Publications – SecureSECO

@misc{Slikker2021,

title = {Designing a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Method for Distributed Ledger Technology Applications},

author = {Marre Slikker and Slinger Jansen and Elena Banimeneh},

url = {https://www.dropbox.com/s/3umjnn065xcenod/Bachelor_Thesis_Marre_Slikker___DLT___SSI_security%20%282%29.pdf?dl=1},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-07-07},

abstract = {There is an absence of a risk assessment method for distributed ledger applications. Information about cybersecurity risks of distributed ledger technology is very fragmented, while its adoption increases daily. Distributed ledger technology is an umbrella term for multiple variations of the technology that utilize a shared distributed ledger, for instance blockchain technology. Self-sovereign identity is another example of an application of distributed ledger technology, which is in essence an identity management system which allows individuals to fully own and manage their digital identity. Understanding the risks that come with the use of distributed ledger technology is a first step towards realizing its full potential, and for that reason, this study aims to raise awareness on the cyber security domain of distributed ledger technology, by designing a risk assessment method for distributed ledger technology applications that use self-sovereign identity, through conducting a literature research, method engineering and performing a case study. To discover how such a method could be developed, which is the main research question in this study, a literature research was performed to provide a strong theoretical base. During the method engineering process, the method was designed. This designed method was tested through a case study. Finally, the method was evaluated and it was concluded that the method is effective for conducting cyber security risk assessments for distributed ledger applications. It also led to the creation of a comprehensive risk database for the technology, and to the introduction of a new cyber security risk, the Tyranny attack.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {misc}

}

Peirs, Tom; Jansen, Slinger

Agent-based modeling as a tool to support decision making rules used by smart contracts in DLT based communities Masters Thesis

2021.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@mastersthesis{Peirs2021,

title = {Agent-based modeling as a tool to support decision making rules used by smart contracts in DLT based communities},

author = {Tom Peirs and Slinger Jansen},

url = {https://www.dropbox.com/s/b3zazjw0iw6p6h4/Thesis-Peirs-2021.pdf?dl=1},

year = {2021},

date = {2021-06-03},

abstract = {Various issues are surrounding the relatively new area of smart contract design.

These problems are very diverse in nature ranging from performance issues to exploiting of contracts.

The concerns stem from the transformation of domain information to smart contract immutability to developers coding insecure smart contracts.

Hence, there is a compelling need to study smart contracts to find and address vulnerabilities before deployment on a ledger due to its immutability.

This study aims to support the design of a code search community platform through agent-based modeling by simulating systems requirements.

In this paper we present an abstract replication of institutional emergence patterns. We used the ADICO grammar of institutions as the basic structure to model system requirements. We establish a common pool resource of institutional statements through a standardized method, which is then used to simulate smart contracts through agent-based modeling.

We demonstrated through a case study the usage of the ADICO framework. We observe common institutional patterns which are used to study smart contract design in an agent-based environment.

Institutions made a major contribution to the governance of common-pool resource systems in a simplified environment.

In addition, we show how different domain concepts regarding agent-based modeling and smart contract design can be mapped.

Furthermore, this study generates open-source software to simulate a decentralized system as an agent-based model through Repast Simphony, from which insights regarding sustainability can be gathered.

We conclude that agent-based modeling is a foundational tool for designing smart contracts in new DLT based communities.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {mastersthesis}

}

Farshidi, Siamak; Jansen, Slinger; Deldar, Mahdi

A decision model for programming language ecosystem selection: Seven industry case studies Journal Article

In: Information and Software Technology, vol. 139, pp. 106640, 2021, ISSN: 0950-5849.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{Farshidi2021,

title = {A decision model for programming language ecosystem selection: Seven industry case studies},

author = {Siamak Farshidi and Slinger Jansen and Mahdi Deldar},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950584921001051},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2021.106640},

issn = {0950-5849},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-05-05},

journal = {Information and Software Technology},

volume = {139},

pages = {106640},

abstract = {Context:

Software development is a continuous decision-making process that mainly relies on the software engineer’s experience and intuition. One of the essential decisions in the early stages of the process is selecting the best fitting programming language ecosystem based on the project requirements. A significant number of criteria, such as developer availability and consistent documentation, in addition to the number of available options in the market, lead to a challenging decision-making process. As the selection of programming language ecosystems depends on the application to be developed and its environment, a decision model is required to analyze the selection problem using systematic identification and evaluation of potential alternatives for a development project.



Method:

Recently, we introduced a framework to build decision models for technology selection problems in software production. Furthermore, we designed and implemented a decision support system that uses such decision models to support software engineers with their decision-making problems. This study presents a decision model based on the framework for the programming language ecosystem selection problem.



Results:

The decision model has been evaluated through seven real-world case studies at seven software development companies. The case study participants declared that the approach provides significantly more insight into the programming language ecosystem selection process and decreases the decision-making process’s time and cost.



Conclusion:

With the decision model, software engineers can more rapidly evaluate and select programming language ecosystems. Having the knowledge in the decision model readily available supports software engineers in making more efficient and effective decisions that meet their requirements and priorities. Furthermore, such reusable knowledge can be employed by other researchers to develop new concepts and solutions for future challenges.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}