Detection of intrusions at layer one: A preliminary performance analysis of the IEEE 802.3 normal link pulse as a means of host-to-network authentication and a survey of environmental effects
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The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE) contains two focuses. The focus on Electrical Engineering teaches students in the fields of control systems, electromagnetics and non-destructive evaluation, microelectronics, electric power & energy systems, and the like. The Computer Engineering focus teaches in the fields of software systems, embedded systems, networking, information security, computer architecture, etc.
History
The Department of Electrical Engineering was formed in 1909 from the division of the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering. In 1985 its name changed to Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. In 1995 it became the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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1909-present
Historical Names
- Department of Electrical Engineering (1909-1985)
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering (1985-1995)
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- College of Engineering (parent college)
- Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering (predecessor)
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Abstract
Host-to-network authentication is a weak link in the chain of modern network security systems. There is no widely accepted method of validating a computers identity on a network. Currently, the best commercial methods entail using the hardware address of an Ethernet network interface controller, but those can easily be changed. Spoofing the hardware address can lead to unauthorized entry and possible data theft on sensitive networks. In this work a possible solution for this problem is proposed and evaluated.
The proposed solution is to use device specific analog characteristics of the IEEE 802.3 normal link pulse (NLP) as a single factor authentication feature. Two sub-problems, inter-model and intra-model, are addressed in order to establish the effectiveness of the NLP as an authentication feature. The performance of a preliminary intra-model classification algorithm using this feature is evaluated and cross-referenced to a survey of Ethernet cable length changes, temperature change, and computer operational effects.