Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Security Requirements”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 541 records · Page 30

Basic Research Needs for Energy and Water: Report of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences Basic Research Needs Workshop for Energy and Water

Water is precious; it has no substitute as a vital resource. It is essential not only for life, but also for practically all forms of economic activity. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the goods we use, and the electricity we consume all require water. Water — in both quantity and quality — is one of the world’s most critical resources. The global importance of water presents enormous opportunity for innovation spurred by basic science to better understand at a fundamental level energy, water, and their interrelationship. Energy-water systems, whether manufactured or part of the natural world, exhibit extraordinary dynamics and complexities. To make possible a transformation to a future where fundamental processes underlying energy-water systems are quantified and harnessed for societal benefits, understanding of the chemical processes and materials underlying the interdependence of energy and water must be advanced. These interdependent energy and water issues (energy-water issues) intersect with national and international priorities. The challenges we face for energy-water systems are, in fact, an opportunity to shape a sustainable future for the nation and the world and present an enormous opportunity for fundamental energy science. Basic research — spanning chemistry, physics, geosciences, biosciences, and materials sciences — is essential to answering many questions related to energy and water systems. It is now clear that ensuring robust and secure energy and water systems will require a significant basic scientific research effort. Science questions that underpin water resiliency and water-energy systems span 12 orders of magnitude in length scale, from the nature and implications of hydrogen bonding, to the state and movement of water through aquifers. Addressing challenging questions requires advances and integration of basic chemical, geological, biological, material, and computational sciences. Recognizing the tremendous scope and scale of basic research needs in the energy-water domain, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), sponsored a workshop on “Basic Research Needs for Energy and Water,” which was held near Washington, D.C., January 4–6, 2017. Attended by more than 100 leading national and international scientific experts in chemistry, physics, materials sciences, biosciences, and geosciences related to the energy-water system, the workshop addressed basic research necessary to improve water use for industrial applications and energy production and to increase fit-for-purpose water availability and energy efficiency as well as crosscutting scientific research needs. The workshop identified four Priority Research Directions (PRDs) that will lay the foundation to better understand materials and processes relevant to energy-water issues and harness their potential for technological impact.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unmanned air vehicle (UAV) ultra-persitence research

Sandia National Laboratories and Northrop Grumman Corporation Integrated Systems, Unmanned Systems (NGIS UMS) collaborated to further ultra-persistence technologies for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The greatest shortfalls in UAV capabilities have been repeatedly identified as (1) insufficient flight persistence or 'hang time,' (2) marginal electrical power for running higher power avionics and payload systems, and (3) inadequate communications bandwidth and reach. NGIS UMS requested support from Sandia to develop an ultra-persistent propulsion and power system (UP3S) for potential incorporation into next generation UAV systems. The team members tried to determine which energy storage and power generation concepts could most effectively push UAV propulsion and electrical power capabilities to increase UAV sortie duration from days to months while increasing available electrical power at least two-fold. Primary research and development areas that were pursued included these goals: perform general system engineering and integration analyses; develop initial thermal and electrical power estimates; provide mass, volume, dimensional, and balance estimates; conduct preliminary safety assessments; assess logistics support requirements; perform, preliminary assessments of any security and safeguards; evaluate options for removal, replacement, and disposition of materials; generally advance the potential of the UP3S concept. The effort contrasted and compared eight heat sources technologies, three power conversion, two dual cycle propulsion system configurations, and a single electrical power generation scheme. Overall performance, specific power parameters, technical complexities, security, safety, and other operational features were successfully investigated. Large and medium sized UAV systems were envisioned and operational flight profiles were developed for each concept. Heat source creation and support challenges for domestic and expeditionary operations were considered. Fundamental cost driver analysis was also performed. System development plans were drafted in order to determine where the technological and programmatic critical paths lay. As a result of this effort, UAVs were to be able to provide far more surveillance time and intelligence information per mission while reducing the high cost of support activities. This technology was intended to create unmatched global capabilities to observe and preempt terrorist and weapon of mass destruction (WMD) activities. Various DOE laboratory and contractor personnel and facilities could have been used to perform detailed engineering, fabrication, assembly and test operations including follow-on operational support. Unfortunately, none of the results will be used in the near-term or mid-term future. NGIS UMS and SNL felt that the technical goals for the project were accomplished. NGIS UMS was quite pleased with the results of analysis and design although it was disappointing to all that the political realities would not allow use of the results. Technology and system designs evaluated under this CRADA had previously never been applied to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Based upon logistic support cost predictions, because the UAVs would not have had to refuel as often, forward basing support costs could have been reduced due to a decrease in the number and extent of support systems and personnel being required to operate UAVs in remote areas. Basic application of the advanced propulsion and power approach is well understood and industry now understands the technical, safety, and political issues surrounding implementation of these strategies. However, the overall economic impact was not investigated. The results will not be applied/implemented. No near-term benefit to industry or the taxpayer will be encountered as a result of these studies.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

The Architecture of Mercury - Nevada's Atomic Boom Town: An Architectural Survey of Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada (Rev. 1)

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) plans to modernize the Mercury town site at the Nevada National Security Site in Nye County, Nevada, to meet current and future National Weapons Science, Global and Homeland Security Programs, and Environmental Management mission requirements. These plans include anticipated demolitions, consolidations, and rebuilding at Mercury to be an undertaking subject to review under Title 54 U.S.C. § 306108, commonly known as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Title 54 U.S.C. §300101, et seq., and its implementing regulations, 36 C.F.R. Part 800. Prior to the present survey, Mercury had not yet been systematically recorded, and therefore an area of approximately 364 hectares (900 acres) was surveyed for architectural resources by the Desert Research Institute. This effort resulted in the identification, recording, and evaluation of the Mercury Historic District (SHPO Resource No. D230), including the identification of its contributing components. This district is recommended eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C. It is unevaluated under Criteria B and D at this time. The Mercury Historic District contains 154 individual landscapes, buildings, and structures. Of these resources, all except one are recommended as contributing elements of the historic district during its period of significance corresponding to nuclear testing from 1951 through 1992. During most of the Cold War, the land now called the Nevada National Security Site was named the Nevada Test Site.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Targeted Attack For Enhancing Resiliency of Intelligent Intrusion Detection Modules in Energy Cyber Physical Systems

Abstract— Secure high-speed communication is required to ensure proper operation of complex power grid systems and prevent malicious tampering activities. In this paper, artificial neural networks with temporal dependency are introduced for false data identification and mitigation for broadcasted IEC 61850 SMV messages. The fast responses of such intelligent modules in intrusion detection make them suitable for time- critical applications, such as protection. However, care must be taken in selecting the appropriate intelligence model and decision criteria. As such, this paper presents a customizable malware script to sniff and manipulate SMV messages and demonstrates the ability of the malware to trigger false positives in the neural network’s response. The malware developed is intended to be as a vaccine to harden the intrusion detection system against data manipulation attacks by enhancing the neural network’s ability to learn and adapt to these attacks.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Access control and privacy in large distributed systems

Large scale distributed systems consists of workstations, mainframe computers, supercomputers and other types of servers, all connected by a computer network. These systems are being used in a variety of applications including the support of collaborative scientific research. In such an environment, issues of access control and privacy arise. Access control is required for several reasons, including the protection of sensitive resources and cost control. Privacy is also required for similar reasons, including the protection of a researcher's proprietary results. A possible architecture for integrating available computer and communications security technologies into a system that meet these requirements is described. This architecture is meant as a starting point for discussion, rather that the final answer.

Leiner, B. M.↗

Access control and privacy in large distributed systems

Large scale distributed systems consists of workstations, mainframe computers, supercomputers and other types of servers, all connected by a computer network. These systems are being used in a variety of applications including the support of collaborative scientific research. In such an environment, issues of access control and privacy arise. Access control is required for several reasons, including the protection of sensitive resources and cost control. Privacy is also required for similar reasons, including the protection of a researcher's proprietary results. A possible architecture for integrating available computer and communications security technologies into a system that meet these requirements is described. This architecture is meant as a starting point for discussion, rather that the final answer.

Leiner, B. M.↗

Robotic tape library system level testing at NSA: Present and planned

In the present of declining Defense budgets, increased pressure has been placed on the DOD to utilize Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) solutions to incrementally solve a wide variety of our computer processing requirements. With the rapid growth in processing power, significant expansion of high performance networking, and the increased complexity of applications data sets, the requirement for high performance, large capacity, reliable and secure, and most of all affordable robotic tape storage libraries has greatly increased. Additionally, the migration to a heterogeneous, distributed computing environment has further complicated the problem. With today's open system compute servers approaching yesterday's supercomputer capabilities, the need for affordable, reliable secure Mass Storage Systems (MSS) has taken on an ever increasing importance to our processing center's ability to satisfy operational mission requirements. To that end, NSA has established an in-house capability to acquire, test, and evaluate COTS products. Its goal is to qualify a set of COTS MSS libraries, thereby achieving a modicum of standardization for robotic tape libraries which can satisfy our low, medium, and high performance file and volume serving requirements. In addition, NSA has established relations with other Government Agencies to complete this in-house effort and to maximize our research, testing, and evaluation work. While the preponderance of the effort is focused at the high end of the storage ladder, considerable effort will be extended this year and next at the server class or mid range storage systems.

Shields, Michael F.↗

Evaluation of 1950s-Era Architectural Resources in Blocks 10, 11, and 17, Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) plans to modernize the Mercury town site at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada, to meet current and future National Weapons Science, Global and Homeland Security Programs, and Environmental Management mission requirements. These plans, including anticipated demolitions, consolidations, and rebuilding at Mercury, are considered an undertaking subject to review under Title 54 U.S.C. § 306108, commonly known as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Title 54 U.S.C. § 300101, et seq., and its implementing regulations, 36 C.F.R. Part 800. The Desert Research Institute (DRI) completed an architectural survey of Mercury. This effort resulted in the identification, recording, and evaluation of the Mercury Historic District (Nevada State Historic Preservation Office [SHPO] Resource No. D230), including the identification of its contributing components (Reno et al. 2018). This district was recommended eligible to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP or National Register) under Criteria A and C but was unevaluated under Criteria B and D at that time. The Mercury Historic District contains 154 individual landscapes, buildings, and structures. Of these resources, DRI recommends all except one as contributing elements of the historic district during its period of significance corresponding to nuclear testing from 1951 through 1992. During most of the Cold War, the land now called the NNSS was formerly the Nevada Test Site (NTS). This report is concerned with evaluating resources dating to the 1950s in Blocks 10, 11, and 17 in Mercury prior to the proposed demolition of 22 resources in Blocks 10 and 11 as a phase of the larger modernization program mentioned above. Although the Mercury Historic District as a whole is eligible to the National Register, further evaluation of these properties as detailed in this report indicates that none are individually eligible under any of the Secretary of Interior’s Significance Criteria, either at the national or local level. This is one report in the report series "Evaluation, Finding of Effect, and Mitigation Documentation for 1950s-Era Architectural Resources, Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada".

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Evaluation of Fire Station 23-425, Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) plans to modernize the Mercury town site at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada, to meet current and future National Weapons Science, Global and Homeland Security Programs, and Environmental Management mission requirements. These plans—including anticipated demolitions, consolidations, and rebuilding at Mercury—are considered an undertaking subject to review under Title 54 U.S.C. § 306108, commonly known as Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Title 54 U.S.C. § 300101, et seq., and its implementing regulations, 36 C.F.R. Part 800. Desert Research Institute (DRI) completed an architectural survey of Mercury. This effort resulted in the identification, recordation, and evaluation of the Mercury Historic District, including the identification of its contributing components. This district was recommended eligible for listing to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP or National Register) under Criteria A and C but was unevaluated under Criteria B and D at that time. The Mercury Historic District contains 153 individual landscapes, buildings, and structures. Of these resources, all except one are recommended as contributing elements of the historic district during its period of significance corresponding to nuclear testing from 1951 through 1992. During most of the Cold War, the land now called the NNSS was named the Nevada Test Site (NTS). This report concerns the proposed demolition of the 1966 Fire Station 23-425 in Mercury as a phase of the larger modernization program mentioned above. Further evaluation of this property indicates that it does not meet any of the Secretary of the Interior’s Significance Criteria for eligibility for the NRHP at either the national or local levels. However, it does remain an important contributing element of Mercury Historic District. This is part of a series of reports.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Underground Test Area Activity Quality Assurance Plan Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. Revision 1

This Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) provides the overall quality assurance (QA) requirements and general quality practices to be applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) Underground Test Area (UGTA) activities. The requirements in this QAP are consistent with DOE Order 414.1C, Quality Assurance (DOE, 2005); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling (EPA, 2002); and EPA Guidance on the Development, Evaluation, and Application of Environmental Models (EPA, 2009). NNSA/NSO, or designee, must review this QAP every two years. Changes that do not affect the overall scope or requirements will not require an immediate QAP revision but will be incorporated into the next revision cycle after identification. Section 1.0 describes UGTA objectives, participant responsibilities, and administrative and management quality requirements (i.e., training, records, procurement). Section 1.0 also details data management and computer software requirements. Section 2.0 establishes the requirements to ensure newly collected data are valid, existing data uses are appropriate, and environmental-modeling methods are reliable. Section 3.0 provides feedback loops through assessments and reports to management. Section 4.0 provides the framework for corrective actions. Section 5.0 provides references for this document.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Underground Test Area Activity Quality Assurance Plan Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. Revision 2

This Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) provides the overall quality assurance (QA) requirements and general quality practices to be applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) Underground Test Area (UGTA) activities. The requirements in this QAP are consistent with DOE Order 414.1D, Change 1, Quality Assurance (DOE, 2013a); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling (EPA, 2002); and EPA Guidance on the Development, Evaluation, and Application of Environmental Models (EPA, 2009). If a participant’s requirement document differs from this QAP, the stricter requirement will take precedence. NNSA/NFO, or designee, must review this QAP every two years. Changes that do not affect the overall scope or requirements will not require an immediate QAP revision but will be incorporated into the next revision cycle after identification. Section 1.0 describes UGTA objectives, participant responsibilities, and administrative and management quality requirements (i.e., training, records, procurement). Section 1.0 also details data management and computer software requirements. Section 2.0 establishes the requirements to ensure newly collected data are valid, existing data uses are appropriate, and environmental-modeling methods are reliable. Section 3.0 provides feedback loops through assessments and reports to management. Section 4.0 provides the framework for corrective actions. Section 5.0 provides references for this document.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Progress to Date on Developing the NUSAM Methodology Document

The same basic steps occur when evaluating the physical protection of nuclear or radiological material in transport against theft or sabotage as are needed for protecting nuclear facilities and nuclear material in use or storage. There are some notable distinctions, however. There are limited layers of protection around material when in transport so that the analysis focuses more on scenario analysis than for fixed sites which may require formal path analysis if the facility has some complexity. In many respects, ground transportation security is more challenging than security at a fixed site. Operation in the public domain is frequently required and the same degree of access limitation is not possible as it is in a protected fixed site. Because of these differences, response force personnel in transit play a more dominant role in the security of a mobile system than they do for a fixed site. In all cases, however, the system time delay that is required to provide the response force the time to react must be provided primarily by transportation vehicle technology elements.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Cleared for Launch - Lessons Learned from the OSIRIS-REx System Requirements Verification Program

Requirements verification of a large flight system is a challenge. It is especially challenging for engineers taking on their first role in space systems engineering. This paper describes our approach to verification of the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) system requirements. It also captures lessons learned along the way from developing systems engineers embroiled in this process. We begin with an overview of the mission and science objectives as well as the project requirements verification program strategy. A description of the requirements flow down is presented including our implementation for managing the thousands of program and element level requirements and associated verification data. We discuss both successes and methods to improve the managing of this data across multiple organizational interfaces. Our approach to verifying system requirements at multiple levels of assembly is presented using examples from our work at instrument, spacecraft, and ground segment levels. We include a discussion of system end-to-end testing limitations and their impacts to the verification program. Finally, we describe lessons learned that are applicable to all emerging space systems engineers using our unique perspectives across multiple organizations of a large NASA program.

Requirements Verification↗

The Historic Water, Sewer, and Steam/HTHW Systems in Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada (Appendix B - Resource Forms)

This report provides documentation intended to satisfy the mitigation requirements for a substantial portion of the above- and belowground utilities in Mercury on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) outlined in the associated Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) manages the property and anticipates conducting activities in the future that will affect these resources. These structures are entirely within the Mercury Historic District, which is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places. The district is considered eligible under Criteria A and C for the theme of nuclear testing, with a period of significance from 1951 through 1992. The utilities addressed here include the systems related to potable water and steam/high temperature hot water distribution, as well as the sewage system. More specifically, this documentation covers these underground utilities that were installed in Mercury from 1951 through 1977 and above-ground components installed from 1951 through 1992. Introduction The information in this report is intended to meet the requirements of the Memorandum of Agreement between the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer Regarding Water and Sewer Upgrades at Mercury in Nye County, Nevada (MOA) signed on January 30, 2018. The purpose of the MOA is to mitigate the adverse effects of proposed activities on utilities in the Mercury Historic District. The MOA covers the potable water, sewage, and steam/high temperature hot water (HTHW) systems in Mercury. A historic context related to the district as a whole is documented in Reno et al. The State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) has concurred with NNSA/NFO’s determination that the district is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criteria A and C at the national level, with a period of significance of 1951 to 1992, which encompasses the period of nuclear testing at the Nevada National Security Site. The utility systems are not considered individually eligible for the National Register, but are contributing components to the eligibility of the district. This report combines information from an unpublished preliminary historic context on the underground utilities written prior to the initiation of recording activities and included as an attachment to the MOA and new data acquired during the course of meeting the MOA requirements. In addition to documenting the underground utility components exposed during excavation of discovery holes to verify pipe locations, Desert Research Institute (DRI) also recorded numerous above-ground elements and equipment in accessible vaults to develop a more complete representation of the historic utilities in Mercury. The information below is organized in the order it is discussed in the MOA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Biorefinery siting and sizing to achieve the US Billion‐Ton Bioeconomy vision: A case study using a gasification–Fischer–Tropsch process

Achieving a secure, abundant, and affordable energy future requires a robust and adaptable energy strategy, with bioenergy playing a pivotal role. Biomass-based energy presents a promising pathway to use domestic resources while fostering economic opportunities in rural areas. Despite the potential to source more than 1 billion dry short tons of biomass annually in the US, significant infrastructure and economic barriers hinder full utilization for energy production. This study used the Biofuel Infrastructure, Logistics, and Transportation (BILT) model to assess biorefinery siting and scale and determine the number and size of facilities required to maximize use of the US biomass potential. A spatially agnostic approach first assessed the effects of facility capacity and transportation constraints on biomass use. Then, a spatially explicit analysis integrated county-level biomass availability from the US Department of Energy's 2023 Billion-Ton Report and technoeconomic assessments to evaluate different biorefinery deployment scenarios. The results indicate that an optimized mix of facility sizes is essential to leverage biomass resources fully across varying regional production densities to maximize use of the US biomass potential. Larger biorefineries or co-located smaller facilities significantly enhance biomass use while reducing costs through economies of scale. These findings underscore the importance of strategically balancing facility capacity and spatial distribution to optimize the bioenergy supply chain. In conclusion, this study provides critical insights for advancing the US bioenergy economy by aligning biorefinery deployment with biomass resource availability and economic viability.

BILT Model↗

Unlocking aquifer sustainability through irrigator-driven groundwater conservation

Groundwater depletion caused by intensive pumping for irrigated agriculture is a global threat to economies, food security, and ecosystems. Pumping reductions are required to confront this threat, but their implementation is a “wicked” problem due to interlinked hydrological, social, and economic factors. In the US High Plains Aquifer, an irrigator-led conservation effort known as the Sheridan 6 Local Enhanced Management Area (SD-6 LEMA) is a rare example of successful collective action in agricultural-groundwater systems. In its first decade, the area has exceeded water use reduction goals and decreased depletion rates by over 50% without significantly affecting net income. In this Perspective, we highlight factors underlying the SD-6 LEMA’s effectiveness, and identify transferable governance tenets for other groundwater dependent regions striving for sustainable management of groundwater resources. These tenets include flexibility through multi-year allocations, regulatory oversight to support the irrigators’ plans, and a strong scientific foundation for sustainable agricultural-groundwater systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

CMOS-Based Single-Cycle in-Memory XOR/XNOR

Big data applications are on the rise, and so is the number of data centers. The ever-increasing massive data pool needs to be periodically backed up in a secure environment. Moreover, a massive amount of securely backed-up data is required for training binary convolutional neural networks for image classification. XOR and XNOR operations are essential for large-scale data copy verification, encryption, and classification algorithms. The disproportionate speed of existing compute and memory units makes the von Neumann architecture inefficient to perform these Boolean operations. Compute-in-memory (CiM) has proved to be an optimum approach for such bulk computations. The existing CiM-based XOR/XNOR techniques either require multiple cycles for computing or add to the complexity of the fabrication process. Here, we propose a CMOS-based hardware topology for single-cycle in-memory XOR/XNOR operations. Our design provides at least 2× improvement in the latency compared with other existing CMOS-compatible solutions. We verify the proposed system through circuit/system-level simulations and evaluate its robustness using a 5000-point Monte Carlo variation analysis. This all-CMOS design paves the way for practical implementation of CiM XOR/XNOR at scaled technology nodes.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Defining a Metric Space of Host Logs and Operational Use Cases

Host logs, in particular, Windows Event Logs, are a valuable source of information often collected by security operation centers (SOCs). The semi-structured nature of host logs inhibits automated analytics, and while manual analysis is common, the sheer volume makes manual inspection of all logs impossible. Although many powerful algorithms for analyzing time-series and sequential data exist, utilization of such algorithms for most cyber security applications is either infeasible or requires tailored, research-intensive preparations. In particular, basic mathematic and algorithmic developments for providing a generalized, meaningful similarity metric on system logs is needed to bridge the gap between many existing sequential data mining methods and this currently available but under-utilized data source. In this paper, we provide a rigorous definition of a metric product space on Windows Event Logs, providing an embedding that allows for the application of established machine learning and time-series analysis methods. We then demonstrate the utility and flexibility of this embedding with multiple use-cases on real data: (1) comparing known infected to new host log streams for attack detection and forensics, (2) collapsing similar streams of logs into semantically-meaningful groups (by user, by role), thereby reducing the quantity of data but not the content, (3) clustering logs as well as short sequences of logs to identify and visualize user behaviors and background processes over time. Overall, we provide a metric space framework for general host logs and log sequences that respects semantic similarity and facilitates a wide variety of data science analytics to these logs without data-specific preparations for each.

Verma, Miki↗