Attacks on Smart Cards, RFIDs and Embedded Systems

Prof. Keith Mayes
Royal Holloway University of London

10-11:00am Tuesday, 10 October 2017, ITE 325, UMBC

Smart Cards and RFIDs exist with a range of capabilities and are used in their billions throughout the world. The simpler devices have poor security, however, for many years, high-end smart cards have successfully been used in a range of systems such as banking, passports, mobile communication, satellite TV etc. Fundamental to their success is a specialist design to offer remarkable resistance to a wide range of attacks, including physical, side-channel and fault. This talk describes a range of known attacks and the countermeasures that are employed to defeat them.

Prof. Keith Mayes is the Head of the School of Mathematics and Information Security at Royal Holloway University of London. He received his BSc (Hons) in Electronic Engineering in 1983 from the University of Bath, and his PhD degree in Digital Image Processing in 1987. He is an active researcher/author with 100+ publications in numerous conferences, books and journals. His interests include the design of secure protocols, communications architectures and security tokens as well as associated attacks/countermeasures. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, a Founder Associate Member of the Institute of Information Security Professionals, a Member of the Licensing Executives Society and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research (JTAER).

According to The Banned Books Week Coalition, Banned Books Week was first started in 1982 as an effort to celebrate the freedom to read and encourage engagement with the problems inherent in book censorship. This past week, the Department of English, in conjunction with the Honors College and the Albin O. Kuhn Library, sponsored two events to bring Banned Books Week to the UMBC campus.

“The Banned Books Week events at UMBC this year are aimed at stirring conversation about why books are banned, the different forms of censorship, and the overarching ramifications of contesting books,” says Christopher Varlack, a professor in the Department of English.

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, they hosted a Banned Books Trivia event and on Friday, Sept. 29, they hosted a pizza and panel discussion. At the panel, Varlack gave a short talk and facilitated a conversation among the students and faculty in attendance.  

The discussion centered around the possible arguments for and against book censorship as well as the cultural and historical implications of restricting information. The conversation was lively as participants stood and voiced their opinions and concerns. Varlack responded to each of the participants thoughtfully and at times asked them to respond to an opposing pro-censorship viewpoint.

The facilitators proposed that those in favor of book censorship often cite the need to shield children from complex and controversial issues.

Five out of the top ten banned books for 2016 were challenged for containing LGBTQ+ characters and discussing themes of gender and sexuality. However, participants made it clear that by attempting to remove this type of literature, these challenges contribute to the continued oppression of marginalized people. A consistent theme in the discussion was the need for representation of those identifying outside the hetero-normative binary.

Forty-two percent of those who challenge books are parents.

A pro-censorship argument would be that it is the responsibility of the parents to provide information as they see fit, and children should not be exposed to these issues in a school or public library. But as many noted, perhaps for a child or young adult, these characters might be the only source of information about gender and sexuality available to them if these discussions are not occurring in their home.

Varlack encouraged the idea that parents should actively engage with their children when reading by encouraging open discussion of ideas that might be confusing. This way children would be introduced to mature topics gradually that are presented at an appropriate developmental level.  

Forty-nine percent of challenges occur in a public library. When books are challenged, they are not automatically removed, but it does present a challenge against freedom of speech.

“Unfortunately, in the United States, there is a consistent effort to censor texts and silence speakers who present ideas and experiences that are seen as taboo,” says Varlack.

Another key topic brought up consistently in the discussion was the need to prevent the re-writing of history. Examples included textbooks which erroneously referred to slaves as indentured servants. Participants cautioned that changing the historical narrative prevents people from learning from the mistakes of the past and denies the real experiences of oppressed people.

Varlack said, “After all, societal change can only occur through conversation regarding complex and controversial issues, not through erasing them or pretending that those human issues simply do not exist.”

Corrine Janet and Paulomi Dholaki, usually the Student Life Coordinator for Leadership Development and Coordinator for Transfer Student Success with Off Campus Student Services, respectively, are today acting as Hogwarts professors preparing to sort a new class of students into their houses.

It’s all part of Off Campus Student Service’s Transfer Appreciation Week, a week-long series of Harry Potter-themed events designed to help off-campus and transfer students get used to UMBC and get to know each other. Despite that, the organizations stress that the events are open to all students. This week there was a sorting ceremony, trivia night, and a Quidditch match, among other events.

Hope Butler, a senior psychology major and transfer student network leader, understands the significance of these events.

“It’s important to make connections with other transfers and with us,” she said. “The workshops are helpful to all students, not just transfer students and commuters.”

Manny Molla, a senior psychology major and Commuter Assistant says that before joining Off Campus Student Services, “[I] didn’t know there was so much commuter engagement on campus.” Now, engagement for commuters is at an all-time high.

This increased engagement is good news for Off Campus Student Services, who want students to know that “they are an important part of the UMBC community,” says Dholaki.

Janae Cruz, the Coordinator for Student Engagement with Student Life, agrees.

“Transfer appreciation week allows transfer students to feel connected to the community, and brings people together to have fun,” said Cruz.

These events have been in planning since the summer, according to Janet. Each event had a specific connection to both Harry Potter and the UMBC community. At the sorting, students took a personality test to determine their houses, and then learned about how students operate within leadership positions.  At the muggle money seminar earlier in the week, students could learn about managing their money and win fun prizes.

Students seem to be a big fan of the events. Junior Lizzie Watt, an American studies major and exchange student from Swansea, Wales said she was drawn to the events because she loves Harry Potter.

William Kallal, a junior financial economics and information systems double major, said he was interested because “he found out about the event through involvement fest, and [knew] that Off Campus Student Services and university events in general are very good.”

Kallal noted because he’s on campus more this semester he looks forward to attending more events put on by the organization.

The events were even helpful for students who live on campus, as Elizabeth Emberger, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said she “learned things I didn’t know campus offered, and I’m an on-campus student!”

Off Campus Student Services has a lot to offer students, including weekly breakfasts on Tuesdays from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m., as well as monthly Commuter Connections in Lower Flat Tuesdays. See their website for details.

Hello everyone!

EWB is having a game and ice cream night tonight from 7-9! Location is ITE 239. We will be playing a variety of games ranging from Ticket to Ride to Cards Against Humanity to Jackbox. Members and non-members are welcome to attend. Ice cream will also be provided! We also encourage everyone to bring games to play.

Thanks,

 EWB Executive Board.

List of games:

Baltimore City school board applications have recently closed, marking the first time in 20 years that the mayor will have sole discretion over who lands a job and who doesn’t.

On March of this year, the Maryland Senate voted to grant the mayor of Baltimore, Catherine E. Pugh, sole authority over appointments for the Baltimore City School Board. Prior to this, a system was in place whereby the mayor of Baltimore had shared responsibility with the governor of Maryland when selecting members for the school board. Created in 1997 to replace an elected board of education, this law was originally made to oversee the school system and push it to become more effective at improving educational attainment.

This change, which fulfills Pugh’s campaign promise to “restore governance of our [Baltimore] schools to the city,” comes at a time of continued struggle for the Baltimore’s students. Educational achievement in Baltimore is noted to be low despite the purpose of the 1997 law; only about 10 to 15 percent of students in Baltimore-area schools passed the PARCC standardized tests. Furthermore, the city’s school system had been dealing with increasingly severe budget deficits, with the deficit at about $130 million earlier this year.

It is hoped that emphasizing local, city-based control over the school board will help mitigate some of these issues. The issues with the budget can be managed more directly if the school board members are appointed by a mayor who works with and focuses on the city, rather than having to go through the state. With Baltimore-based concerns at the forefront of the mayor’s agenda, issues with educational achievement can also be addressed in a manner that puts the needs of Baltimore children first.

Currently, the Baltimore city school board consists of nine commissioners and one student member. Each member serves for three years, and new appointments are made on a staggered basis each year. This year, there are three open spots on the board, with the vacancies now being filled at the mayor’s discretion.

An op-ed in the Baltimore Sun mentioned that Pugh’s decision will help increase the perception of public accountability with regards to the school board. According to the article, “even if mayors effectively have substantial control over appointments, they are not generally perceived as responsible for the district’s success or failure nor are they generally involved even indirectly in either policy or management,” and it hints that Pugh’s changes will help bring a greater sense of accountability to the public without sacrificing the positive changes of the 1997 law, notably the experience-based qualifications which the governor and mayor would require for applicants to the school board.

However, some people have suggested that this change does not go far enough. In a statement made earlier this year, Baltimore City Council president Jack Young expressed his desire to “take back the school system entirely” in a more direct, accountable manner, adding, “I am not happy with the present system in place.”

There are provisions in place to address some of these concerns. Beginning in 2022, two elected commissioners will join the nine appointed commissioners as part of the school board. This is intended to maintain a measure of influence over the board of education to democratic public control, while still keeping the desired qualifications as necessary.

Applications to the school board were accepted through the 25th of September.