User Behavior Trust Modeling in Cloud Security

Abstract

With the cloud computing increasing in popularity by providing a massive number of services such as recourses and data center, the number of attacks is increasing. Security is a basic concern in cloud computing, and threats can occur both internally and externally. Users can access the cloud infrastructure for software, operating systems, and network infrastructure provided by the cloud service providers (CSPs). Evaluating users' behavior in the cloudcomputing infrastructure is becoming more important for both cloud users (CSs) and the CSPs that must ensure safety for users accessing the cloud. Because user authentication alone is not I would also like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Kendall E. Nygard, for his support and advice while completing my research. Without Dr. Nygard's guidance and constant feedback, this dissertation would not have been completed. Finally, I would like to thank my dissertation committee's members: Dr. Oksana Myronovych who always motived and encouraged me when I needed it, along with her valuable guidance, and Dr. Brian Slater and Dr. Benjamin Balas for agreeing to serve on my committee and for their valuable expertise and precious time. v DEDICATION This doctoral disquisition is dedicated to my parents, husband, sons, and siblings. This dissertation would never have been published without them. I'm pleased to have them in my life. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS

Elevating Beneficence in Cyberspace with Situational Trust

“…How might a system know if a user is trustworthy even if authenticated and granted access? One approach is to monitor specific user behaviors [1]. The list below illustrates some behaviors on the part of a user that could easily be associated with untrustworthiness.…”