Attacks on embedded devices are becoming more and more prevalent, primarily due to the extensively increasing plethora of software vulnerabilities. One of the most dangerous types of these attacks targets application code at run-time. Techniques to detect such attacks typically rely on software due to the ease of implementation and integration. However, these techniques are still vulnerable to the same attacks due to their software nature. In this work, we present a novel hardware-assisted run-time code integrity checking technique where we aim to detect if executable code resident in memory is modified at run-time by an adversary. Specifically, a hardware monitor is designed and attached to the device's main memory system. The monitor creates page-based signatures (hashes) of the code running on the system at compile-time and stores them in a secure database. It then checks for the integrity of the code pages at run-time by regenerating the page-based hashes (with data segments zeroed out) and comparing them to the legitimate hashes. The goal is for any modification to the binary of a user-level or kernel-level process that is resident in memory to cause a comparison failure and lead to a kernel interrupt which allows the affected application to halt safely.
Visually impaired people face difficulties in interacting and gaining full advantage of computers. Recently, and with the fast evolution in technology, researchers proposed to give the blinds the ability to take advantage of these advancements. Accordingly, designers and engineers started working on projects that relate input and output devices to the computers in order for the blind individual to have full control of the hi-tech machines. However, investments in these kinds of hardware presented complexity in the design, in addition to the high cost imposed by the devices used. The project’s objective is to design and develop a Multi-Lingual Braille System Output Device for the visually impaired individuals that enable them to access and read texts from a computer. The device acquires both English or Arabic texts and displays them using controlled piezoelectric Braille cells. It also has the ability to produce a sound that matches the displayed characters. The control of the cells is done via Programmable Interface Controller (PIC) microcontroller. The interaction between the device and the computer is done through the Universal Serial Bus (USB). C# is the language used to write the program responsible for controlling this interaction. The continuous development of such devices is essential for the visually impaired to keep up with the technological advancements. The main advantages of this system are its low cost, the added multi-lingual, and the audio features. In addition, many features can be added so as to satisfy the users’ needs, such as adding new languages and Grade 2 Braille System.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.