented (Mondal et al., 2020).
3. Research Methodology
3.1 Cyber Security Fields
The specialization of cybersecurity is one of the most sought-after disciplines at the global level and one of the
highest jobs globally in terms of wages and salaries. However, in the Arab world, some of the concepts of cybersecurity
have not spread as in the major countries, but in the near future, it will become one of the most sought-after disciplines
in the labor market (Syed et al., 2020). The cybersecurity specialization is divided into several sections, sub-specialties,
and job titles, including:
A. Network Security: It is the type that protects the computer network from any penetration or attack, whether
from inside or outside the network, through the use of various modern technologies and protocols to prevent
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malicious programs from reaching this network. Therefore, network security is like a firewall and prevention
that protects the electronic network from the access of some untrusted third parties, through the development
of various security settings that ensure this purpose.
B. Application Security: It is the process of protecting various sensitive information at the level of the
application itself that the user is using, and it is represented by a set of security measures that should be taken
before entering and using the application, such as the process of requiring the user to set a strong password,
setting security questions, or the two-stage authentication process.
Figure 1: Cyber Security Threats Cycle (Clements and Kirkham, 2010)
C. Network Security: It is the type that protects the computer network from any penetration or attack, whether
from inside or outside the network, through the use of various modern technologies and protocols to prevent
malicious programs from reaching this network. Therefore, network security is like a firewall and prevention
that protects the electronic network from the access of some untrusted third parties, through the development
of various security settings that ensure this purpose.
D. Application Security: It is the process of protecting various sensitive information at the level of the
application itself that the user is using, and it is represented by a set of security measures that should be taken
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before entering and using the application, such as the process of requiring the user to set a strong password,
setting security questions, or the two-stage authentication process.
E. Cloud Security: It is a means of protecting personal information and data, as it is stored in what is known
as the electronic cloud, a system found on the Internet such as; (Google Drive), (Microsoft OneDrive) and
(Apple iCloud), all of which are highly efficient and capable storage media.
F. Operational Security: The process of internal risk management is of different types, and this type is often
used by risk management officials in companies and organizations, to ensure that they find an alternative
plan in the event that the stored data is exposed to the risk of breach. This type of security includes educating
employees and workers in the company or organization to implement the best practices to preserve various
data and information, whether personal or commercial.
3.2 Benefits of Cyber-Security
In an open age, the use of sophisticated software to protect against cyberattacks is beneficial for everyone. On an
individual level, a cyber security threat might in fact result in a very wide range of negative outcomes, such as the
theft of sensitive information like family photographs, extortion attempts, or even the destruction of sensitive material
like identification documents. Additionally, because everyone is dependent on important infrastructures like power
plants, healthcare facilities, and financial service businesses, it is imperative that these and other institutions be
protected in order to ensure the smooth operation of society. In this day and age, everyone can benefit from using
modern cybersecurity software. They want to educate the general public about the relevance of cybersecurity, raise
attention to newly identified vulnerabilities, and give support for open-source software toolkits (Balani & Varol,
2020).
3.3 Their efforts make the internet a safer place for everyone
Defending society from cyber assaults is important because, in the event that one occurs, it has the potential to
damage millions of people, cause state-run organizations to shut down, and prevent residents from receiving services.
An example of this would be how the well-known ransomware Sam was used to attacking the city of Atlanta. The
hackers requested hush money of $51 million, and the threat was so malevolent that the city lost internet service for
five days, which caused many essential citywide operations to stop (Mondal et al., 2020). The city ended up paying
$17 million to the hackers, despite the fact that companies face more than 4,000 hacks every day. The use of
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ransomware alone makes it possible for cyberattacks to take place on a global scale, and the penetration of government
organizations by hackers makes it necessary to lay the groundwork for future defenses against cyberattacks on critical
infrastructures, such as power plants and power grids. Cyberattacks might be launched against nuclear power facilities,
which would result in a catastrophic disaster and the loss of millions of lives. An Iranian nuclear plant was subjected
to an attack by a malicious computer virus, which resulted in the destruction of five centrifuges. The spread of these
electronic viruses caused the centrifuges to overheat, which may have resulted in an explosion that took the lives of
several people (Ghaffari et al., 2019).
According to research conducted by the Brookings Institution, fast advancements in technology have led to the
introduction of 5G networks, which have the potential to expose users to enlarged and multi-dimensional cyberattack
vulnerabilities. As a result of the proliferation of modern technologies like the Internet of Things, which has led to a
significant increase in the number of devices that are connected to the internet, cybercriminals now have access to
artificial intelligence and machine learning, which they can use to launch cyberattacks. A program that can effortlessly
break into computer systems without the need for any assistance from a human. These automated cyberattacks may
be carried out on a large scale, and they cause widespread alarm throughout the world (Balani & Varol, 2020; Zebari
et al., 2021). For the purpose of protecting business activity, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number
of cyberattacks targeting commercial companies, which has resulted in damages costing millions of dollars for data
recovery. As a result of all of these expenses, not only will executives be forced out of their employment, but it is also
possible that other employees may be laid off as a consequence of the firm decreasing costs. These companies include
Credit bureaus, a global credit rating agency that suffered unauthorized access that influenced numerous customers
and for which the costs of recouping from the breach were lately approximated to be $439 million; Yahoo, a web giant
whose breach impacted each of its 3 billion account holders; and Target, a retailer that afflicted a data breach that
impacted many clients and for whom the costs of recouping from the breach were recently estimated to be one billion
dollars. It is estimated that around three hundred and fifty million dollars have been directly spent on the rehabilitation
effort (Ghaffari et al., 2019).
Data protection: not only do countries and businesses face cyber-attacks, but individuals also face many risks, and
identity theft is a big problem as lawbreakers steal the personal information of the individual and sell it. This also puts
the personal safety of the individual and his family in jeopardy, and this has happened many times. In some cases,
millions of dollars have indeed been paid to the victim's account, but in other cases, the victim has not been identified.
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In some cases, hackers will use extortion and "hush money" to avoid taking further action against the victim's account.
Protection (Gupat & Kumar, 2019). With the growing number of dangers posed by cyber security, more new laws can
be enacted to protect people from potential assaults. Laws and regulations that protect everyone from potential threats
are being established. This suggests that stricter regulations and legislation may soon become a reality; harsh penalties
must be imposed on the attackers, and citizens must be made aware of the laws passed and ensure that they follow
them. In addition, the government must ensure that the perpetrators of the attack face harsh penalties (Kumari et al.,
2019). The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates that jobs for information security specialists
will grow by 28% between 2016 and 2026, which is twice as fast as the average growth rate for computer-related
occupations. This growth rate is providing new job opportunities as businesses of all sizes scramble to respond to
growing threats (Asaad & Abdulnabi, 2022).
Figure 2: Hierarchy of Cyber Security Policies (Syed et al., 2020)
4. Methodology and Discussing
The protection of systems linked to the internet from harmful assaults is referred to as cybersecurity (Wang & Yi,
2011; Asaad et al. 2017). This protection includes the protection of data, hardware, and software.
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4.1 Common Cyber Security Measures
In order to protect their clients, their data, and their cash flow, businesses need to use a variety of cyber security
procedures. These precautions should have the goal of preventing dangers from a variety of sources, including the
following:
• Attacks that originate on the internet, such as adware or malware;
• Weaknesses that are user-generated, such as readily guessed passwords or lost information;
• flaws and vulnerabilities that are inherent to the system or program;
• Attempts to subvert the functionality of the system or software.
4.2 Essential cyber security measures
The following procedures and tools are not difficult to implement, and when combined, they will provide you with
a fundamental degree of security against the most widespread IT-related dangers.
a) Make sure to use robust passwords.
If you want to keep your online activities private, you certainly need to have passwords that are safe. You can
make it more difficult for other people to figure out just what your password is by doing a few of the ones that follow:
use a mix of equity and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols; making your password between eight and 12
characters long; attempting to avoid the use of personal data in your password; changing your password on a regular
basis; never using the same password for multiple accounts, and utilizing two-factor authentication.
Create a password policy for your organization so that your employees will have a guide to follow when it comes
to sticking to the highest possible security standards. For the aim of implementing your password policy, it is
recommended that you investigate the availability of a variety of technical choices, such as regularly scheduled
password updates. Read the guidance on using passwords to protect your data that is provided by the National Cyber
Security Centre (NCSC), which may provide you with more in-depth direction on passwords, and think about various
password techniques that could improve the safety of your company (Marqas et al., 2022). This advice is provided by
the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
b) Maintain access restrictions on data and computer systems
Make it a point to check that individuals can only access the information and services for which they have been
granted permission. For example, you might be in charge of both the physical entrance to the building and the computer
network access.
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• Restrict what can be copied from the system and saved to storage devices.
• limit what kinds of email attachments can be sent and received.
• Restrict access to unauthorized users • limit access to data or services through application controls.
• Restrict what can be copied from the system and saved to storage devices.
With assistance may do most of these modern operating systems and network software; nevertheless, you will be
responsible for managing the registration of users and user authentication mechanisms, such as passwords (Lu et al.,
2010).
c) Erect a barrier or a firewall.
The primary function of a computer firewall is to serve as a gatekeeper between an internal network and the
internet. They serve as a barrier, limiting the spread of cyber threats such as viruses and malware, which they do by
performing the role described above. It is absolutely necessary to appropriately set up firewall devices and to check
them on a regular basis in order to guarantee that their software and firmware are up-to-date. If this is not done, the
effectiveness of the firewalls may be less than it could be. Studying on firewalls is a great way to increase your
knowledge of server security.
d) Make use of a security program
In the event that malicious code finds its way into your network, you should utilize security tools such as anti-
spyware, anti-malware, and anti-virus programs to aid you in detecting and deleting the code. These programs may
also help you prevent further infections. Check out our in-depth guide to aid you in recognizing spam, malware, and
virus attacks, and we will do our best to help you.
e) Regularly update all of your software and operating systems.
The latest versions of software often include important security enhancements that can shield users against
previously discovered flaws and vulnerabilities. To avoid becoming a victim of crooks, you must always use the most
recent versions of software and hardware on your devices.
f) Keep an eye out for any intrusions.
Monitoring systems and looking for odd behavior on a network may be done with the help of intrusion detectors.
A detection system can sound an alarm, such as an email notification if it has reason to believe that there has been a
possible violation of security. This alarm is generated based on the kind of behavior that the system has spotted. Learn
more about the identification of breaches in cyber security here.
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g) Raise awareness
Your staff members have a legal obligation to assist you in maintaining the safety of your company. Make it a
point to check that they are aware of their responsibilities, as well as any pertinent rules and procedures, and provide
them with regular opportunities for cyber security awareness and training. Learn more about insider dangers in the
world of cyber security.
Figure 3: Cyber Security Measures (Lu et al., 2010)
4.4 The National Cyber Security Centre
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has provided a list of the most important guidelines for maintaining
one's privacy and security when using the internet (Asaad et al., 2017). Always keep frequent backups of your most
important data and systems. Keep copies separate from the originals in a secure location and ensure that they are
functional. To maintain the safety of your devices, it is important to keep your operating system, web browser, and all
other software up to date with the latest security patches. In many instances, you have the option of configuring the
program to automatically update itself or manually downloading the software updates. On each of your devices, you
should install antivirus and anti-malware software and ensure that it is kept up to date. Make sure your passwords are
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secure and update them frequently. Consider utilizing two-factor authentication for an additional layer of protection
as well. Either change your passwords often across all of your online accounts and services, or look into utilizing a
trustworthy password management solution. Encrypt any sensitive information, and under no circumstances should
you send passwords or other sensitive information in an unencrypted email. Be wary of clicking on links that are
supplied to you within emails, social networking websites or applications, or websites that you are not acquainted with
in order to protect yourself against phishing and ransomware. Make use of a firewall, and check to see that the firmware
on both your internet router and your firewall is up-to-date. If you run a Wi-Fi network, you should make sure that it
is encrypted (using a protocol such as WPA2) and that the password is changed on a regular basis. If you need to
access your systems while using public Wi-Fi or a network that is not secure, you should make use of a virtual private
network, or VPN.
Table 1: Security Vulnerability Assessment (Asaad et al., 2017)
5. Existing Works
Several research studies were examined, and their findings are presented in the table below. In this paper. we
organized them according to the year of publication, the risks that were addressed by the researcher, and the strategies
that were given in each work.
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Kushala (Kushala & Shaylaja , 2020) conducted a survey to investigate recent developments in the field of multi-
cloud computing security problems. The shift from on-premises computation to cloud technology has introduced a
number of new vulnerabilities, not just for end users but also for the businesses that supply these services. The purpose
of this study is to discuss the essential characteristics of CC and Multi-Cloud Computing (MCC), together with their
security difficulties and potential solutions. Specifically, the paper will focus on security issues. The researcher's
contact information includes each danger that has been addressed, the security technique that has been employed, and
the type of cloud that has been deployed. Mondal et al., (Mondal et al., 2020) examine the problems and difficulties
associated with cloud computing security. It emphasizes the primary difficulties that need to be addressed in order to
secure cloud computing, including confidence, validity, privacy, cryptography, key distribution, scalability, data
partitioning, and virtual machine security. It also discusses alternative solutions for these concerns. The researchers
discuss the difficulties associated with sharing resources in the cloud as a primary cause of weaknesses that should be
investigated in further study. Syed et al., (Syed et al., 2020) conducted a review of the security threats, procedures,
and controls associated with cloud storage. The purpose of this article is to discuss both the security problems that
now exist and the state-of-the-art solutions that have been developed to address those problems. Security and privacy
are at the top of the list of issues and requirements in this area because of the significant improvements being made in
cloud computing in this particular subject. People can experience severe monetary and information loss as a result of
a variety of concerns, including poor data visibility, storage sinks without protected pointers, enormous data spills,
and others. The article provides a summary of the security risk, which is broken down into the following categories:
lack of control; shared servers; data leakage; API and storage sinks; and shared data. According to the findings of the
research, the following best practices are necessary when creating cloud storage: multi-factor authentication, data
categorization, security encryption, and evaluation of the cloud framework. In addition, the research report makes use
of three more sophisticated procedures when dealing with sensitive data. These include private encryption, encryption
while in transit, and ransomware protection.
Balani & Varol, (Balani & Varol, 2020) attempted to depict the difficulties and dangers that come with cloud
computing security. In a setting that is based online, data is available to users from any location on the planet.
Additionally, customers have concerns regarding the safety of their data while it is stored on the cloud. The purpose
of this investigation is to make some recommendations on tactics and procedures that may be used to safeguard data
in an online setting. These methods offer the most value for the money, and they are so straightforward that absolutely
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anybody may use them to protect themselves from potential dangers. According to the findings, a number of different
approaches and models have been proposed; however, according to the researchers, none of them have been successful
so far since there are no security standards in place for reliable cloud computing. A researcher has suggested that one
of their next projects be the investigation of cloud security standards. Ghaffari et al., (Ghaffari et al., 2019) conduct a
comprehensive review of the cloud security issues from a people, process, and technology model perspective. The
survey attempted a detailed identification of cyber safety problems and provided answers to these threats to classes of
persons, processes, and technologies. This was done with the intention of identifying cost-effective, reliable, and
practicable security solutions based on the findings of the survey. The researchers examine a selection of pertinent
research pertaining to cloud computing. Then, a concept based on the PPT model was proposed for classifying the
problems with cloud computing security and the associated solutions. After that, the suggested method is applied to
the task of classifying the obstacles that have been presented. Research on the potential dangers posed by cloud
computing was carried out by Gupta & Kumar, (Gupta & Kumar, 2019). Using a variety of approaches, the purpose
of this research is to investigate potential solutions to the security concerns raised by cloud computing.
6. Results
Figure 4 provides a concise summary of the findings from the preceding section on the dangers that appear most
frequently in the articles that were evaluated. According to the statistics presented in this image, the four most
prevalent security risks associated with cloud computing are account hijacking, data sanitization, data control, and
harmful insiders. Where the data controller is the most important security control since data stored in the cloud is often
managed by the service provider, while customers do not have complete control over their own data. Some of the
ways to deal with these worries are through encryption, access control, the use of blockchain technology, and service-
level agreements between the customer and the service provider.
7. Proposed Solutions
After going over the most significant security flaws and problems, this part is going to go through the most current
security fixes (Asaad et al., 2017; Abdulfattah et al., 2018). Strong authentication procedures should be used in order
to verify people's identities. It is recommended that businesses adopt an "implicit deny" policy, which stipulates that
access to the network can only be allowed through the use of explicit access rights.
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Figure 4: Most common threats mentioned in cloud system
Figure 5: Most common threats mentioned in cloud system
Protection against malware on both integrated and overall computer systems. Embedded systems are designed with
the sole purpose of running software that was provided by the original maker. The keying material needed for
software validation must be included in the manufacturer's goods in a safe storage facility that must be included as
part of this requirement.
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Table 2: Addressed Threats and Mitigation Techniques
Author
Addressed threats
Suggested mitigations
Kushala &
Shaylaja,
(2020)
Control over the data that has been saved, data
sanitizing, availability of service, authentication and
authorization of confidential computing, and
virtualization are all important aspects of
information security.
RSA, Cloud Inter-operative Toolkit (CIT), Byzantine
Protocol, Optimization Technique, Self-adaptive
Technique, DepSky (Byzantine + secret Sharing +
cryptography), RAID-like Technique + introduced
RACS, ICstore (client-centric distributed protocols),
SPORC (fork), HAIL (Proofs + cryptography), and
TCCP are some of the protocols that have been
developed in recent years.
Mondal et al.,
(2020)
Trust issues, confidentiality issues, authenticity
issues, authentication issues, encryption issues, key
management issues, data splitting issues, and
multitenancy issues are all problems.
end-to-end encryption that uses a mechanism-based
approach, completely holomorphic encryption, a P2P
reputation system, a Service Level Agreement, a P2P
reputation system, a Secret Sharing method and TMR
Technique, Isolation, and a solution that uses two
levels of encryption.
Syed et al.,
(2020)
Accounts Management, Dangerous Insiders, Data
Management, Management Console Security, and
Multi-tenancy Issues are the five primary types of
risks. Multi-tenancy Issues also exist.
Performing an analysis of the cloud framework, using
multi-factor identification, pattern discovery, security
encryption, personal encryption, in-transit encryption,
and ransomware protection.
Balani &
Varol, (2020)
Access for privileged users, compliance with
regulations, data placement and segregation,
recovery and investigation support, and long-term
performance are some of the topics covered.
Control of access, provision of increased security at
lower expense, and the avoidance and resolution of
events are all included.
Ghaffari et al.,
(2019)
Trust Concerns, Human Resource Matters,
Compliance and Legal Matters, Efficiency, Security
Systems, Data Protection, Forensics, Multi-tenancy
Concerns, Virtualization, Software, Network, and
Service-Related Matters, and Monitoring.
A classification of the many threats to information
security, which enables managers to locate potential
vulnerabilities and select the most effective response.
Gupta &
kumar, (2019)
Unauthorized Access, Loss Of data, Malicious
Insiders, result Of physical, Financial Fraud,
Insecure Application Programming Interfaces, and
Multi-Tenancy are some of the most common types
of data security vulnerabilities.
Model of two-factor authentication using a fingerprint
to prevent unauthorized access.
Kumari et al.,
(2019)
Account Hijacking, Trust Issues Between Users and
Service Providers, Problems with Accessibility and
Loss of Data
Access Management, Service Level Agreements
(SLA), Encryption, and Integrity Verification are
some of the services provided .
The system is able to validate any freshly downloaded program by using a key before it begins to run the
software. On the other hand, general purpose platforms are designed to be compatible with software written by a
third party.
Antivirus software that is current and receives frequent updates, in addition to host-based intrusion prevention, are
both necessary components of this system. Technologies such as Network Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and
Network Intrusion Detection System (IDS) should be used to supplement host-based defenses in order to protect the
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system from both external and internal threats. A minimum of once a year, vulnerability assessments have to be carried
out in order to guarantee the safety of the components that are in contact with the perimeter. In some circumstances,
the behaviors of users might create possible security holes in the system. As a result of this, awareness campaigns
should be implemented to educate the users of the network on the safest ways to utilize the various apps and tools
available through the network. It is necessary for devices to be aware of the sources and destinations with which they
communicate. This is achieved through the implementation of mutual authentication procedures utilizing either the
Transport Layer Security (TLS) or the Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocols. In order to ensure the
confidentiality of communications, hardware should enable Virtual Private Network, or VPN, designs. To ensure the
safety of communications, hardware must implement public key infrastructure (PKI) (Marqas et al., 2022).
Nevertheless, there are a few limitations when it comes to cryptography and key management (Lu et al., 2010).
Because current devices do not have sufficient processing power and storage to perform advanced authentication and
encryption techniques, communications in a smart grid system will be carried out over multiple channels that have
various bandwidths, and connectivity, in which all systems, certificate authorities, and data centers must be connected
at all times. Because of the massive volume of data that is exchanged, utilities should only acquire the data that is
necessary to accomplish their objectives. When it comes to protecting the smart grid network, control systems and
information technology security engineers should share equal responsibility. Because the life cycle of the smart grid
will be longer than that of the involved information technology systems, all of the included IT technologies ought to
have the capacity to be updated. The architecture of the smart grid has to include security measures. In that case, the
security of devices is dependent on the vendor (Author name: Energy Procedia 00 (2011) 000–000 7 details), which
may result in a large number of vulnerabilities due to incompatibility concerns. Utilities have to give some thought to
utilizing communication businesses that are run by third parties. Allowing the utilities to manage all of the grid
communication quickly becomes a burden that the utilities are unable to handle on their own. Companies that are not
directly involved in the transaction can provide assistance in addressing the communication and security concerns
associated with the data transfer. When interacting among the many stakeholders involved in a smart grid, a strong
authentication procedure is required. The protocol needs to be able to function in real-time while adhering to certain
limitations, such as having a low communication overhead, minimal processing cost, and a high level of resistance to
assaults, particularly denial-of-service attacks.
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8. Conclusion
In the current climate of cyberspace, every company is going online as a means of ensuring the continuity of its
operations. As part of this process, they are storing their essential resources on web servers, making them freely
accessible via the HTTP protocol. Every firm must adhere to some sort of security policy or set of principles in order
to ensure the safety of these resources. Regrettably, the majority of security solutions are dependent on signatures and
are therefore static (i.e., if a signature is present, it can detect malicious activity; otherwise, it cannot). As a result,
there is a requirement for a dynamic solution in order to address the impending vulnerabilities that are appearing on a
regular basis. In addition, there is a requirement for a semantic solution that can comprehend the environment in which
vulnerabilities exist before attempting to repair them. Everyone may profit from technologically improved cyber
defense software in today's interconnected society. On a personal level, a cyber assault can result in a variety of
negative outcomes, including the theft of personal information, efforts to extort money, and the loss of essential data
such as photographs of one's family. Everyone is reliant on essential infrastructures, such as power plants, hospitals,
and organizations that provide financial services. The proper protection of these and other community institutions is
very necessary for the continued operation of our society.
Acknowledgment
The research leading to these results has received no Research Project Grant Funding.
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