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A Research Project By

Arana Jayavihan, Yasiru Abeysinghe, Rukshana Alikhan, Pasindu Adikari, Deemantha Siriwardhana, and Kavinga Yapa Abeywardena

Our Objective

Main objective of our research is to improve the security posture of corporate environments.

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Domain

This section contains a summary of the project paper content.

The study explores the application of new technologies, particularly Natural Language Processing (NLP), to automate policy creation and enforcement in cybersecurity. Various researchers have investigated using NLP to translate written policies into formal access control frameworks and automate compliance verification processes, with advances in large language models (LLMs) expanding these capabilities. However, challenges remain, such as interpreting ambiguous language and integrating policies into existing systems. Additionally, human factors in cybersecurity, including user awareness and behavior, remain critical areas of focus. Studies have shown that while security awareness training can raise knowledge, long-term behavioral changes require personalized, ongoing interventions. Research on network intrusion detection and phishing detection using artificial neural networks (ANN) and machine learning has demonstrated promising results, though evolving threats continue to challenge the effectiveness of these models. Overall, a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach combining technology and human-centered strategies is necessary to address the complexities of modern cybersecurity.

Current cybersecurity measures focus heavily on technological solutions but often overlook the human element, which remains the weakest link. While many organizations invest in advanced cyber defenses, they fail to address security hygiene, user awareness, and behavior analytics adequately. There is also a lack of comprehensive frameworks that integrate AI-based intrusion detection, NLP-driven policy enforcement, and behavior profiling to bridge this gap between human vulnerabilities and cybersecurity solutions.

The research addresses the critical issue of user-related vulnerabilities in corporate environments, which are exploited through phishing, poor security hygiene, and browser-based attacks. Specifically, the problem revolves around how organizations struggle to maintain security due to:

• Limited user awareness and poor online behavior hygiene.
• Inefficient enforcement of browser-based security policies.
• Ineffective real-time phishing detection and user profiling mechanisms.
• Depending on traditional Network Intrusion Detection Systems.

The study aims to find a solution that connects human behavior with advanced cybersecurity mechanisms, minimizing the risks posed by human error.

The primary objective is to develop a centralized framework that monitors, evaluates, and improves employees’ online presence within a corporate environment. Specific objectives include:

1. Implementing behavior analytics for profiling user activities.
2. Automating the generation and enforcement of browser security policies using NLP.
3. Designing a real-time intrusion detection system powered by Artificial Neural Networks (ANN).
4. Improving phishing detection through URL and visual analysis to identify high-risk activities.
5. Promoting better security hygiene by bridging the gap between user awareness and the evolving threat landscape.

The methodology includes the following components
1. User Behavior Profiling:
• Identify and analyze risk factors affecting browser hygiene using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Bayesian Network Analysis.
• Create a Browser Hygiene Risk Assessment Model to quantify risks based on various factors like outdated browsers, malicious extensions, and unsafe protocols.

2. Intrusion Detection and Prevention System:
• Develop an ANN-based solution trained on datasets like NSL-KDD and updated with real-time threat intelligence.
• Employ a binary classification model that flags malicious traffic on each host system for faster detection and prevention.

3. NLP-Assisted Policy Generation and Enforcement:
• Use BERT models for classifying and extracting policy intents from natural language inputs.
• Implement scripts for applying browser security policies across multiple Chromium-based browsers.

4. Phishing Detection Mechanism:
• Use a browser plugin to compare website visuals and URLs with a predefined safe list.
• Redirect users to safety when phishing attempts are detected, adding malicious domains to a blacklist.

Artificial Neural Networks are used to analyze realtime network traffic and make predictions on them.

Mathematical model was developed to calculate the user based security score based on customizable coefficients.

Browser plugins was utilized in both NLP based browser policy enforcement and capture, Browser based phishing detection.

We used elastic search for indexing and applying calculations to our data gathered based on user digital hygine.

GitLab was used as the main version controlling mechanism.

Python was used in data processing, training and driving both Artificial Neural Networks and Natural Language Processing engines.

Bash scripts were used to handle small automations and integrations in the backend.

Kibana was used in data visualization and qurying purposes.

MySQL database was used to store information related to phishing detection,

React was used in implementing frontends.

Javascript was heavily utilized for implementing web application functions in both frontends and backends.


Documents

Here you can find the entire document repository of our research project.

PROJECT
CHARTER

This is the project charter document submitted for evaluation.

PROJECT
PROPOSAL

This folder contains the individual reports and presentation slides of the project proposal.

STATUS
DOCUMENTS

This folder contains the individual documents submitted for status document submission 1 and 2.

RESEARCH
PAPER

Contains a copyrighted version of the final research paper manuscript.

FINAL
THESIS

Contains the individual and group thesis documents.

FINAL
PRESENTATION

Contains the presentation slides prepared for the final presentation.

RESEARCH
LOGBOOK

Contain the research logbook which keeps track on the tasks done on the research.


Where we came so far...

Followings are the key milestones of the research project.

Milestones

Start

December 2023

Brainstorming with teammates

2024

January 2024

Registration of group

February 2024

Submission of TAF

February 2024

Development of project charter

February 2024

Presentation of project proposal

February 2024

Submission of proposal reports

March 2024

Begun study of individual components

April 2024

Implemented research methodology

May 2024

First progress presentation

June 2024

Documentation of research paper

June 2024

Submission of research paper to conferences/journals

September 2024

Second progress presentation

October 2024

Paper acceptance notification

October 2024

Final progress presentation

December 2024

Submission of final thesis reports

End

Stay Protected

Contributions

These are the key components of our product

USER
SCORING

Analyzing user's behavior and scoring based on their digital hygine.

NIDS
BASED ON ANN

Network Intrusion Detection and Prevention System driven by Artificial Neural Network.

PHISHING
DETECTION

An advanced phishing detection mechanism to identify and prevent phishing.

Meet The Team

W.M.A.J Wijesinghe

Team Leader - IT21038150

Hi I'm Arana. A security engineer with passion towards seeking depths of the world of cyber security. I'm particularly interested in ethical hacking, low level programming, reverse engineering, secure software engineering, and Linux as whole. Learning the double edged sword of cyber security pretty interesting and useful for a purple teamer like me.

Y.P.P Abeysinghe

Team Member - IT21022142

Hi I'm Yasiru. As a seasoned Information Security Engineer, I specialize in offensive security and corporate threat landscapes. With expertise in incident response, threat hunting, and IAM/PAM, I craft robust solutions to safeguard digital assets. My commitment to continuous learning ensures cutting-edge protection against evolving cyber threats.

M.A.F Rukshana

Team Member - IT21026416

Hello, I’m Rukshana – a tech enthusiast with a passion for cybersecurity and AI. I believe teamwork is the key to success and enjoy collaborating to develop smart solutions that improve user experience and strengthen digital security. Whether it’s coding, problem-solving, or brainstorming fresh ideas, I’m always ready to dive in!

A.M.P.S Adikari

Team Member - IT20008314

I'm an experienced Cyber Security professional, identifying and implementing comprehensive infrastructure security measures utilizing latest technologies to secure organizational systems. My expertise includes managing and engineering a variety of security tools and products to ensure defense against cyber threats. I'm committed to improving security best practices and developing innovative strategies to enhance the resilience and integrity a constantly evolving digital landscape.

Kavinga Yapa Abeywardena

Project Supervisor

A proactive lecturer/researcher with 8+ years of experience teaching courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and administering bachelor's programs. Supervised 150+ undergraduate and 15+ postgraduate dissertations. Published 30+ articles in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. 2 years of industry experience in network engineering with experience in providing solutions for mission-critical systems.

Deemantha Siriwardhana

Project Co-Supervisor

A cybersecurity enthusiast with a passion for malware analysis & reverse engineering.