Investigating Communication Platform Choices in Underground Forums
Raphael Hoheisel
External Ph.D. Candidate, IEBIS Department, University of Twente.
To prevent crime and disrupt criminal activities, it is important to understand how and where criminals communicate with each other. However, identifying the platforms they use can be challenging. One effective method is to investigate underground forums, which are online spaces frequently visited by criminals. These forums allow users to buy and sell illegal goods or services, exchange knowledge, expand their social networks, and share contact details. In an ongoing study, we are investigating the various factors that influence the communication platform preferences of users of an underground forum. This presentation will introduce the topic, present initial results, and outline the next steps in our research.
Raphael is an external PhD candidate at the HBE/IEBIS group. Prior, he was doing his master in cyber security at the UT and his bachelor's degree in engineering science at the TU Munich. At this time in his research, Raphael investigates criminal behavior and the factors that might influence the choice of malware infrastructure and communication means.
Sustainable Smart Relief Supply Chain Network for Pandemics
Behzad Mosalla Nezhad
Ph.D. Candidate, IE Department, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Visiting Researcher, IEBIS Section, University of Twente.
Pandemics, such as the Influenza virus and the current COVID-19 crisis, have the potential to cause widespread disruptions across various sectors, including supply chains, beyond the capacity of communities or governments. Moreover, there is an urgent need to find effective solutions to mitigate the negative impacts associated with the waste generated during pandemics. The establishment of a relief supply chain network not only can alleviate the detrimental impact of pandemics and strengthen the distribution of relief supplies across medical centers and demand zones, but also can manage the recyclable and hazardous waste within the supply chain network. By ensuring access to essential resources, this approach can help minimize disruptions and ensure that critical healthcare services remain operational. Additionally, the adoption of technologies such as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) immensely helps in enhancing healthcare delivery during pandemics by utilizing the data gained from individuals and healthcare systems to manage the relief supply chain during a pandemic regularly.
Behzad Mosalla Nezhad is a PhD student in the Industrial Engineering department at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. He obtained his master’s degree in industrial engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran. His PhD research focuses on designing a disaster relief supply chain network for pandemics. He has developed various sustainable and smart supply chain networks for disaster situations such as pandemics, aiming to address shortages, financial considerations, and environmental impacts. His main interests lie in humanitarian supply chains, mathematical optimization, metaheuristic algorithms, multi-criteria decision-making, and machine learning. Currently, he is a visiting researcher at the University of Twente.