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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.

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At least 19 records

Non-harmful insertion of data mimicking computer network attacks

Non-harmful data mimicking computer network attacks may be inserted in a computer network. Anomalous real network connections may be generated between a plurality of computing systems in the network. Data mimicking an attack may also be generated. The generated data may be transmitted between the plurality of computing systems using the real network connections and measured to determine whether an attack is detected.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Non-harmful insertion of data mimicking computer network attacks

Non-harmful data mimicking computer network attacks may be inserted in a computer network. Anomalous real network connections may be generated between a plurality of computing systems in the network. Data mimicking an attack may also be generated. The generated data may be transmitted between the plurality of computing systems using the real network connections and measured to determine whether an attack is detected.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Atomic operations in a large scale distributed computing network

Techniques for executing an atomic command in a distributed computing network are provided. A core cluster, including a plurality of processing cores that do not natively issue atomic commands to the distributed computing network, is coupled to a translation unit. To issue an atomic command, a core requests a location in the translation unit to write an opcode and operands for the atomic command. The translation unit identifies a location (a “window”) that is not in use by another atomic command and indicates the location to the processing core. The processing core writes the opcode and operands into the window and indicates to the translation unit that the atomic command is ready. The translation generates an atomic command and issues the command to the distributed computing network for execution. After execution, the distributed computing network provides a response to the translation unit, which provides that response to the core.

Lackey, Jr., Stanley A.↗

Leveraging In-Network Computing and Programmable Switches for Streaming Analysis of Scientific Data

With the emergence of programmable network devices that match the performance of fixed function devices, several recent projects have explored in-network computing, where the processing that is traditionally done outside the network is offloaded to the network devices. In-network computing has typically been applied to network functions (e.g., load balancing, NAT, and DNS), caching, data reduction/aggregation, and coordination/consensus functions. In some cases it has been used to accelerate stream-processing tasks that involve small payloads and simple operations. In this work we focus on leveraging in-network computing for stream processing of scientific datasets with large payloads that require complex operations such as floating-point computations and logarithmic functions. We demonstrate in-network computing for a real-world scientific application performing streaming normalization of a 2-D image from a light source experiment. We discuss the challenges we encountered and potential approaches to address them.

Sankaran, Ganesh↗

Los Alamos works on a biologically realistic computer network

Brain neuroscientists and computer scientists call this field neuromimetic computing—building computers inspired by how the cerebral cortex of the brain works. Its cortical processes rely on billions of small biological “switches,” called neurons. To learn, they store and process information. Using an approach called neural networks, researchers are developing computers that simulate neurons and their interconnections. Then computers can learn about their surroundings, interpret data, and make predictions based on it. In practice, however, researchers attempting to simulate neural processing at anything close to the scale and complexity of the brain’s cortical circuits have been stymied by limitations on computer memory and computational power. All that has changed with the new Trinity supercomputer at Los Alamos, which became fully operational in mid-2017. Trinity has unique capabilities designed for the stockpile stewardship mission, which includes highly complex nuclear simulations that have replaced the testing of nuclear weapons. All this capability means Trinity allows a fundamentally different approach to large-scale cortical simulations, enabling an unprecedented leap in the ability to model neural processing. To test that capability on a limited-scale problem, computer scientists and neuroscientists at Los Alamos created a “sparse prediction machine” that runs on a neural network on Trinity. A sparse prediction machine is designed to work like the brain: researchers expose it to data—in this case, various videos of a car driving down a road—without labeling the data in any way. Then the program sorts through that data frame by frame, focuses on the important information, and develops a prediction about the car’s motion. With Trinity’s power, the Los Alamos team simulates the way a brain handles information in its neurons but uses the fewest neurons at any given moment to explain the information at hand. That’s the “sparse” part, and it makes the brain very efficient—and, hopefully, a computer more efficient, too.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A likelihood ratio anomaly detector for identifying within-perimeter computer network attacks

The rapid detection of attackers within firewalls of enterprise computer networks is of paramount importance. Anomaly detectors address this problem by quantifying deviations from baseline statistical models of normal network behavior and signaling an intrusion when the observed data deviates significantly from the baseline model. But, many anomaly detectors do not take into account plausible attacker behavior. As a result, anomaly detectors are prone to a large number of false positives due to unusual but benign activity. Our paper first introduces a stochastic model of attacker behavior which is motivated by real world attacker traversal. Then, we develop a likelihood ratio detector that compares the probability of observed network behavior under normal conditions against the case when an attacker has possibly compromised a subset of hosts within the network. Since the likelihood ratio detector requires integrating over the time each host becomes compromised, we illustrate how to use Monte Carlo methods to compute the requisite integral. We then present Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves for various network parameterizations that show for any rate of true positives, the rate of false positives for the likelihood ratio detector is no higher than that of a simple anomaly detector and is often lower. Finally, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed likelihood ratio detector when the network topologies and parameterizations are extracted from real-world networks.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

SCinet Architecture: Featured at the International Conference for High Performance Computing,Networking, Storage and Analysis 2016

SCinet is the purpose-built network that operates during the International Conference for High Performance Computing,Networking, Storage and Analysis (Super Computing or SC). Created each year for the conference, SCinet brings to life a high-capacity network that supports applications and experiments that are a hallmark of the SC conference. The network links the convention center to research and commercial networks around the world. This resource serves as a platform for exhibitors to demonstrate the advanced computing resources of their home institutions and elsewhere by supporting a wide variety of applications. Volunteers from academia, government and industry work together to design and deliver the SCinet infrastructure. Industry vendors and carriers donate millions of dollars in equipment and services needed to build and support the local and wide area networks. Planning begins more than a year in advance of each SC conference and culminates in a high intensity installation in the days leading up to the conference. The SCinet architecture for SC16 illustrates a dramatic increase in participation from the vendor community, particularly those that focus on network equipment. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Data Center Networking (DCN) are present in nearly all aspects of the design.

Lyonnais, Marc↗

Best Paper Award: Gathering Threat Intelligence Through Computer Network Deception

Presented at the 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST), this LDRD-funded research received a Best Paper award, the highest award presented at the conference. The research focused on developing, implementing, and testing a novel computer network operations architecture that enables proactive defense by managing and monitoring enterprise resource allocations and network flows. The architecture leverages three emerging concepts: software-defined networks, cloud computing, and deception, to enable the detection and identification of anomalous access and intrusions to adjust to the dynamic nature of the adversary and to provide a mechanism to discover and react to the adversary’s attacks in a methodical and proactive manner. Additionally, the work allows network defenders to gather information on an adversary’s tools, tactics and procedures, providing insight into the “what, why, and how” of the adversary’s operations. A summary of the work presented at IEEE can be found at http://tiny.sandia.gov/8d8lu.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

In-network compute assistance

A method and apparatus for performing operations by network interface cards in a network of computers. A network interface card is configured to receive a message and to interpret the message to identify a primitive operation to be performed. The primitive operation is one of a plurality of primitive operations that are performed to perform an operation. The primitive operation is performed by the network interface card and a trigger signal is generated in response to performing the primitive operation. The trigger signal is interpreted to identify a triggered message. The triggered message identifies a next one of the plurality of primitive operations to be performed. The triggered message is transmitted back to the network interface card or to another network interface card in the network for processing.

Grant, Ryan↗

Graph link prediction in computer networks using Poisson matrix factorisation

Graph link prediction is an important task in cybersecurity: relationships between entities within a computer network, such as users interacting with computers or system libraries and the corresponding processes that use them, can provide key insights into adversary behaviour. Poisson matrix factorisation (PMF) is a popular model for link prediction in large networks, particularly useful for its scalability. In this article PMF is extended to include scenarios that are commonly encountered in cybersecurity applications. Specifically, an extension is proposed to explicitly handle binary adjacency matrices and include known categorical covariates associated with the graph nodes. A seasonal PMF model is also presented to handle seasonal networks. To allow the methods to scale to large graphs, variational methods are discussed for performing fast inference. The results show an improved performance over the standard PMF model and other statistical network models.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Error recovery to enable error-free message transfer between nodes of a computer network

An error-recovery method to enable error-free message transfer between nodes of a computer network. A first node of the network sends a packet to a second node of the network over a link between the nodes, and the first node keeps a copy of the packet on a sending end of the link until the first node receives acknowledgment from the second node that the packet was received without error. The second node tests the packet to determine if the packet is error free. If the packet is not error free, the second node sets a flag to mark the packet as corrupt. The second node returns acknowledgement to the first node specifying whether the packet was received with or without error. When the packet is received with error, the link is returned to a known state and the packet is sent again to the second node.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Computer Network Connection for the Advanced Test Reactor Critical (ATR-C) Facility

The proposed activity would install a computer network connection in the Advanced Test Reactor Critical (ATR-C) Facility by running conduit from the west side office area near the entry into ATR-C and pulling in four category 5E (Cat5E) cables. The proposed activity would include running the Cat5E cables and associated conduit approximately 70 ft through the corridor from the office area and through the block wall into the southwest corner of ATR-C.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Remote task queuing by networked computing devices

The described embodiments include a networking subsystem in a second computing device that is configured to receive a task message from a first computing device. Based on the task message, the networking subsystem updates an entry in a task queue with task information from the task message. A processing subsystem in the second computing device subsequently retrieves the task information from the task queue and performs the corresponding task. In these embodiments, the networking subsystem processes the task message (e.g., stores the task information in the task queue) without causing the processing subsystem to perform operations for processing the task message.

Reinhardt, Steven K.↗

Two-dimensional materials for bio-realistic neuronal computing networks

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials have found broad utility in a diverse range of applications including electronics, optoelectronics, renewable energy, and quantum information technologies. Meanwhile, exponentially growing digital data coupled with the ubiquity of artificial intelligence algorithms have generated significant interest in edge neuromorphic computing as an alternative to centralized cloud computing. The drive to incorporate neuroscience principles into computing hardware is motivated by the low power consumption, parallel processing, and reconfigurability of the human brain. The diverse library of 2D materials with atomic-level thicknesses, exceptional electrostatic tunability, and integration versatility is particularly well-suited for realizing bio-realistic synaptic and neuronal functionality. Here, we summarize past and present work in this field and outline the frontier challenges that have not yet been overcome. Here we also delineate potential solutions and suggest that the neuroscience principles of criticality and synchrony have the potential to inspire breakthrough applications of 2D materials in neuronal computing networks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗