Katie Crowley

This paper presents an evaluation of a cybersecurity risk management and evaluation framework for Blockchain-based Identity Management Systems (BC-IdM) in the Health Internet of Things (HIoT). In this paper, thirteen experts were interviewed using a Delphi method to evaluate the framework, which includes the factors that are used to evaluate any HIoT BC-IdM system and the cybersecurity risk management processes and activities that should be applied. In addition, the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) was used in the interviews and questionnaires with the experts to assign weights to the twenty-six identified evaluation factors to rank them based on their importance. The identified factors are divided into four main categories: security and privacy, technical, HIoT-related considerations, and external aspects. This paper shows that the security and privacy factors are the most important among other factors. Using Delphi, an agreement on the details of the framework was sought, including the cybersecurity risk management processes and activities in the main phases: framing, assessment, responding, and mentoring of risks. This article identifies the main and subcategories of the evaluation factors and explains the framework content in detail. It presents recommendations and findings concerning Blockchain-based Identity Management Systems in Health Internet of Things. The framework plays a role in standardizing BC-IdM in HIoT and contributes to the applicability and reliability of such systems by considering security, privacy, technical, HIoT-related, and external considerations.

Blockchain (BC) has recently paved the way for developing Decentralized Identity Management (IdM) systems for different information systems. Researchers widely use it to develop decentralized IdM systems for the Health Internet of Things (HIoT). HIoT is considered a vulnerable system that produces and processes sensitive data. BC-based IdM systems have the potential to be more secure and privacy-aware than centralized IdM systems. However, many studies have shown potential security risks to using BC. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) conducted by the authors on BC-based IdM systems in HIoT systems showed a lack of comprehensive security and risk management frameworks for BC-based IdM systems in HIoT. Conducting a further SLR focusing on risk management and supplemented by Grey Literature (GL), in this paper, a security taxonomy, security framework, and cybersecurity risk management framework for the HIoT BC-IdM systems are identified and proposed. The cybersecurity risk management framework will significantly assist developers, researchers, and organizations in developing a secure BC-based IdM to ensure HIoT users’ data privacy and security.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems are crucial for any information system, such as healthcare information systems. Health IoT (HIoT) applications are targeted by attackers due to the high-volume and sensitivity of health data. Thus, IAM systems for HIoT need to be built with high standards and based on reliable frameworks. Blockchain (BC) is an emerging technology widely used for developing decentralized IAM solutions. Although, the integration of BC in HIoT for proposing IAM solutions has gained recent attention, BC is an evolving technology and needs to be studied carefully before using it for IAM solutions in HIoT applications. A systematic literature review was conducted on the BC-based IAM systems in HIoT applications to investigate the security aspect. Twenty-four studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria and passed the quality assessment were included in this review. We studied BC-based solutions in HIoT applications to explore the IAM system architecture, security requirements and threats. We summarized the main components and technologies in typical BC-based IAM systems and the layered architecture of the BC-based IAM system in HIoT. Accordingly, the security threats and requirements were summarized. Our systematic review shows that there is a lack of a comprehensive security framework, risk assessments, and security and functional performance evaluation metrics in BC-based IAM in HIoT applications.

Objectives Cognitive flexibility, which is key for adaptive decision-making, engages prefrontal cortex (PFC)-striatal circuitry and is impaired in both manifest and premanifest Huntington’s disease (pre-HD). The aim of this study was to examine cognitive flexibility in a far from onset pre-HD cohort to determine whether an early impairment exists and if so, whether fronto-striatal circuits were associated with this deficit. Methods In the present study, we examined performance of 51 pre-HD participants (mean age=29.22 (SD=5.71) years) from the HD Young Adult Study cohort and 53 controls matched for age, sex and IQ, on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) Intra-Extra Dimensional Set-Shift (IED) task. This cohort is unique as it is the furthest from disease onset comprehensively studied to date (mean years=23.89 (SD=5.96) years). The IED task measures visual discrimination learning, cognitive flexibility and specifically attentional set-shifting. We used resting-state functional MRI to examine whether the functional connectivity between specific fronto-striatal circuits was dysfunctional in pre-HD, compared with controls, and whether these circuits were associated with performance on the critical extradimensional shift stage. Results Our results demonstrated that the CANTAB IED task detects a mild early impairment in cognitive flexibility in a pre-HD group far from onset. Attentional set-shifting was significantly related to functional connectivity between the ventrolateral PFC and ventral striatum in healthy controls and to functional connectivity between the dorsolateral PFC and caudate in pre-HD participants. Conclusion We postulate that this incipient impairment of cognitive flexibility may be associated with intrinsically abnormal functional connectivity of fronto-striatal circuitry in pre-HD.

Following the commercial release of VR systems like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift to mainstream consumers, academic publications have explored the challenges of text entry in virtual reality. This paper describes a commercial developer kit that enables text entry using a traditional physical keyboard for HTC Vive. The paper gives a high-level system overview and presents the results of a pilot study exploring initial use of the devkit for typing in VR, focused on how users learn to adapt to this new VR text entry experience. The pilot study explored the use of a VR mini-game with the goal of helping users get familiar with VR typing.