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Rootkits are malware that attempt to compromise the system’s functionalities while hiding their existence. Various rootkits have been proposed as well as different software defenses, but only very few hardware defenses. We position hardware-enhanced rootkit defenses as an interesting research opportunity for computer architects, especially as many new hardware defenses for speculative execution attacks are being actively considered. We first describe different techniques used by rootkits and their prime targets in the operating system. We then try to shed insights on what the main challenges are in providing a rootkit defense, and how these may be overcome. We show how a hypervisor-based defense can be implemented, and provide a full prototype implementation in an open-source cloud computing platform, OpenStack. We evaluate the performance overhead of different defense mechanisms. Finally, we point to some research opportunities for enhancing resilience to rootkit-like attacks in the hardware architecture.
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Lessons Learned in Change Management in Deploying Novel Informatics Solutions: Experience Implementing a Point-of-Care Patient Photography System with Radiography
Abstract We describe implementation of a point-of-care system for simultaneous acquisition of patient photographs along with portable radiographs at a large academic hospital. During the implementation process, we observed several technical challenges in the areas of (1) hardware—automatic triggering for photograph acquisition, camera hardware enclosure, networking, and system server hardware and (2) software—post-processing of photographs. Additionally, we also faced cultural challenges involving workflow issues, communication with technologists and users, and system maintenance. We describe our solutions to address these challenges. We anticipate that these experiences will provide useful insights into deploying and iterating new technologies in imaging informatics.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1853142
- PAR ID:
- 10422819
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Digital Imaging
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 1618-727X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 1954-1964
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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