Information Security Management Case Question

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    Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals

    INFORMATION SECURITY

    Sixth Edition

    Mark Ciampa

    Sixth Edition

    CIAMPA

    Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203

     

     

    CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 Exam Objectives

    Security+ Exam Domain/Objectives Chapter Bloom’s Taxonomy 1.0: Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities 1.1 Given a scenario, analyze indicators of compromise and determine the type of

    malware. 2 Analyze

    1.2 Compare and contrast types of attacks. 2 3 5 8

    11 15

    Understand Analyze Understand Apply/Understand Create Apply

    1.3 Explain threat actor types and attributes. 1 Analyze/Apply 1.4 Explain penetration testing concepts. 13 Apply 1.5 Explain vulnerability scanning concepts. 13 Apply 1.6 Explain the impact associated with types of vulnerabilities. 1

    3 4 5 9

    10

    Understand Understand Understand Understand Understand Understand

    2.0: Technologies and Tools 2.1 Install and configure network components, both hardware- and software-based,

    to support organizational security. 4 6 7 8

    Apply Analyze Apply Analyze/Evaluate

    2.2 Given a scenario, use appropriate software tools to assess the security posture of an organization.

    8 13 14

    Evaluate Analyze/Evaluate Evaluate

    2.3 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common security issues. 15 Analyze 2.4 Given a scenario, analyze and interpret output from security technologies. 6

    7 9

    Analyze Analyze Analyze

    2.5 Given a scenario, deploy mobile devices securely. 8 10 11

    Apply/Evaluate Analyze/Create Analyze

    2.6 Given a scenario, implement secure protocols. 4 5

    Apply Analyze

    3.0: Architecture and Design 3.1 Explain use cases and purpose for frameworks, best practices and secure

    configuration guides. 1

    15 Analyze Understand

    3.2 Given a scenario, implement secure network architecture concepts. 6 7 8

    13

    Analyze Apply Apply/Evaluate Apply

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    Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States

    INFORMATION SECURITY

    Mark Ciampa, Ph.D.

    Sixth Edition

    SECURITY+ GUIDE TO NETWORK SECURITY

    CompTIA ®

    FUNDAMENTALS

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    © 2018, 2015 Cengage Learning Unless otherwise noted, all content is © Cengage.

    Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, Sixth Edition

    Mark Ciampa

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    Brief Contents INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………xv

    PART 1

    SECURITY AND ITS THREATS ………………………………………………………………..1

    CHAPTER 1

    Introduction to Security ……………………………………………………………………..3

    CHAPTER 2

    Malware and Social Engineering Attacks …………………………………………. 51

    PART 2

    CRYPTOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………………… 97

    CHAPTER 3

    Basic Cryptography …………………………………………………………………………. 99

    CHAPTER 4

    Advanced Cryptography and PKI …………………………………………………… 145

    PART 3

    NETWORK ATTACKS AND DEFENSES ………………………………………………. 189

    CHAPTER 5

    Networking and Server Attacks …………………………………………………….. 191

    CHAPTER 6

    Network Security Devices, Design, and Technology ……………………….. 233

    CHAPTER 7

    Administering a Secure Network …………………………………………………… 281

    CHAPTER 8

    Wireless Network Security …………………………………………………………….. 321

    PART 4

    DEVICE SECURITY…………………………………………………………………………… 371

    CHAPTER 9

    Client and Application Security ……………………………………………………… 373

    iii

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    Brief Contents

    CHAPTER 10

    Mobile and Embedded Device Security ……………………………………………421

    PART 5

    IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT …………………………………………….469

    CHAPTER 11

    Authentication and Account Management ……………………………………..471

    CHAPTER 12

    Access Management ……………………………………………………………………….521

    PART 6

    RISK MANAGEMENT ………………………………………………………………………..563

    CHAPTER 13

    Vulnerability Assessment and Data Security …………………………………..565

    CHAPTER 14

    Business Continuity ………………………………………………………………………..607

    CHAPTER 15

    Risk Mitigation ……………………………………………………………………………….651

    APPENDIX A

    CompTIA SY0-501 Certification Exam Objectives ……………………………..691

    GLOSSARY …………………………………………………………………………………………… 713

    INDEX …………………………………………………………………………………………………..741

    iv

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    Table of Contents INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………..xv

    PART 1

    SECURITY AND ITS THREATS ……………………………………………..1

    CHAPTER 1

    Introduction to Security …………………………………………………..3 Challenges of Securing Information ………………………………………………………… 8

    Today’s Security Attacks …………………………………………………………………………8 Reasons for Successful Attacks ………………………………………………………………12 Difficulties in Defending Against Attacks ………………………………………………. 14

    What Is Information Security? ……………………………………………………………….. 17 Understanding Security …………………………………………………………………………18 Defining Information Security ……………………………………………………………….18 Information Security Terminology …………………………………………………………21 Understanding the Importance of Information Security ………………………….. 24

    Who Are the Threat Actors? …………………………………………………………………… 28 Script Kiddies ……………………………………………………………………………………… 29 Hactivists …………………………………………………………………………………………… 29 Nation State Actors ………………………………………………………………………………30 Insiders ………………………………………………………………………………………………30 Other Threat Actors ………………………………………………………………………………31

    Defending Against Attacks ……………………………………………………………………. 32 Fundamental Security Principles ………………………………………………………….. 32 Frameworks and Reference Architectures ……………………………………………… 35

    Chapter Summary …………………………………………………………………………………. 35

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 37

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………….. 37

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………… 46

    CHAPTER 2

    Malware and Social Engineering Attacks ………………………..51 Attacks Using Malware ………………………………………………………………………….. 53

    Circulation………………………………………………………………………………………….. 55 Infection …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 61

    v

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    Table of Contentsvi

    Concealment ………………………………………………………………………………………. 65 Payload Capabilities ……………………………………………………………………………..66

    Social Engineering Attacks …………………………………………………………………….. 73 Psychological Approaches ……………………………………………………………………. 74 Physical Procedures ……………………………………………………………………………..80

    Chapter Summary …………………………………………………………………………………. 82

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 84

    Review Questions …………………………………………………………………………………. 84

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………… 92

    PART 2

    CRYPTOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………….97

    CHAPTER 3

    Basic Cryptography ………………………………………………………..99 Defining Cryptography ………………………………………………………………………… 101

    What Is Cryptography? ……………………………………………………………………….. 101 Cryptography and Security …………………………………………………………………. 105 Cryptography Constraints …………………………………………………………………….107

    Cryptographic Algorithms ……………………………………………………………………. 108 Hash Algorithms …………………………………………………………………………………110 Symmetric Cryptographic Algorithms ………………………………………………….. 113 Asymmetric Cryptographic Algorithms ………………………………………………… 116

    Cryptographic Attacks …………………………………………………………………………. 123 Algorithm Attacks ………………………………………………………………………………. 123 Collision Attacks ………………………………………………………………………………… 125

    Using Cryptography …………………………………………………………………………….. 126 Encryption through Software ………………………………………………………………. 127 Hardware Encryption ………………………………………………………………………….128

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 130

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 132

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 133

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 142

    CHAPTER 4

    Advanced Cryptography and PKI ………………………………….145 Implementing Cryptography ……………………………………………………………….. 147

    Key Strength ……………………………………………………………………………………….147 Secret Algorithms ……………………………………………………………………………….148

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    Table of Contents vii

    Block Cipher Modes of Operation ……………………………………………………….. 149 Crypto Service Providers…………………………………………………………………….. 150 Algorithm Input Values ………………………………………………………………………. 151

    Digital Certificates ………………………………………………………………………………. 152 Defining Digital Certificates …………………………………………………………………. 152 Managing Digital Certificates ……………………………………………………………….154 Types of Digital Certificates ………………………………………………………………….158

    Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) …………………………………………………………….. 165 What Is Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)? ………………………………………………. 166 Trust Models …………………………………………………………………………………….. 166 Managing PKI ……………………………………………………………………………………..168 Key Management ……………………………………………………………………………….. 171

    Cryptographic Transport Protocols ……………………………………………………… 174 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) …………………………………………………………………… 174 Transport Layer Security (TLS) …………………………………………………………….. 175 Secure Shell (SSH) ……………………………………………………………………………….176 Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) ………………………………………..176 Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) ………………………. 177 Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) ………………………………………….. 177 IP Security (IPsec) ………………………………………………………………………………. 177

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 179

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 181

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 181

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 187

    PART 3

    NETWORK ATTACKS AND DEFENSES ………………………………189

    CHAPTER 5

    Networking and Server Attacks ……………………………………191 Networking-Based Attacks ………………………………………………………………….. 193

    Interception ……………………………………………………………………………………….194 Poisoning …………………………………………………………………………………………. 196

    Server Attacks …………………………………………………………………………………….. 201 Denial of Service (DoS) ………………………………………………………………………..201 Web Server Application Attacks ………………………………………………………….. 203 Hijacking …………………………………………………………………………………………..209 Overflow Attacks ……………………………………………………………………………….. 213 Advertising Attacks …………………………………………………………………………….. 215 Browser Vulnerabilities ……………………………………………………………………….218

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 222

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    Table of Contentsviii

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 223

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 223

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 229

    CHAPTER 6

    Network Security Devices, Design, and Technology ………233 Security Through Network Devices ……………………………………………………… 235

    Standard Network Devices …………………………………………………………………. 236 Network Security Hardware ……………………………………………………………….. 246

    Security Through Network Architecture ………………………………………………. 260 Security Zones …………………………………………………………………………………..260 Network Segregation …………………………………………………………………………. 263

    Security Through Network Technologies ……………………………………………… 265 Network Access Control (NAC) ……………………………………………………………. 265 Data Loss Prevention (DLP)…………………………………………………………………. 267

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 269

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 271

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 271

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 279

    CHAPTER 7

    Administering a Secure Network ………………………………….281 Secure Network Protocols …………………………………………………………………… 283

    Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) ……………………………………. 285 Domain Name System (DNS) ……………………………………………………………… 286 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)…………………………………………………………………. 288 Secure Email Protocols ……………………………………………………………………….290 Using Secure Network Protocols …………………………………………………………..291

    Placement of Security Devices and Technologies …………………………………. 292

    Analyzing Security Data ………………………………………………………………………. 295 Data from Security Devices ………………………………………………………………… 296 Data from Security Software ………………………………………………………………. 297 Data from Security Tools ……………………………………………………………………. 298 Issues in Analyzing Security Data ……………………………………………………….. 298

    Managing and Securing Network Platforms ………………………………………… 300 Virtualization …………………………………………………………………………………….300 Cloud Computing ……………………………………………………………………………….304 Software Defined Network (SDN) …………………………………………………………306

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 309

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    Table of Contents ix

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 310

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 311

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 318

    CHAPTER 8

    Wireless Network Security …………………………………………..321 Wireless Attacks ………………………………………………………………………………….. 324

    Bluetooth Attacks………………………………………………………………………………. 324 Near Field Communication (NFC) Attacks ……………………………………………..327 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Attacks ……………………………………… 330 Wireless Local Area Network Attacks …………………………………………………….332

    Vulnerabilities of IEEE Wireless Security ………………………………………………. 341 Wired Equivalent Privacy …………………………………………………………………… 342 Wi-Fi Protected Setup ………………………………………………………………………… 343 MAC Address Filtering ……………………………………………………………………….. 344 SSID Broadcasting ……………………………………………………………………………… 345

    Wireless Security Solutions …………………………………………………………………. 346 Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) …………………………………………………………….. 347 Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) …………………………………………………………. 349 Additional Wireless Security Protections ……………………………………………….352

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 356

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 359

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 359

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 368

    PART 4

    DEVICE SECURITY ………………………………………………………….371

    CHAPTER 9

    Client and Application Security …………………………………….373 Client Security …………………………………………………………………………………….. 375

    Hardware System Security …………………………………………………………………..375 Securing the Operating System Software ……………………………………………… 379 Peripheral Device Security ………………………………………………………………….. 388

    Physical Security …………………………………………………………………………………. 392 External Perimeter Defenses ………………………………………………………………. 393 Internal Physical Access Security ………………………………………………………… 395 Computer Hardware Security …………………………………………………………….. 400

    Application Security …………………………………………………………………………….. 401 Application Development Concepts ……………………………………………………..402

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    Table of Contentsx

    Secure Coding Techniques …………………………………………………………………..404 Code Testing ………………………………………………………………………………………405

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 406

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 409

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 410

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 417

    CHAPTER 10

    Mobile and Embedded Device Security …………………………421 Mobile Device Types and Deployment …………………………………………………. 423

    Types of Mobile Devices …………………………………………………………………….. 424

    Mobile Device Risks …………………………………………………………………………….. 432 Mobile Device Vulnerabilities……………………………………………………………… 432 Connection Vulnerabilities …………………………………………………………………. 436 Accessing Untrusted Content ……………………………………………………………… 436 Deployment Model Risks ……………………………………………………………………. 438

    Securing Mobile Devices ……………………………………………………………………… 439 Device Configuration …………………………………………………………………………. 439 Mobile Management Tools ………………………………………………………………….446 Mobile Device App Security ………………………………………………………………..448

    Embedded Systems and the Internet of Things ……………………………………. 449 Embedded Systems…………………………………………………………………………….449 Internet of Things ……………………………………………………………………………….451 Security Implications …………………………………………………………………………. 452

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 455

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 457

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 457

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 465

    PART 5

    IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT …………………………..469

    CHAPTER 11

    Authentication and Account Management …………………..471 Authentication Credentials …………………………………………………………………. 473

    What You Know: Passwords ……………………………………………………………….. 475 What You Have: Tokens, Cards, and Cell Phones …………………………………… 489 What You Are: Biometrics ………………………………………………………………….. 492 What You Do: Behavioral Biometrics …………………………………………………… 498

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    Table of Contents xi

    Where You Are: Geolocation ……………………………………………………………….499

    Single Sign-on ……………………………………………………………………………………… 500

    Account Management …………………………………………………………………………. 502

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 505

    Key Terms ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 506

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 507

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 517

    CHAPTER 12

    Access Management …………………………………………………….521 What Is Access Control? ………………………………………………………………………. 523

    Access Control Terminology ……………………………………………………………….. 524 Access Control Models …………………………………………………………………………527

    Managing Access Through Account Management………………………………… 533 Account Setup …………………………………………………………………………………….533 Account Auditing ………………………………………………………………………………. 539

    Best Practices for Access Control …………………………………………………………. 540 Separation of Duties …………………………………………………………………………..540 Job Rotation ………………………………………………………………………………………540 Mandatory Vacations…………………………………………………………………………..541 Clean Desk Policy ………………………………………………………………………………..541

    Implementing Access Control ……………………………………………………………… 542 Access Control Lists (ACLs) …………………………………………………………………. 542 Group-Based Access Control ………………………………………………………………. 543

    Identity and Access Services ……………………………………………………………….. 544 RADIUS …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 545 Kerberos …………………………………………………………………………………………… 547 Terminal Access Control Access Control System+ (TACACS+) …………………. 548 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) ………………………………………. 549 Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) ……………………………………….. 550 Authentication Framework Protocols …………………………………………………… 551

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 552

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 554

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 554

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 561

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    Table of Contentsxii

    PART 6

    RISK MANAGEMENT ……………………………………………………..563

    CHAPTER 13

    Vulnerability Assessment and Data Security ………………..565 Assessing the Security Posture ……………………………………………………………. 567

    What Is Vulnerability Assessment? ……………………………………………………… 567 Vulnerability Assessment Tools ……………………………………………………………573

    Vulnerability Scanning ………………………………………………………………………… 584

    Penetration Testing …………………………………………………………………………….. 586

    Practicing Data Privacy and Security ……………………………………………………. 588 What Is Privacy? ………………………………………………………………………………… 589 Risks Associated with Private Data ………………………………………………………590 Maintaining Data Privacy and Security ………………………………………………… 592

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 596

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 598

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 598

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 604

    CHAPTER 14

    Business Continuity ……………………………………………………..607 What Is Business Continuity? ………………………………………………………………. 609

    Business Continuity Planning (BCP) …………………………………………………….609 Business Impact Analysis (BIA) ……………………………………………………………. 611 Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) ……………………………………………………………….612

    Fault Tolerance Through Redundancy …………………………………………………. 615 Servers …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 616 Storage ………………………………………………………………………………………………617 Networks ……………………………………………………………………………………………621 Power ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 622 Recovery Sites …………………………………………………………………………………… 622 Data …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 623

    Environmental Controls ………………………………………………………………………. 628 Fire Suppression ……………………………………………………………………………….. 628 Electromagnetic Disruption Protection ………………………………………………….631 HVAC …………………………………………………………………………………………………631

    Incident Response ………………………………………………………………………………. 633 What Is Forensics? …………………………………………………………………………….. 633

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    Table of Contents xiii

    Incident Response Plan ……………………………………………………………………… 633 Forensics Procedures …………………………………………………………………………. 634

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 640

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 642

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 643

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 649

    CHAPTER 15

    Risk Mitigation …………………………………………………………….651 Managing Risk …………………………………………………………………………………….. 653

    Threat Assessment ……………………………………………………………………………. 654 Risk Assessment ……………………………………………………………………………….. 656

    Strategies for Reducing Risk ………………………………………………………………… 664 Using Control Types……………………………………………………………………………664 Distributing Allocation ……………………………………………………………………….666 Implementing Technology ………………………………………………………………….666

    Practices for Reducing Risk………………………………………………………………….. 668 Security Policies …………………………………………………………………………………669 Awareness and Training …………………………………………………………………….. 675 Agreements ………………………………………………………………………………………. 677 Personnel Management ……………………………………………………………………… 679

    Troubleshooting Common Security Issues …………………………………………… 679

    Chapter Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 680

    Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………………………… 682

    Review Questions………………………………………………………………………………… 682

    Case Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………. 688

    APPENDIX A

    CompTIA SY0-501 Certification Exam Objectives …………..691

    GLOSSARY …………………………………………………………………………………………… 713

    INDEX ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 741

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    The number one concern of computer professionals today continues to be information security, and with good reason. Consider the evidence: over 1.5 billion Yahoo user accounts were compromised in just two separate attacks.1 A ransom of $1 million dollars was paid to unlock files that had been encrypted by ransomware.2 A global payment sys- tem used to transfer money between countries was compromised by attackers who stole $81 billion from the central bank of Bangladesh.3 It is estimated that global spending on products and services to prevent these attacks will exceed $1 trillion cumulatively between 2017 and 2021. But despite the huge sum spent on protection, cybercrime will still cost businesses over $6 trillion by 2021.4

    As attacks continue to escalate, the need for trained security per- sonnel also increases. It is estimated that there are currently over 1.5 million unfilled security jobs worldwide and this will grow by 20 percent to 1.8 million by the year 2022.5 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” the job out- look for information security analysts through 2024 is expected to grow by 18 percent, faster than the average growth rate.6

    To verify security competency, most organizations use the Comput- ing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Security+ certification, a vendor-neutral credential. Security+ is one of the most widely recog- nized security certifications and has become the security foundation for today’s IT professionals. It is internationally recognized as validat- ing a foundation level of security skills and knowledge. A successful Security+ candidate has the knowledge and skills required to identify threats, attacks and vulnerabilities; use security technologies and tools; understand security architecture and design; perform identity and access management; know about risk management; and use cryptography.

    Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, Sixth Edition is designed to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed to be information security professionals. Yet it is more than an “exam prep” book. While teaching the fundamentals of information security by using the CompTIA Security+ exam objectives as its framework, it takes a comprehensive view of security by examining in-depth the attacks against networks and computer systems and the necessary defense mechanisms. Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamen- tals, Sixth Edition is a valuable tool for those who want to learn about security and who desire to enter the field of information security. It also provides the foundation that will help prepare for the CompTIA Security+ certification exam.

    xv

    INTRODUCTION

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    Introductionxvi

    Intended Audience This book is designed to meet the needs of students and professionals who want to master basic information security. A fundamental knowledge of computers and net- works is all that is required to use this book. Those seeking to pass the CompTIA Secu- rity+ certification exam will find the text’s approach and content especially helpful; all Security+ SY0-501 exam objectives are covered in the text (see Appendix A). Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, Sixth Edition covers all aspects of network and computer security while satisfying the Security+ objectives.

    The book’s pedagogical features are designed to provide a truly interactive learning experience to help prepare you for the challenges of network and computer security. In addition to the information presented in the text, each chapter includes Hands-On Projects that guide you through implementing practical hardware, software, network, and Internet security configurations step by step. Each chapter also contains case stud- ies that place you in the role of problem solver, requiring you to apply concepts pre- sented in the chapter to achieve successful solutions.

    Chapter Descriptions Here is a summary of the topics covered in each chapter of this book:

    Chapter 1, “Introduction to Security,” introduces the network security fundamen- tals that form the basis of the Security+ certification. It begins by examining the cur- rent challenges in computer security and why security is so difficult to achieve. It then defines information security in detail and explores why it is important. Finally, the chapter looks at the fundamental attacks, including who is responsible for them, and defenses.

    Chapter 2, “Malware and Social Engineering Attacks,” examines attacks that use different types of malware, such as viruses, worms, Trojans, and botnets. It also looks at the different types of social engineering attacks.

    Chapter 3, “Basic Cryptography,” explores how encryption can be used to protect data. It covers what cryptography is and how it can be used for protection, and then examines how to protect data using three common types of encryption algorithms: hashing, symmetric encryption, and asymmetric encryption. It also covers how to use cryptography on files and disks to keep data secure.

    Chapter 4, “Advanced Cryptography and PKI,” examines how to implement cryp- tography and use digital certificates. It also looks at public key infrastructure and key management. This chapter covers different transport cryptographic algorithms to see how cryptography is used on data that is being transported.

    Chapter 5, “Networking and Server Attacks,” explores the different attacks that are directed at enterprises. It includes networking-based attacks as well as server attacks.

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    Introduction xvii

    Chapter 6, “Network Security Devices, Design, and Technology,” examines how to protect networks through standard network devices and network security hard- ware. It also covers implementing security through network architectures and network technologies.

    Chapter 7, “Administering a Secure Network,” looks at the techniques for admin- istering a network. This includes understanding common network protocols and the proper placement of security devices and technologies. It also looks at analyzing secu- rity data and securing network platforms such as virtualization, cloud computing, and software defined networks.

    Chapter 8, “Wireless Network Security,” investigates the attacks on wireless devices that are common today and explores different wireless security mechanisms that have proven to be vulnerable. It also covers several secure wireless protections.

    Chapter 9, “Client and Application Security,” examines securing the client through hardware and peripherals through hardware and the operating system. It also looks at physical security to create external perimeter defenses and internal physical access security. This chapter also covers application security vulnerabilities and the development of secure apps.

    Chapter 10, “Mobile and Embedded Device Security,” looks at the different types of mobile devices and the risks associated with these devices. It also explores how to secure these devices and the applications running on them. Finally, it examines how embedded systems and the Internet of Things devices can be secured.

    Chapter 11, “Authentication and Account Management,” looks at authentication and the secure management of user accounts to enforce authentication. It covers the different types of authentication credentials that can be used to verify a user’s identity and how a single sign-on might be used. It also examines the techniques and technol- ogy used to manage user accounts in a secure fashion.

    Chapter 12, “Access Management,” introduces the principles and practices of access control by examining access control terminology, the standard control mod- els, and managing access through account management. It also covers best practices, implementing access control, and identity and access services.

    Chapter 13, “Vulnerability Assessment and Data Security,” explains what vulner- ability assessment is and examines the tools and techniques associated with it. It also explores the differences between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. The chapter concludes with an examination of data privacy.

    Chapter 14, “Business Continuity,” covers the importance of keeping business processes and communications operating normally in the face of threats and disrup- tions. It explores business continuity, fault tolerance, environmental controls, and inci- dent response.

    Chapter 15, “Risk Mitigation,” looks at how organizations can establish and main- tain security in the face of risk. It defines risk and the strategies to control it. This chap- ter also covers practices for reducing risk and troubleshooting common security issues.

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    Introductionxviii

    Appendix A, “CompTIA SY0-501 Certification Examination Objectives,” provides a complete listing of the latest CompTIA Security+ certification exam objectives and shows the chapters and headings in the book that cover material associated with each objective, as well as the Bloom’s Taxonomy level of that coverage.

    Features To aid you in fully understanding computer and network security, this book includes many features designed to enhance your learning experience.

    • Maps to CompTIA Objectives. The material in this text covers all the CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 exam objectives.

    • Chapter Objectives. Each chapter begins with a detailed list of the concepts to be mastered in that chapter. This list provides you with both a quick reference to the chapter’s contents and a useful study aid.

    • Today’s Attacks and Defenses. Each chapter opens with a vignette of an actual security attack or defense mechanism that helps to introduce the material covered in that chapter.

    • Illustrations and Tables. Numerous illustrations of security vulnerabilities, attacks, and defenses help you visualize security elements, theories, and concepts. In addition, the many tables provide details and comparisons of practical and theoretical information.

    • Chapter Summaries. Each chapter’s text is followed by a summary of the concepts introduced in that chapter. These summaries provide a helpful way to review the ideas covered in each chapter.

    • Key Terms. All the terms in each chapter that were introduced with bold text are gathered in a Key Terms list, providing additional review and highlighting key con- cepts. Key Term definitions are included in the Glossary at the end of the text.

    • Review Questions. The end-of-chapter assessment begins with a set of review questions that reinforce the ideas introduced in each chapter. These questions help you evaluate and apply the material you have learned. Answering these questions will ensure that you have mastered the important concepts and provide valuable practice for taking CompTIA’s Security+ exam.

    • Hands-On Projects. Although it is important to understand the theory behind network security, nothing can improve on real-world experience. To this end, each chapter provides several Hands-On Projects aimed at providing you with practical security software and hardware implementation experience. These proj- ects use the Windows 10 operating system, as well as software downloaded from the Internet.

    • Case Projects. Located at the end of each chapter are several Case Projects. In these extensive exercises, you implement the skills and knowledge gained in the chapter through real design and implementation scenarios.

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    Introduction xix

    New to This Edition • Maps fully to the latest CompTIA Security+ exam SY0-501 • Completely revised and updated with expanded coverage on attacks and defenses • New chapter units: Security and Its Threats, Cryptography, Network Attacks and

    Defenses, Device Security, Identity and Access Management, and Risk Management • Earlier coverage of cryptography and advanced cryptography • All new “Today’s Attacks and Defenses” opener in each chapter • New and updated Hands-On Projects in each chapter covering some of the latest

    security software • More Case Projects in each chapter • Expanded Information Security Community Site activity in each chapter allows

    learners to interact with other learners and security professionals from around the world

    • All SY0-501 exam topics fully defined • Linking of each exam sub-domain to Bloom’s Taxonomy (see Appendix A)

    Text and Graphic Conventions Wherever appropriate, additional information and exercises have been added to this book to help you better understand the topic at hand. Icons throughout the text alert you to additional materials. The following icons are0 used in this textbook:

    The Note icon draws your attention to additional helpful material related to the subject being described.

    Tips based on the author’s experience provide extra informa- tion about how to attack a problem or what to do in real-world situations.

    The Caution icons warn you about potential mistakes or prob- lems, and explain how to avoid them.

    Hands-On Projects help you understand the theory behind network security with activities using the latest security software and hardware.

    The Case Projects icon marks Case Projects, which are scenario- based assignments. In these extensive case examples, you are asked to implement independently what you have learned.

    Certification icons indicate CompTIA Security+ objectives covered under major chapter headings.

    Hands-On Projects

    Case Projects

    Certification

    Note

    Tip

    Caution

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    Introductionxx

    Instructor’s Materials Everything you need for your course in one place. This collection of book-specific lecture and class tools is available online. Please visit login.cengage.com and log in to access instructor-specific resources on the Instructor Companion Site, which includes the Instructor’s Manual, Solutions Manual, test creation tools, PowerPoint Presenta- tions, Syllabus, and figure files.

    • Electronic Instructor’s Manual. The Instructor’s Manual that accompanies this textbook includes the following items: additional instructional material to assist in class preparation, including suggestions for lecture topics.

    • Solutions Manual. The instructor’s resources include solutions to all end-of- chapter material, including review questions and case projects.

    • Cengage Testing Powered by Cognero. This flexible, online system allows you to do the following: • Author, edit, and manage test bank content from multiple Cengage solutions. • Create multiple test versions in an instant. • Deliver tests from your LMS, your classroom, or wherever you want.

    • PowerPoint Presentations. This book comes with a set of Microsoft PowerPoint slides for each chapter. These slides are meant to be used as a teaching aid for classroom presentations, to be made available to students on the network for chapter review, or to be printed for classroom distribution. Instructors are also at liberty to add their own slides for other topics introduced.

    • Figure Files. All the figures and tables in the book are reproduced. Similar to Power- Point presentations, these are included as a teaching aid for classroom presentation, to make available to students for review, or to be printed for classroom distribution.

    Total Solutions For Security To access additional course materials, please visit www.cengagebrain.com. At the cengagebrain.com home page, search for the ISBN of your title (from the back cover of your book) using the search box at the top of the page. This will take you to the product page where these resources can be found.

    MindTap MindTap for Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, Sixth Edition is a per- sonalized, fully online digital learning platform of content, assignments, and services that engages students and encourages them to think critically, while allowing you to easily set your course through simple customization options.

    MindTap is designed to help students master the skills they need in today’s workforce. Research shows employers need critical thinkers, troubleshooters, and creative problem solv- ers to stay relevant in our fast paced, technology-driven world. MindTap helps you achieve this with assignments and activities that provide hands-on practice, real-life relevance, and certification test prep. Students are guided through assignments that help them master basic knowledge and understanding before moving on to more challenging problems.

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    Introduction xxi

    The live virtual machine labs provide real-life application and practice as well as more advanced learning. Students work in a live environment via the Cloud with real servers and networks that they can explore. The IQ certification test preparation engine allows students to quiz themselves on specific exam domains, and the pre- and post-course assessments measure exactly how much they have learned. Readings, lab simulations, capstone projects, and videos support the lecture, while “In the News” assignments encourage students to stay current.

    MindTap is designed around learning objectives and provides the analytics and reporting to easily see where the class stands in terms of progress, engagement, and completion rates.

    Students can access eBook content in the MindTap Reader, which offers highlighting, note-taking, search and audio, as well as mobile access. Learn more at www.cengage.com/mindtap/.

    Instant Access Code: (ISBN: 9781337289306) Printed Access Code: (ISBN: 9781337289313)

    Lab Manual Hands-on learning is necessary to master the security skills needed for both Comp- TIA’s Security+ Exam and for a career in network security. Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals Lab Manual, 6th Edition contains hands-on exercises that use fundamental networking security concepts as they are applied in the real world. Each chapter offers review questions to reinforce your mastery of network security topics and to sharpen your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. (ISBN: 9781337288798)

    Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s Taxonomy is an industry-standard classification system used to help iden- tify the level of ability that learners need to demonstrate proficiency. It is often used to classify educational learning objectives into different levels of complexity. Bloom’s Taxonomy reflects the “cognitive process dimension.” This represents a continuum of increasing cognitive complexity, from remember (lowest level) to create (highest level). There are six categories in Bloom’s Taxonomy as seen in Figure A.

    In all instances, the level of coverage the domains in Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, Sixth Edition meets or exceeds the Bloom’s Taxonomy level indicated by CompTIA for that objective. See Appendix A for more detail.

    Information Security Community Site Stay secure with the Information Security Community Site. Connect with students, profes- sors, and professionals from around the world, and stay on top of this ever-changing field.

    Visit http://community.cengage.com/Infosec2/ to: • Download resources such as instructional videos and labs. • Ask authors, professors, and students the questions that are on your mind in the

    Discussion Forums. • See up-to-date news, videos, and articles.

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    Introductionxxii

    Domain % of Examination 1.0 Threats, Attacks & Vulnerabilities 21%

    2.0 Technologies & Tools 22%

    3.0 Architecture & Design 15%

    4.0 Identity & Access Management 16%

    5.0 Risk Management 14%

    6.0 Cryptography & PKI 12%

    Total 100%

    • Read regular blogs from author Mark Ciampa. • Listen to podcasts on the latest Information Security topics. • Review textbook updates and errata.

    Each chapter’s Case Projects include information on a current security topic and ask the learner to post reactions and comments to the Information Security Com- munity Site. This allows users from around the world to interact and learn from other users as well as security professionals and researchers.

    What’s New With Comptia Security+ Certification The CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 exam was updated in October 2017. Several significant changes have been made to the exam objectives. The exam objectives have been sig- nificantly expanded to more accurately reflect current security issues and knowledge requirements. These exam objectives place importance on knowing “how to” rather than just knowing or recognizing security concepts.

    Here are the domains covered on the new Security+ exam:

    Produce new or original work Design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigatecreate

    Bloom’s Taxonomy

    evaluate

    analyze

    apply

    understand

    remember

    Justify a stand or decision appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, critique, weigh

    Draw connections among ideas differentiate, organize, relate, compare, contrast, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test

    Use information in new situations execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch

    Explain ideas or concepts classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, report, select, translate

    Recall facts and basic concepts define, duplicate, list, memorize, repeat, state

    Figure A Bloom’s taxonomy

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    Introduction xxiii

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    Introductionxxiv

    About The Author Dr. Mark Ciampa is an Associate Professor of Information Systems in the Gordon Ford Col- lege of Business at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Prior to this, he was an Associate Professor and served as the Director of Academic Computing at Vol- unteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee for 20 years. Mark has worked in the IT industry as a computer consultant for businesses, government agencies, and educa- tional institutions. He has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is also the author of 25 technology textbooks, including Security+ Guide to Network Security Fun- damentals 6e, CWNA Guide to Wireless LANs 3e, Guide to Wireless Communications, Security Awareness: Applying Practical Security in Your World 5e, and Networking BASICS. Dr. Ciampa holds a PhD in technology management with a specialization in digital communication systems from Indiana State University and has certifications in Security+ and HIT.

    Acknowledgments A large team of dedicated professionals all contributed to the creation of this book. I am honored to be part of such an outstanding group of professionals. First, thanks go to Product Manager Kristin McNary for giving me the opportunity to work on this project and for providing her continual support, and to Associate Product Manager Amy Savino for answering all my questions. Also thanks to Senior Content Developer Michelle Ruelos Cannistraci who was very supportive, to Senior Content Product Manager Brooke Green- house who helped keep this fast-moving project on track, and to Dr. Andy Hurd who performed the technical reviews. To everyone on the team I extend my sincere thanks.

    Special recognition again goes to the very best developmental editor, Deb Kaufmann, who is a true professional in every sense of the word. She made many helpful suggestions, found all my errors, watched every small detail, and even took on additional responsibilities so that this project could accelerate to be completed even before its deadlines. Without question, Deb is simply the very best there is.

    And finally, I want to thank my wonderful wife, Susan. Her love, interest, support, and patience gave me what I needed to complete this project. I could not have written this book without her.

    Dedication To Braden, Mia, Abby, Gabe, Cora, and Will.

    To The User This book should be read in sequence, from beginning to end. Each chapter builds on those that precede it to provide a solid understanding of networking security funda- mentals. The book may also be used to prepare for CompTIA’s Security+ certification exam. Appendix A pinpoints the chapters and sections in which specific Security+ exam objectives are covered.

    Hardware and Software Requirements Following are the hardware and software requirements needed to perform the end-of- chapter Hands-On Projects.

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    Introduction

    • Microsoft Windows 10 • An Internet connection and web browser • Microsoft Office

    Free Downloadable Software Requirements Free, downloadable software is required for the Hands-On Projects in the following chapters.

    Chapter 1: • Microsoft Safety Scanner • Oracle VirtualBox

    Chapter 2: • Irongeek Thumbscrew • Refog Keylogger

    Chapter 3: • OpenPuff Steganography • HashCalc • Jetico BestCrypt

    Chapter 4: • Comodo Secure Email Certificate

    Chapter 5: • Qualys Browser Check • GRC Securable

    Chapter 6: • GlassWire • K9 Web Protection

    Chapter 7: • VMware vCenter Converter • VMware Workstation Player

    Chapter 8: • Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector • Vistumbler

    Chapter 9: • EICAR AntiVirus Test File

    Chapter 10: • Prey Project • Bluestacks • Andy Android emulator • Lookout Security & Antivirus

    xxv

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    Introduction

    Chapter 11: • Hashcat • HashcatGUI • BioID Facial Recognition Authenticator • GreyC-Keystroke • KeePass

    Chapter 13: • Flexera Personal Software Inspector • Macrium Reflect • Nmap

    Chapter 14: • Directory Snoop • Nmap

    Chapter 15: • Browzar • UNetbootin • Linux Mint

    References 1. Newman, Lilly, “Hack brief: Hackers breach a billion Yahoo accounts,” Wired, Dec. 14, 2016,

    retrieved Jul. 3, 2017, https://www.wired.com/2016/12/yahoo-hack-billion-users/. 2. Chang, Ziv, Sison, Gilbert, Jocson, Jeanne, “Erebus resurfaces as Linux ransomware,”

    TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog, Jun. 19, 2017, retrieved Jul. 3, 2017, http://blog.trendmicro .com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/erebus-resurfaces-as-linux-ransomware/.

    3. Corkery, Michael, and Goldstein, Matthew, “North Korea said to be target of inquiry over $81 million cyberheist,” New York Times, Mar. 22, 2017, retrieved Jul. 3, 2017, https://www. nytimes.com/2017/03/22/business/dealbook/north-korea-said-to-be-target-of-inquiry -over-81-million-cyberheist.html.

    4. “Cybersecurity market report,” Cybersecurity Ventures, Q2 2017, retrieved Jul. 3, 2017, http://cybersecurityventures.com/cybersecurity-market-report/.

    5. Nash, Kim, “Firms vie in hiring of cyber experts,” Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2017, retrieved Jul. 10, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-many-companies-a- good-cyber-chief-is-hard-to-find-1494849600.

    6. “Information security analysts: Occupational outlook handbook,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dec. 17, 2015, retrieved Jul. 3, 2017, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information -technology/information-security-analysts.htm.

    xxvi

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    SECURITY AND ITS THREATS Chapter 1 Introduction to Security Chapter 2 Malware and Social Engineering Attacks

    The security of the data and information contained on computers and digital devices today is threatened more than ever before, and the attacks are escalating every day. The chapters in this part introduce security and outline many of these threats. The chapters in later parts will give you the understanding and tools you need to defend against these attacks.

    1

    P A R T I

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    INTRODUCTION TO SECURITY

    After completing this chapter you should be able to do the following:

    Explain the challenges of securing information

    Define information security and explain why it is important

    Identify the types of threat actors that are common today

    Describe how to defend against attacks

    CHAPTER 1

    Today’s Attacks and Defenses

    Almost everyone would assume that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) would be well-versed in security procedures and would practice these to the letter of the law. This is because of the extreme danger that would result from a compromise or theft of highly classified information about active CIA agents or sensitive activities that are underway. The exposure of this information could result in a serious international incident or even the capture and torture of secret agents. However, a former CIA director who failed to follow basic security procedures put sensitive CIA information at risk.

    Former CIA Director John Brennan had recently completed a sensitive 47-page SF-86 application to update his own top-secret government security clearance. These applications are used by the federal government for conducting a background check on individuals

    3

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security4

    requesting such a security clearance. The forms contain a wealth of sensitive data about the person—criminal history, psychological records, any past drug use, information about the applicant’s interactions with foreign nationals—as well as information on their spouses, family members, and even friends. In the wrong hands this information could easily be used as blackmail material. Despite government restrictions Brennan routinely forwarded classified emails from his CIA email account to his less-secure personal AOL email account. One of the emails contained his own SF-86 application as an attachment, a serious breach of CIA security protocol.

    An attacker who claimed to be under the age of 20 along with two friends decided to see if they could uncover classified CIA documents. The attacker first did a reverse lookup of Brennan’s public phone number to reveal that the phone was served by the carrier Verizon Wireless. The attacker called Verizon’s customer service number and pretended to be a Verizon technician. He said he had a customer lined up on a scheduled callback but was unable to access Verizon’s customer database on his own because “our tools were down.” So, could Verizon customer service give him the email address that was linked to Brennan’s phone number? The friendly and helpful Verizon customer service representative said, “Sure, no problem.” The pretender then asked if the Verizon representative would also give him the last four digits of the customer’s bank card that was on file. Once again, the representative was glad to help. By the time the call was over the pretender had Brennan’s Verizon account number, his four-digit personal identification number, the backup private mobile cellphone number on the account, his AOL email address, and the last four digits on his bank card.

    The attacker now had the information that he needed. Knowing that Brennan had an AOL email account he next called AOL and said he was locked out of that account. The AOL representative asked him to verify his identity by answering two questions: the name and phone number associated with the account and the last four digits of the bank card on file— all of which had been provided by Verizon. The AOL representative then reset the password on the email account to a new password for the attacker.

    The attacker then logged into Brennan’s AOL email account, where he read several dozen emails, some of which the director had forwarded from his government work email and that contained attachments. Among the attachments was Brennan’s own SF-86 application and a spreadsheet containing names and Social Security numbers of several U.S. intelligence officials. It is speculated that the spreadsheet might have been a list of guests who were visiting the White House when Brennan was the President’s counter- terrorism adviser. Another attachment was a letter from the U.S. Senate asking the CIA to halt its controversial use of torture tactics as interrogation techniques. The hacker posted screenshots of some of the documents on a Twitter account along with portions of the director’s AOL email contact list.

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 5

    Today our world is one in which citizens from all nations are compelled to continually protect themselves and their property from attacks by adversaries. Random shootings, suicide bombings, assassinations, and other types of physical violence occur almost daily around the world with no end in sight. To counteract this violence, new types of security defenses have been implemented. Passengers using public transportation are routinely searched. Borders are closely watched. Telephone calls are secretly monitored. These attacks and security defenses have significantly impacted how all of us work, play, and live.

    These attacks are not just physical. One area that has also been an especially frequent target of attacks is information technology (IT). A seemingly endless array of attacks is directed at individuals, schools, businesses, and governments through desktop computers, laptops, and smartphones. Internet web servers must resist thousands of attacks every day. Identity theft using stolen electronic data has skyrocketed. An unprotected computer connected to the Internet may be infected in fewer than 60 seconds. Viruses, phishing, worms, and botnets—virtually unheard of just a few years ago—are now part of our everyday technology vocabulary.

    The need to defend against these attacks directed toward our technology devices has created an element of IT that is now at the very core of the industry. Known as information security, it is focused on protecting the electronic information of enterprises and users.

    Two broad categories of information security personnel are responsible for providing protection for an enterprise like a business or nonprofit organization. Information security managerial personnel administer and manage plans, policies, and people, while information security technical personnel are concerned with designing, configuring, installing, and maintaining technical security equipment. Within these two broad categories are four generally recognized security positions:

    • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This person reports directly to the CIO (large enterprises may have more layers of management between this person and the CIO). This person is responsible for assessing, managing, and implementing security.

    When Brennan realized that this information came from his AOL email account and that it had been compromised, he reset his AOL password. However, he failed to change the cell phone number and bank card number on file that was used to reset the password. Once the attacker discovered the password had been changed, he simply reset the password again, locking out Brennan. This back-and-forth of password resets was repeated three times between the attacker and the CIA director until he finally deleted the email account.

    In one last act, the attacker called Brennan’s private mobile phone number that he had received from Verizon and told the former director of the CIA that he had been hacked. According to the attacker, the conversation was brief.1

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    • Security manager. The security manager reports to the CISO and supervises technicians, administrators, and security staff. Typically, a security manager works on tasks identified by the CISO and resolves issues identified by technicians. This position requires an understanding of configuration and operation but not necessarily technical mastery.

    • Security administrator. The security administrator has both technical knowledge and managerial skills. A security administrator manages daily operations of security technology, and may analyze and design security solutions within a specific entity as well as identifying users’ needs.

    • Security technician. This position is generally an entry-level position for a person who has the necessary technical skills. Technicians provide technical support to configure security hardware, implement security software, and diagnose and troubleshoot problems.

    Note

    Individuals in these positions provide protection but are not the only employees responsible for security. It is the job of every employee—both IT and non-IT—to know and practice basic security defenses.

    Note

    The job outlook for security professionals is exceptionally strong. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” the job outlook for information security analysts through 2024 is expected to grow by 18 percent, much faster than the average growth rate.2 One report states that by the end of the decade demand for security professionals worldwide will rise to 6 million, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million unfilled positions.3

    As attacks continue to escalate, the need for trained security personnel also increases. Unlike some IT positions, security is rarely offshored or outsourced: because security is such a critical element, security positions generally remain within the enterprise. In addition, security jobs typically do not involve “on-the-job training” where employees can learn as they go; the risk is simply too great.

    Employment trends indicate that security personnel who also have a certification in security are in high demand. IT employers want and pay a premium for certified security personnel. An overwhelming majority of enterprises use the Computing

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    Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Security+ certification to verify security competency. Of the hundreds of security certifications currently available, Security+ is one of the most widely acclaimed. Because it is internationally recognized as validating a foundation level of security skills and knowledge, the Security+ certification has become the security baseline for today’s IT professionals.

    Note

    The value for an IT professional who holds a security certification is significant. The extra pay awarded to IT professions who hold an IT certification is 3.5 percent over someone who does not hold that certification. However, those who hold a security certification earn 8.7 percent more than their counterparts who do not have a security certification.4

    The CompTIA Security+ certification is a vendor-neutral credential that requires passing the current certification exam SY0-501. A successful candidate has the knowledge and skills required to identify risks and participate in risk mitigation activities; provide infrastructure, application, operational and information security; apply security controls to maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability; identify appropriate technologies and products; troubleshoot security events and incidents; and operate with an awareness of applicable policies, laws, and regulations. The CompTIA Security+ certification is aimed at an IT security professional who has a recommended background of a minimum of two years’ experience in IT administration with a focus on security.

    Note

    CompTIA Security+ meets the ISO 17024 standard and is approved by U.S. Department of Defense to fulfill Directive 8570.01-M requirements. It is also compliant with government regulations under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).

    This chapter introduces the security fundamentals that form the basis of the Security+ certification. It begins by examining the current challenges in computer security. It then defines information security in detail and explores why it is important. Finally, the chapter looks at who is responsible for these attacks and the fundamental defenses against such attacks.

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    Challenges of Securing Information Certification

    1.6 Explain the impact associated with types of vulnerabilities.

    A silver bullet refers to an action that provides an immediate solution to a problem by cutting through the complexity that surrounds it. Why shouldn’t there be such a silver bullet for securing computers? Why can’t users just install an improved hardware device or use a more secure version of software to stop attacks? Unfortunately, no single and simple solution exists for securing devices. This can be illustrated by looking at the different types of attacks that users face today as well as the reasons why these attacks are successful and the difficulties in defending against attacks.

    Today’s Security Attacks Even though information security continues to rank as the number one concern of IT managers and tens of billions of dollars are spent annually on computer security, the number of successful attacks continues to increase. Consider the following examples of recent attacks:

    • In order to demonstrate how easy it is to remotely control a car, a reporter drove a Jeep Cherokee outside St. Louis while two security researchers 10 miles away remotely connected to it and started manipulating its controls. The air conditioning on the Jeep suddenly switched to its maximum setting. Next, the car’s radio changed stations and the volume increased, even though the driver repeatedly tried to turn the volume down and change the station to no avail. Then the windshield wipers suddenly turned on and wiper fluid squirted out. While on an Interstate highway the driver pressed the accelerator but the Jeep instead started slowing down so that is was almost rammed from behind by a large truck. The researchers even remotely disabled the brakes so that the Jeep finally ended up in a ditch. The security researchers had taken advantage of the car’s Internet-connection feature that controls its entertainment and navigation systems, enables phone calls, and can be used to create a Wi-Fi hot spot. Due to a vulnerability, anyone could gain access remotely to the car’s control systems from virtually anywhere. This demonstration immediately caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall 1.4 million vehicles to patch this vulnerability. This was the first time a car was recalled because of a security vulnerability.5

    • A security researcher boarded a United Airlines flight from Denver to Syracuse with a stop in Chicago. On the second leg of the trip the researcher tweeted that he was probing the aircraft systems of his flight. The United Airlines’

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    Cyber Security Intelligence Department, which monitors social media, saw the tweet, and alerted the FBI. According to the FBI, a special agent later examined the first-class cabin seat where the researcher was seated and found that he had tampered with the Seat Electronic Box (SEB), which is located under some passenger seats. This allowed him to connect his laptop to the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system via the SEB. Once he accessed the IFE he could then access other systems on the plane. The researcher claimed that he could have caused the airplane to change altitude after manipulating its software. United Airlines has permanently banned him from any future flights.6

    • Yahoo announced that a then-record half a billion Yahoo accounts were compromised by attackers who gained unauthorized access to its web servers. Information stolen included names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, answers to security questions, and passwords. Yahoo believed the breach occurred two years prior but had only recently discovered it. Two months later Yahoo announced that after an investigation into data provided by law enforcement officials and outside experts they determined that yet another previously undetected data breach compromised over 1 billion Yahoo user accounts three years earlier. It was not known how law enforcement officials came across this evidence, but security researchers speculate that it was discovered by someone who was watching for data on underground “dark web” markets that attackers use to buy and sell stolen data. If that was the case, then this data had been for sale for several years, and likely had been used by attackers in targeted attacks to gain access to other web accounts. Yahoo’s response to the attacks was, “We continuously enhance our safeguards and systems that detect and prevent unauthorized access to user accounts.”7

    • It is not uncommon for attackers to install their malware onto a USB flash drive and then leave it in a parking lot, cafeteria, or another public place. An unsuspecting victim finds the drive and inserts it into her computer, either to discover the rightful owner or to snoop around its contents, suddenly finds her computer infected. Now the results can be even worse if the drive is a device called the USB Killer. Resembling a regular flash drive, the USB Killer, if inserted into any USB port, starts drawing power from the computer using a DC-to-DC converter. The flash drive stores the electricity in its capacitors, and when those reach a certain voltage level then USB Killer sends all the stored electricity back to the computer in a single burst. The result is that the computer is destroyed, typically burning up the motherboard. And if the computer is not destroyed on the first attempt, USB Killer will keep charging and sending the electricity over and over until the computer is “fried.”8

    • The AVS WINVote voting machine passed state voting system standards and has been used in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. However, the security

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    on the machine was alarmingly weak. Easily guessed passwords like admin, abcde, and shoup were used to lock down its administrator account and wireless network settings, as well as the voting results database. Because these passwords were hard-coded into the machines they could not be changed. The wireless network settings used to transmit results relied upon a configuration that could easily be broken in fewer than 10 minutes. These tabulating machines lacked even basic security like a firewall and exposed several Internet openings to attackers. In addition, WINVote ran a version of an operating system that had not received a security update since 2004.9

    • The educational toy maker VTech revealed that millions of accounts containing information on children were stolen. Approximately 11.6 million accounts were compromised in an attack that included information on 6.4 million children. The data on children that was stolen included name, gender, birth date, profile photo, and progress log. As with many recent breaches, VTech did not know that it had been a victim until it was approached by a security research firm that had discovered the attack.10

    • The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization made up of 22 countries and states that explores space. They are involved in the International Space Station and launch unmanned space exploration missions to different planets through their spaceport in French Guiana. A group of attackers stole data from the ESA, including information on 8107 of its users, and then posted it online. Even though the ESA information regarding space exploration needed to be kept secure so that it was not altered, the passwords used by ESA scientists were alarmingly weak. Of the passwords exposed, 39 percent (or 3191) were only three characters long, such as 410, 832, 808, and 281. Only 22 total users had a strong password of a recommended length of 20 characters.11

    • The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported that through its online Get Transcript program, used by taxpayers who need a transcript to view tax account transactions or line-by-line tax return information for a specific tax year, attackers were able to steal 104,000 tax transcripts while an additional 100,000 attempts were unsuccessful. The attacks were made possible because in order to access the information online the inquirer had only to prove their identity by entering personal information (Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status, and street address) and out-of-wallet information (such as the amount of a current car payment). Both types of information can be easily obtained online from a variety of sources. Once attackers had the information they began filing fake tax returns under the victim’s name and stealing their tax refund. The IRS later revealed that the situation was much worse than first reported: up to 390,000 individuals had their tax information stolen out of 600,000 attempts.12

    • Hyatt Hotels Corporation reported that cybercriminals successfully attacked restaurants, front desks, spas, and parking facilities at 250 of their hotels

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    worldwide over a four-month period. The attacker’s software was installed on the Hyatt computers and could capture payment card details like cardholder names, card numbers, expiration dates, and verification codes when the cards were swiped. Other hotel chains have likewise been compromised. Security researchers speculate that attackers are keenly interested in attacking the hospitality industry. Hotels today are rarely owned by the big companies themselves, but instead the hotels are owned by separate investors with the hotel chains simply collecting management and franchise fees. This creates uneven security at the different hotels, and even within the hotels: hotel-based restaurants, spas, and gift shops are often owned and managed by third-party companies. While the hotel brands may require property owners to follow specific standards—such as using pillowcases of 100 percent Egyptian cotton with a 1500 thread count—they often do not have the same requirements for security. There is even speculation that the hotel brands are hesitant to mandate strict security guidelines, because if a hotel is attacked then the hotel brand may be legally liable. Another reason for the popularity of hacking hotels is that hotel brands cater to high-end, frequent business travelers. These customers often make charges on their trips using a corporate credit card and can be slower to spot unusual transactions compared to using their personal card. And many hotels keep multiple cards on file for their frequent guests. This makes it easy to not only check in and out, but also allows guests to use their door key card to make purchases instead of giving a specific credit card. Having multiple instances of credit card data scattered throughout the hotel makes for multiple targets for attackers.13

    • Apple recently announced in one month a long list of security update patches. One of its operating systems patched 11 security vulnerabilities, most of them rated as critical while several vulnerabilities were ranked as serious. Another of its operating systems fixed 18 security flaws, with 13 of them related to its web browser. Apple also announced that it will pay those who uncover critical vulnerabilities found in the latest version of iOS and the newest iPhones. The rewards range up to $200,000 for critical flaws discovered in its hardware and software.14

    Note

    Like many software and hardware vendors, Apple maintains a lengthy online list of security vulnerabilities that have been corrected. Apple’s list going back to 2003 and earlier is at support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222.

    The number of security breaches that have exposed users’ digital data to attackers continues to rise. From 2005 through early 2017, over 907 million electronic data records in the United States had been breached, exposing to attackers a range of

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    personal electronic data, such as addresses, Social Security numbers, health records, and credit card numbers. Table 1-1 lists some recent major security breaches, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.15

    Organization Description of security breach Number of identities exposed

    Michigan State University, MI

    A database was compromised that contained names, Social Security numbers, MSU identification numbers, and date of birth of current and former students and employees.

    Potentially 400,000

    Poway Unified School District, CA

    The district inadvertently sent information to unauthorized recipients that included children’s names, nicknames, addresses, phone numbers, hearing and vision exam results, dates of birth, language fluency, academic test results, and occupation of parents.

    70,000

    University of Central Florida, FL

    Unauthorized access to the university’s system exposed financial records, medical records, grades, and Social Security numbers.

    63,000

    Southern New Hampshire University, NH

    Due to a third-party vendor’s configuration error a database that contained student information—student names, email addresses, and IDs, course name, course selection, assignment details and assignment score, instructor names and email addresses—was exposed.

    140,000

    Quest Diagnostics, NJ

    An unknown error resulted in the exposure of the name, date of birth, lab results, and telephone numbers of customers.

    34,000

    Anchor Loans, CA A publicly exposed database revealed customers’ name, address, email address, Social Security number, check routing number, bank account number, bank statement data, birth date, and birth place.

    Unknown

    United States Navy Career Waypoints Database, DC

    A re-enlistment approval database was stolen from a contractor’s laptop, which included the names and Social Security numbers of 134,386 current and former sailors.

    134,000

    Internal Revenue Service, DC

    IRS employees sent unencrypted emails that contained different taxpayers’ personally identifiable information.

    Potentially 28 million

    Selected security breaches involving personal information in a one-month period

    Table 1-1

    Reasons for Successful Attacks Why do attacks like these continue to be successful, despite all the efforts to stop them? There are several reasons:

    • Widespread vulnerabilities. Because vulnerabilities are so common in hardware and software, attackers can virtually choose which vulnerability to exploit for

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    an attack. And because of the sheer number of vulnerabilities it is difficult to identify and correct all of them. This is made even worse by the fact that not all hardware and software can be corrected once a vulnerability is uncovered. Some devices, particularly consumer devices, have no support from the company that made the device (called lack of vendor support). This means that no effort is made to fix any vulnerabilities that are found. Other systems have no capabilities to receive security updates when a vulnerability is found. And some systems are so old (called end-of-life systems) that vendors have dropped all support for security updates, or else charge an exorbitant fee to provide updates.

    Note

    Microsoft provides two types of security support for its software. It offers mainstream support for a minimum of five years from the date of a product’s general availability and extended support for an additional five years. For example, Windows 10, which was released in July 2015, will have mainstream support until October 2020 and extended support until October 2025. After this time, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance.

    • Configuration issues. Hardware and software that does have security features often are not properly configured, thus allowing attacks to be successful. Almost all devices come with out-of-the-box configuration settings, or default configurations. These are generally simple configurations that are intended to be changed by the user; however, often they are left in place. Some devices have weak configuration options that provide limited security choices. Users who incorrectly configure devices, known as a misconfiguration, find that these errors allow the device to be compromised. Misconfiguration is commonly seen in improperly configured accounts that are set up for a user that provide more access than is necessary, such as providing total access over the entire device when the access should be more limited.

    • Poorly designed software. Successful attacks are often the result of software that is poorly designed and has architecture/design weaknesses. Software that allows the user to enter data but has improper input handling features does not filter or validate user input to prevent a malicious action. For example, a webpage on a web server with improper input handling that asks for the user’s email address could allow an attacker to instead enter a direct command that the server would then execute. Other software may not properly trap an error condition and thus provide an attacker with underlying access to the system. This is known as improper error handling. Suppose an attacker enters a string of characters that is much longer than expected. Because the software has not been designed for this event the program

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    could crash or suddenly halt its execution and then display an underlying operating system prompt, giving an attacker access to the computer. A race condition in software occurs when two concurrent threads of execution access a shared resource simultaneously, resulting in unintended consequences. For example, in a program with two threads that have access to the same location in memory, Thread #1 stores the value A in that memory location. But since Thread #2 is also executing it may overwrite the same memory location with the value Z. When Thread #1 retrieves the value stored it is then given Thread #2’s Z instead of its own A.

    • Hardware limitations. Hardware with limited resources (CPU, memory, file system storage, etc.) could be exploited by an attacker who intentionally tries to consume more resources than intended. This might cause the system to become slow or even unable to respond to other users, thus prevent valid users from accessing the device. This is called resource exhaustion.

    • Enterprise-based issues. Often attacks are successful not because of compromised technology but because of the manipulation of processes that an enterprise performs. Vulnerable business processes, also called business process compromise (BPC), occurs when an attacker manipulates commonplace actions that are routinely performed. For example, late on a Friday afternoon an attacker in India could make a request to New York to have money transferred to Taiwan. Because these transactions are in different countries, time zones, and even on different days, it can be difficult for this process to be quickly verified. Another problem in the enterprise is the rapid acquisition and deployment of technology devices without proper documentation. This results in undocumented assets, or devices that are not formally identified, and results in system sprawl, or the widespread proliferation of devices across the enterprise. Often servers, computers, and other devices are purchased and quickly installed without adequate forethought regarding how they can be protected.

    Difficulties in Defending Against Attacks The challenge of keeping computers secure has never been greater, not only because of continual attacks but also because of the difficulties faced in defending against these attacks. These difficulties include the following:

    • Universally connected devices. Today virtually every technology device—not only traditional computers but even programmable thermostats and light bulbs—is connected to the Internet. Although this provides enormous benefits, it also makes it easy for an attacker halfway around world to silently launch an attack against a connected device.

    • Increased speed of attacks. With modern tools at their disposal, attackers can quickly scan millions of devices to find weaknesses and launch attacks with unprecedented speed. Most attack tools initiate new attacks without any human participation, thus increasing the speed at which systems are attacked.

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    • Greater sophistication of attacks. Attacks are becoming more complex, making it more difficult to detect and defend against them. Many attackers use common protocols to distribute their attacks, making it more difficult to distinguish an attack from legitimate traffic. Other attack tools vary their behavior so the same attack appears differently each time, further complicating detection.

    • Availability and simplicity of attack tools. At one time an attacker needed to have an extensive technical knowledge of networks and computers as well as the ability to write a program to generate an attack. Today that is no longer the case. Modern software attack tools do not require sophisticated knowledge on the part of the attacker. In fact, many of the tools, such as the Kali Linux interface shown in Figure 1-1, have a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the user to easily select options from a menu. These tools are generally freely available.

    Figure 1-1 Menu of attack tools Source: Kali Linux

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    In addition, attackers who create attacks tools will often then sell these tools to other attackers.

    • Faster detection of vulnerabilities. Weaknesses in hardware and software can be more quickly uncovered and exploited with new software tools and techniques. Often an attacker may find a vulnerability and initiate an attack taking advantage of it even before users or security professionals are aware of the vulnerability. This is called a zero day attack, since there are no days of warning ahead of this new threat.

    • Delays in security updating. Hardware and software vendors are overwhelmed trying to keep pace with updating their products against attacks. One antivirus software security institute receives more than 390,000 submissions of potential malware each day.16 At this rate the antivirus vendors would have to create and distribute updates every few seconds to keep users fully protected. This delay in distributing security updates adds to the difficulties in defending against attacks.

    • Weak security update distribution. Vendors of mainstream products, such as Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe, have a system for notifying users of security updates for their products and distributing them on a regular basis, but few other software vendors have invested in these costly distribution systems. Users are generally unaware that a security update even exists for a product because there is no reliable means for the vendor to alert the user. Also, these vendors often do not create small security updates that patch the existing software; instead, they fix the problem in an entirely new version of the software—and then require the user to pay for the updated version that contains the patch.

    Note

    Smartphones, unlike computers and laptops, do not give the owner of the device the ability to download security updates. Instead, these must be sent out from the wireless carriers. Many carriers do not provide security updates on a timely basis, if at all.

    • Distributed attacks. Attackers can use millions of computers or devices under their control in an attack against a single server or network. This “many against one” approach makes it virtually impossible to stop an attack by identifying and blocking a single source.

    • Use of personal devices. Many enterprises allow employees to use and connect their personal devices to the company’s network. This has made it difficult for IT departments to provide adequate security for an almost endless array of devices that they do not own.

    • User confusion. Increasingly, users are called upon to make difficult security decisions regarding their computer systems, sometimes with little or no

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    What Is Information Security? Certification

    5.3 Explain risk management processes and concepts.

    Reason Description

    Universally connected devices Attackers from anywhere in the world can send attacks.

    Increased speed of attacks Attackers can launch attacks against millions of computers within minutes.

    Greater sophistication of attacks Attack tools vary their behavior so the same attack appears differently each time.

    Availability and simplicity of attack tools

    Attacks are no longer limited to highly skilled attackers.

    Faster detection of vulnerabilities Attackers can discover security holes in hardware or software more quickly.

    Delays in security updating Vendors are overwhelmed trying to keep pace updating their products against the latest attacks.

    Weak security update distribution Many software products lack a means to distribute security updates in a timely fashion.

    Distributed attacks Attackers use thousands of computers in an attack against a single computer or network.

    Use of personal devices Enterprises are having difficulty providing security for a wide array of personal devices.

    User confusion Users are required to make difficult security decisions with little or no instruction.

    Difficulties in defending against attacks Table 1-2

    Before it is possible to defend against attacks, it is necessary to understand exactly what security is and how it relates to information security. Also, knowing the terminology used can be helpful when creating defenses for computers. Understanding the importance of information security is also critical.

    information to guide them. It is not uncommon for a user to be asked security questions such as Do you want to view only the content that was delivered securely? or Is it safe to quarantine this attachment? or Do you want to install this add-on? With little or no direction, these untrained users are inclined to provide answers to questions without understanding the security risks.

    Table 1-2 summarizes the reasons why it is difficult to defend against today’s attacks.

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    Understanding Security What is security? The word comes from the Latin, meaning free from care. Sometimes security is defined as the state of being free from danger, which is the goal of security. It is also defined as the measures taken to ensure safety, which is the process of security. Since complete security can never be fully achieved, the focus of security is more often on the process instead of the goal. In this light, security can be defined as the necessary steps to protect from harm.

    It is important to understand the relationship between security and convenience. As security is increased, convenience is often decreased. That is, the more secure something is, the less convenient it may become to use (security is said to be inversely proportional to convenience). This is illustrated in Figure 1-2. Consider a typical house. A homeowner might install an automated alarm system that requires a code to be entered on a keypad within 30 seconds of entering the house. Although the alarm system makes the house more secure, it is less convenient than just walking into the house. Thus, security may be understood as sacrificing convenience for safety.

    Figure 1-2 Relationship of security to convenience

    Security

    Convenience

    Defining Information Security Several terms are used when describing security in an IT environment: computer security, IT security, cybersecurity, and information assurance, to name just a few. Whereas each has its share of proponents and slight variations of meanings, the term information security may be the most appropriate because it is the broadest: protecting information from harm. Information security is often used to describe the tasks of securing information that is in a digital format, whether it be manipulated by a microprocessor (such as on a personal computer), preserved on a storage device (like a hard drive or USB flash drive), or transmitted over a network (such as a local area network or the Internet).

    Information security cannot completely prevent successful attacks or guarantee that a system is totally secure, just as the security measures taken for a house can

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 19

    never guarantee complete safety from a burglar. The goal of information security is to ensure that protective measures are properly implemented to ward off attacks and prevent the total collapse of the system when a successful attack does occur. Thus, information security is first protection.

    Second, information security is intended to protect information that provides value to people and enterprises. There are three protections that must be extended over information: confidentiality, integrity, and availability—or CIA:

    1. Confidentiality. It is important that only approved individuals can access important information. For example, the credit card number used to make an online purchase must be kept secure and not made available to other parties. Confidentiality ensures that only authorized parties can view the information. Providing confidentiality can involve several different security tools, ranging from software to scramble the credit card number stored on the web server to door locks to prevent access to those servers.

    2. Integrity. Integrity ensures that the information is correct and no unauthor- ized person or malicious software has altered the data. In the example of the online purchase, an attacker who could change the amount of a purchase from $10,000.00 to $1.00 would violate the integrity of the information.

    3. Availability. Information has value if the authorized parties who are assured of its integrity can access the information. Availability ensures that data is accessible to authorized users. This means that the information cannot be “locked up” so tight that no one can access it. It also means that attackers have not performed an attack so that the data cannot be reached. In this example the total number of items ordered as the result of an online purchase must be made available to an employee in a warehouse so that the correct items can be shipped to the customer.

    Because this information is stored on computer hardware, manipulated by software, and transmitted by communications, each of these areas must be protected. The third objective of information security is to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information on the devices that store, manipulate, and transmit the information.

    This protection is achieved through a process that is a combination of three entities. As shown in Figure 1-3 and Table 1-3, information and the hardware, software,

    Note

    Information security should not be viewed as a war to be won or lost. Just as crimes such as burglary can never be completely eradicated, neither can attacks against technology devices. The goal is not a complete victory but instead maintaining equilibrium: as attackers take advantage of a weakness in a defense, defenders must respond with an improved defense. Information security is an endless cycle between attacker and defender.

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security20

    Figure 1-3 Information security layers

    yAvv

    y

    Transmitted

    Policies and procedures

    People

    Products

    Confidentiality Integrity

    Information

    Availabilityit

    StoredProcessed

    ailabil

    Layer Description

    Products Form the security around the data. May be as basic as door locks or as complicated as network security equipment.

    People Those who implement and properly use security products to protect data.

    Policies and procedures Plans and policies established by an enterprise to ensure that people correctly use the products.

    Information security layers Table 1-3

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 21

    and communications are protected in three layers: products, people, and policies and procedures. The procedures enable people to understand how to use products to protect information.

    Thus, information security may be defined as that which protects the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information through products, people, and procedures on the devices that store, manipulate, and transmit the information.

    Information Security Terminology As with many advanced subjects, information security has its own set of terminology. The following scenario helps to illustrate information security terms and how they are used.

    Suppose that Ellie wants to purchase a new motorized Italian scooter to ride from her apartment to school and work. However, because several scooters have been stolen near her apartment she is concerned about its protection. Although she parks the scooter in the gated parking lot in front of her apartment, a hole in the fence surrounding the apartment complex makes it possible for someone to access the parking lot without restriction. The threat to Ellie’s scooter is illustrated in Figure 1-4.

    Ellie’s new scooter is an asset, which is defined as an item that has value. In an enterprise, assets have the following qualities: they provide value to the enterprise; they cannot easily be replaced without a significant investment in expense, time, worker skill, and/or resources; and they can form part of the enterprise’s corporate identity. Based on these qualities not all elements of an enterprise’s information technology infrastructure may be classified as an asset. For example, a faulty desktop computer that can easily be replaced would generally not be considered an asset, yet the information contained on that computer can be an asset. Table 1-4 lists a description of the elements of an enterprise’s information technology infrastructure and whether they would normally be considered as an asset.

    Figure 1-4 Information security components analogy

    Stolen scooter (risk) Attack vector (go through fence hole)

    Thief (threat actor)

    Scooter (asset)

    Theft of scooter (threat)

    Fence hole (vulnerability)

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security22

    What Ellie is trying to protect her scooter from is a threat, which is a type of action that has the potential to cause harm. Information security threats are events or actions that represent a danger to information assets. A threat by itself does not mean that security has been compromised; rather, it simply means that the potential for creating a loss is real. For Ellie, the threat could result in the theft of her scooter; in information security, a threat can result in the corruption or theft of information, a delay in information being transmitted, or even the loss of good will or reputation.

    A threat actor is a person or element that has the power to carry out a threat. For Ellie, the threat actor is a thief. In information security, a threat actor could be a person attempting to break into a secure computer network. It could also be malicious software that attacks the computer network, or even a force of nature such as a hurricane that could destroy computer equipment and its information.

    Ellie wants to protect her scooter and is concerned about a hole in the fencing around her apartment. The hole in the fencing is a vulnerability, which is a flaw or weakness that allows a threat actor to bypass security. An example of a vulnerability that information security must deal with is a software defect in an operating system that allows an unauthorized user to gain control of a computer without the user’s knowledge or permission.

    If a thief can get to Ellie’s scooter because of the hole in the fence, then that thief is taking advantage of the vulnerability. This is known as exploiting the vulnerability through an attack vector, or the means by which an attack can occur. The attack surface is the sum of all the different attack vectors. An attacker, knowing that a flaw in a web

    Element name Description Example Critical asset?

    Information Data that has been collected, classified, organized, and stored in various forms

    Customer, personnel, production, sales, marketing, and finance databases

    Yes: Extremely difficult to replace

    Customized business software

    Software that supports the business processes of the enterprise

    Customized order transaction application

    Yes: Unique and customized for the enterprise

    System software Software that provides the foundation for application software

    Operating system No: Can be easily replaced

    Physical items Computers equipment, communications equipment, storage media, furniture, and fixtures

    Servers, routers, DVDs, and power supplies

    No: Can be easily replaced

    Services Outsourced computing services

    Voice and data communications

    No: Can be easily replaced

    Information technology assets Table 1-4

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 23

    server’s operating system has not been patched, is using the attack vector (exploiting the vulnerability) to steal user passwords.

    Ellie must decide: what is the likelihood that the threat will come to fruition and her scooter stolen? This can be understood in terms of risk. A risk is a situation that involves exposure to some type of danger. There are different options available when dealing with risks, called risk response techniques:

    • Accept. To accept risk simply means that the risk is acknowledged but no steps are taken to address it. In Ellie’s case, she could accept the risk and buy the new scooter, knowing there is the chance of it being stolen by a thief entering through a hole in the fence.

    • Transfer. Ellie could transfer the risk to a third party. She can do this by purchasing insurance so that the insurance company absorbs the loss and pays if the scooter is stolen. This is known as risk transfer.

    • Avoid. To avoid risk involves identifying the risk but making the decision to not engage in the activity. Ellie could decide based on the risk of the scooter being stolen that she will not purchase the new scooter.

    • Mitigate. To mitigate risk is the attempt to address risk by making the risk less serious. Ellie could complain to the apartment manager about the hole in the fence to have it repaired.

    Note

    If the apartment manager posted signs in the area that said “Trespassers will be punished to the full extent of the law” this would be called risk deterrence. Risk deterrence involves understanding something about attackers and then informing them of the harm that could come their way if they attack an asset.

    Table 1-5 summarizes these information security terms.

    Term Example in Ellie’s scenario Example in information security

    Asset Scooter Employee database

    Threat Steal scooter Steal data

    Threat actor Thief Attacker, hurricane

    Vulnerability Hole in fence Software defect

    Attack vector Climb through hole in fence Access web server passwords through flaw in operating system

    Likelihood Probability of scooter stolen Likelihood of virus infection

    Risk Stolen scooter Virus infection or stolen data

    Information security terminology Table 1-5

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    Understanding the Importance of Information Security Information security is important to enterprises as well as to individuals. That is because information security can be helpful in preventing data theft, thwarting identity theft, avoiding the legal consequences of not securing information, maintaining productivity, and foiling cyberterrorism.

    Preventing Data Theft Security is often associated with theft prevention: Ellie could park her scooter in a locked garage to prevent it from being stolen. The same is true with information security: preventing data from being stolen is often cited by enterprises as a primary objective of their information security. Enterprise data theft involves stealing proprietary business information, such as research for a new drug or a list of customers that competitors would be eager to acquire. Stealing user personal data such as credit card numbers is also a prime action of attackers. This data can then be used to purchase thousands of dollars of merchandise online before the victim is even aware the number has been stolen.

    Note

    There are different types of fraud associated with credit card theft. Creating counterfeit debit and credit cards is called existing-card fraud, while new-account fraud occurs when new card accounts are opened in the name of the victim without their knowledge. Card-not-present fraud occurs when a thief uses stolen card information in an online purchase and does not actually have the card in hand.

    Note

    In some instances, thieves have bought cars and even houses by taking out loans in someone else’s name.

    Thwarting Identity Theft Identity theft involves stealing another person’s personal information, such as a Social Security number, and then using the information to impersonate the victim, generally for financial gain. The thieves often create new bank or credit card accounts under the victim’s name and then large purchases are charged to these accounts, leaving the victim responsible for the debts and ruining his credit rating.

    One of the areas of identity theft that is growing most rapidly involves identity thieves filing fictitious income tax returns with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Identity thieves who steal a filer’s Social Security number will then file a fake income

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 25

    tax return claiming a large refund—often larger than the victim is entitled to—that is sent to the attacker. Because the IRS has been sending refunds more quickly than in the past, thieves can receive the refund and then disappear before the victim files a legitimate return and the fraud is detected. The IRS delivered over $5.8 billion in refund checks to identity thieves who filed fraudulent tax returns in one year, even though it stopped about 3 million fraudulent returns for that year.17 Tax identity thieves are also known to set up fake tax preparation service centers to steal tax information from victims. One group filed $3.4 million worth of fraudulent returns through a sham tax preparation business.18

    Note

    There have also been instances of identity thieves filing fake tax returns while using the victims’ actual mailing addresses, then bribing postal workers to intercept the refund checks before they are delivered. One postal employee was convicted of stealing over 100 refund envelopes sent to addresses along his route.19

    Avoiding Legal Consequences Several federal and state laws have been enacted to protect the privacy of electronic data. Businesses that fail to protect data they possess may face serious financial penalties. Some of these laws include the following:

    • The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), healthcare enterprises must guard protected healthcare information and implement policies and procedures to safeguard it, whether it be in paper or electronic format. Those who wrongfully disclose individually identifiable health information can be fined up to $50,000 for each violation up to a maximum of $1.5 million per calendar year and sentenced up to 10 years in prison.

    Note

    HIPAA regulations have been expanded to include all third-party business associate organizations that handle protected healthcare information. Business associates are defined as any subcontractor that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits protected health information on behalf of a covered HIPAA entity. These associates must now comply with the same HIPAA security and privacy procedures.

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security26

    • The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbox). As a reaction to a rash of corporate fraud, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Sarbox) is an attempt to fight corporate corruption. Sarbox covers the corporate officers, auditors, and attorneys of publicly traded companies. Stringent reporting requirements and internal controls on electronic financial reporting systems are required. Corporate officers who willfully and knowingly certify a false financial report can be fined up to $5 million and serve 20 years in prison.

    • The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). Like HIPAA, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) passed in 1999 protects private data. GLBA requires banks and financial institutions to alert customers of their policies and practices in disclosing customer information. All electronic and paper data containing personally identifiable financial information must be protected. The penalty for noncompliance for a class of individuals is up to $500,000.

    • Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security standards that all companies that process, store, or transmit credit or debit card information must follow. PCI applies to any enterprise or merchant, regardless of its size or number of card transactions, that processes transactions either online or in person. The maximum penalty for not complying is $100,000 per month.

    • State notification and security laws. Since the passage of California’s Database Security Breach Notification Act in 2003, all other states (except for Alabama, New Mexico, and South Dakota) have passed similar notification laws. These laws typically require businesses to inform residents within a specific period (typically 48 hours) if a breach of personal information has or is believed to have occurred. In addition, several states are strengthening their information security laws. For example, Connecticut requires any enterprise doing business in the state to scramble (encrypt) all sensitive personal data that is being transmitted over a public Internet connection or stored on portable devices like a USB flash drive, and companies must notify any potential victims of a data breach within 90 days of the attack and offer at least one year of identity theft prevention services. Oregon’s law includes protection of an individual’s healthcare information while New Hampshire requires the state’s education department to notify students and teachers if their personal data was possibly stolen.

    The penalties for violating these laws can be sizeable. Enterprises must make every effort to keep electronic data secure from hostile outside forces to ensure compliance with these laws and avoid serious legal consequences.

    Maintaining Productivity Cleaning up after an attack diverts time, money, and other resources away from normal activities. Employees cannot be productive and complete important tasks during or after an attack because computers and networks cannot function properly. Table 1-6

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    provides a sample estimate of the lost wages and productivity during an attack and the subsequent cleanup.

    Number of total employees

    Average hourly salary

    Number of employees to combat attack

    Hours required to stop attack and clean up

    Total lost salaries

    Total lost hours of productivity

    100 $25 1 48 $4066 81

    250 $25 3 72 $17,050 300

    500 $30 5 80 $28,333 483

    1000 $30 10 96 $220,000 1293

    Cost of attacks Table 1-6

    Note

    One of the challenges in combatting cyberterrorism is that many of the prime targets are not owned and managed by the federal government. Because these are not centrally controlled, it is difficult to coordinate and maintain security.

    Note

    The single most expensive malicious attack was the Love Bug in 2000, which cost an estimated $8.7 billion.20

    Foiling Cyberterrorism The FBI defines cyberterrorism as any “premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which results in violence against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.”21 Unlike an attack that is designed to steal information or erase a user’s hard disk drive, cyberterrorism attacks are intended to cause panic or provoke violence among citizens. Attacks are directed at targets such as the banking industry, military installations, power plants, air traffic control centers, and water systems. These are desirable targets because they can significantly disrupt the normal activities of a large population. For example, disabling an electrical power plant could cripple businesses, homes, transportation services, and communications over a wide area.

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security28

    Note

    Some security experts maintain that East European threat actors are mostly focused on activities to steal money from individuals, whereas cybercriminals from East Asia are more interested in stealing data from governments or enterprises. This results in different approaches to their attacks. East European cybercriminals tend to use custom-built, highly complex malware while East Asian attackers use off-the-shelf malware and simpler techniques. Also, East European attackers work in small, tightly knit teams that directly profit from their attacks. East Asian threat actors usually are part of a larger group of attackers who work at the direction of large institutions from which they receive instructions and financial backing.

    Who Are the Threat Actors? Certification

    1.3 Explain threat actor types and attributes.

    Threat actor is a generic term used to describe individuals who launch attacks against other users and their computers (another generic word is simply attackers). Many threat actors belong to organized gangs of young attackers, often clustered in Eastern European, Asian, and Third World regions, who meet in hidden online dark web forums to trade information, buy and sell stolen data and attacker tools, and even coordinate attacks.

    Whereas at one time the reason for attacking a computer was to show off their technology skills (fame), today threat actors have a more focused goal of financial gain: to exploit vulnerabilities that can generate income (fortune). This financial cybercrime is often divided into two categories. The first category focuses on individuals as the victims. The threat actors steal and use stolen data, credit card numbers, online financial account information, or Social Security numbers to profit from its victims or send millions of spam emails to peddle counterfeit drugs, pirated software, fake watches, and pornography. The second category focuses on enterprises and governments. Threat actors attempt to steal research on a new product from an enterprise so that they can sell it to an unscrupulous foreign supplier who will then build an imitation model of the product to sell worldwide. This deprives the legitimate business of profits after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in product development, and because these foreign suppliers are in a different country they are beyond the reach of domestic enforcement agencies and courts. Governments are also the targets of threat actors: if the latest information on a new missile defense system can be stolen it can be sold—at a high price—to that government’s enemies.

    The attributes, or characteristic features, of the different groups of threat actors can vary widely. Some groups are very sophisticated (have developed a high degree of

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 29

    complexity) and have created a massive network of resources, while others are simply individuals just seeing what they can do. In addition, some groups have deep funding and resources while others have none. And whereas some groups of threat actors may work within the enterprise (internal) others are strictly external. Finally, the intent and motivation—the reason “why” behind the attacks—of the threat actors vary widely.

    In the past, the term hacker referred to a person who used advanced computer skills to attack computers, and variations of that term were also introduced (black hat hackers, white hat hackers, gray hat hackers). However, that term did not accurately reflect the different motives and goals of the attackers. Today threat actors are recognized in more distinct categories, such as script kiddies, hactivists, nation state actors, insiders, and others.

    Script Kiddies Script kiddies are individuals who want to attack computers yet they lack the knowledge of computers and networks needed to do so. Script kiddies instead do their work by downloading freely available automated attack software (called open-source intelligence or scripts) from websites and using it to perform malicious acts. Figure 1-5 illustrates the skills needed for creating attacks. Over 40 percent of attacks require low or no skills and are frequently conducted by script kiddies.

    Figure 1-5 Skills needed for creating attacks

    Low skills (28%)

    High skills (15%)

    No skills (13%)

    Moderate skills (44%)

    Hactivists A group that is strongly motivated by ideology (for the sake of their principles or beliefs) is hactivists. Hactivists (a combination of the words hack and activism) are generally not considered to be a well-defined and well-organized group of threat agents. Attacks by hactivists can involve breaking into a website and changing the contents on the site as a means of making a political statement (one hactivist group changed the website of the U.S. Department of Justice to read Department of Injustice). In addition to attacks as a means of protest or to promote a political agenda, other attacks can be retaliatory. For example, hactivists may disable the website belonging to a bank because that bank stopped accepting online payments that were deposited into accounts belonging to the hactivists.

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    Note

    Most hactivists do not explicitly call themselves hacktivists. The term is more commonly used by security researchers and journalists to distinguish them from other types of threat actors.

    Note

    Many security researchers believe that nation state actors might be the deadliest of any threat actors. When fortune motivates a threat actor but the target’s defenses are too strong, the attacker simply moves on to another promising target with less-effective defenses. With nation state actors, however, the target is very specific and the attackers keep working until they are successful, showing both deep resources and tenacity. This is because state- sponsored attackers are highly skilled and have enough government resources to breach almost any security defense.

    It is estimated that there are thousands of hacktivist groups worldwide supporting a wide variety of causes. Some groups are opposing a specific government, country, or other entity, while others express no particular allegiances.

    Nation State Actors Instead of using an army to march across the battlefield to strike an adversary, governments are increasingly employing their own using state-sponsored attackers for launching computer attacks against their foes. These are known as nation state actors. Their foes may be foreign governments or even citizens of its own nation that the government considers hostile or threatening. A growing number of attacks from nation states actors are directed toward businesses in foreign countries with the goal of causing financial harm or damage to the enterprise’s reputation.

    Nation state actors are known for being well-resourced and highly trained attackers. They often are involved in multiyear intrusion campaigns targeting highly sensitive economic, proprietary, or national security information. This has created a new class of attacks called Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). These attacks use innovative attack tools (advanced) and once a system is infected it silently extracts data over an extended period (persistent). APTs are most commonly associated with nation state actors.

    Insiders Another serious threat to an enterprise comes from its own employees, contractors, and business partners, called insiders. For example, a healthcare worker disgruntled about being passed over for a promotion might illegally gather health records on

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    celebrities and sell them to the media, or a securities trader who loses billions of dollars on bad stock bets could use her knowledge of the bank’s computer security system to conceal the losses through fake transactions. In one study, it was determined that 58 percent of the breaches of an enterprise were attributed to insiders who abused their right to access corporate information.22 These attacks are harder to recognize because they come from within the enterprise yet may be costlier than attacks from the outside.

    Although some insider attacks consist of sabotage (from employees who have been formally reprimanded or demoted) or the result of bribery or blackmail, most insider attackers involve the theft of data. Because most of these thefts occur within 30 days of an employee resigning, the offenders may actually believe that the accumulated data is owned by them and not the enterprise.

    Note

    In recent years insiders have stolen large volumes of sensitive information and then published it. The purpose is to alert citizens about clandestine governmental actions and to pressure the government to change its policies.

    Other Threat Actors In addition, there are other categories of threat actors. These are summarized in Table 1-7.

    Threat Actor Description Explanation

    Competitors Launch attack against an opponents’ system to steal classified information.

    Competitors may steal new product research or a list of current customers to gain a competitive advantage.

    Organized crime

    Moving from traditional criminal activities to more rewarding and less risky online attacks.

    Criminal networks are usually run by a small number of experienced online criminal networks who do not commit crimes themselves but act as entrepreneurs.

    Brokers Sell their knowledge of a vulnerability to other attackers or governments.

    Individuals who uncover vulnerabilities do not report it to the software vendor but instead sell them to the highest bidder, who are willing to pay a high price for the unknown vulnerability.

    Cyberterrorists Attack a nation’s network and computer infrastructure to cause disruption and panic among citizens.

    Targets may include a small group of computers or networks that can affect the largest number of users, such as the computers that control the electrical power grid of a state or region.

    Descriptions of other attackers Table 1-7

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    Defending Against Attacks Certification

    3.1  Explain use cases and purpose for frameworks, best practices and secure configuration guides.

    How can a computer or network be defended against the many attacks from a variety of threat actors? Protection calls for following five fundamental security principles. In addition, following established frameworks and architectures is important.

    Fundamental Security Principles Although multiple defenses may be necessary to withstand an attack, these defenses should be based on five fundamental security principles: layering, limiting, diversity, obscurity, and simplicity. These principles provide a foundation for building a secure system.

    Layering The Crown Jewels of England, which are worn during coronations and important state functions, have a dollar value of over $32 million yet are virtually priceless as symbols of English culture. How are precious stones like the Crown Jewels protected from theft? They are not openly displayed on a table for anyone to pick up. Instead, they are enclosed in protective cases with 2-inch thick glass that is bullet-proof, smash-proof, and resistant to almost any outside force. The cases are in a special room with massive walls and sensors that can detect slight movements or vibrations. The doors to the room are monitored around the clock by remote security cameras, and the video images from each camera are recorded. The room itself is in the Tower of London, surrounded by roaming guards and fences. In short, these precious stones are protected by layers of security. If one layer is penetrated—such as the thief getting into the building—several more layers must still be breached, and each layer is often more difficult or complicated than the previous. A layered approach has the advantage of creating a barrier of multiple defenses that can be coordinated to thwart a variety of attacks.

    Note

    The Jewel House, which holds the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, is actually located inside an Army barracks that is staffed with soldiers.

    Likewise, information security must be created in layers. If only one defense mechanism is in place, an attacker only has to circumvent that single defense. Instead, a security system must have layers, making it unlikely that an attacker has the tools

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    and skills to break through all the layers of defenses. A layered security approach, also called defense-in-depth, can be useful in resisting a variety of attacks. Layered security provides the most comprehensive protection.

    Limiting Consider again protecting the Crown Jewels of England. Although the jewels may be on display for the general public to view, permitting anyone to touch them increases the chances that they will be stolen. Only approved personnel should be authorized to handle the jewels. Limiting who can access the jewels reduces the threat against them.

    The same is true with information security. Limiting access to information reduces the threat against it. This means that only those personnel who must use the data should have access to it. In addition, the type of access they have should be limited to what those people need to perform their jobs. For example, access to the human resource database for an enterprise should be limited to only employees who have a genuine need to access it, such as human resource personnel or vice presidents. And, the type of access also should be restricted: human resource employees may be able to view employee salaries but not change them.

    Note

    What level of access should users have? The correct answer is the least amount necessary to do their jobs, and no more.

    Some ways to limit access are technology-based, such as assigning file permissions so that a user can only read but not modify a file, while others are procedural, such as prohibiting an employee from removing a sensitive document from the premises. The key is that access must be restricted to the bare minimum. And although some personnel may balk at not being able to freely access any file or resource that they may choose, it is important that user training help instruct the employees as to the security reasons behind the restrictions.

    Diversity Diversity is closely related to layering. Just as it is important to protect data with layers of security, the layers also must be different (diverse). This means that if attackers penetrate one layer, they cannot use the same techniques to break through all other layers. A jewel thief, for instance, might be able to foil the security camera by dressing in black clothing but should not be able to use the same technique to trick the motion detection system. Using diverse layers of defense means that breaching one security layer does not compromise the whole system.

    Information security diversity may be achieved in several ways. For example, some enterprises use security products provided by different manufacturers (vendor diversity).

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security34

    An attacker who can circumvent a security device from Manufacturer A could then use those same skills and knowledge to defeat all of the same devices used by the enterprise. However, if devices from Manufacturer A and similar devices from Manufacturer B were both used by the same enterprise, the attacker would have more difficulty trying to break through both types of devices because they would be different. Or, the groups who are responsible for regulating access to a system (control diversity) are also different, so that those who perform technical controls (using technology as a basis for controlling the access and usage of sensitive data) are different from those personnel who administer the broad administrative controls (regulating the human factors of security).

    Obscurity Suppose a thief plans to steal the Crown Jewels during a shift change of the security guards. When the thief observes the guards, however, she finds that the guards do not change shifts at the same time each night. On a given Monday they rotate shifts at 2:13 AM, while on Tuesday they rotate at 1:51 AM, and the following Monday at 2:24 AM. Because the shift changes cannot be known for certain in advance, the planned attack cannot be carried out. This technique is sometimes called security by obscurity: obscuring to the outside world what is on the inside makes attacks that much more difficult.

    An example of obscurity in information security would be not revealing the type of computer, version of operating system, or brand of software that is used. An attacker who knows that information could use it to determine the vulnerabilities of the system to attack it. However, if this information is concealed it is more difficult to attack the system, since nothing is known about it and it is hidden from the outside. Obscuring information can be an important means of protection.

    Note

    Although obscurity is an important element of defense, it is not the only element. Sometimes the design or implementation of a device is kept secret with the thinking that if attackers do not know how it works, then it is secure. This attempt at security through obscurity is flawed because it depends solely on secrecy as a defense.

    Simplicity Because attacks can come from a variety of sources and in many ways, information security is by its very nature complex. Yet the more complex it becomes, the more difficult it is to understand. A security guard who does not understand how motion detectors interact with infrared trip lights may not know what to do when one system alarm shows an intruder but the other does not. In addition, complex systems allow many opportunities for something to go wrong. In short, complex systems can be a thief’s ally.

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 35

    The same is true with information security. Complex security systems can be hard to understand, troubleshoot, and even feel secure about. As much as possible, a secure system should be simple for those on the inside to understand and use. Complex security schemes are often compromised to make them easier for trusted users to work with, yet this can also make it easier for the attackers. In short, keeping a system simple from the inside, but complex on the outside, can sometimes be difficult but reaps a major benefit.

    Frameworks and Reference Architectures The field of information security contains various supporting structures for implementing security. Known as industry-standard frameworks and reference architectures, these provide a resource of how to create a secure IT environment. Some frameworks/architectures give an overall program structure and security management guidance to implement and maintain an effective security program, while others contain in-depth technical guidelines. Various frameworks/architectures are specific to a particular sector (industry-specific frameworks) such as the financial industry and may be required by external agencies that regulate the industry (regulatory), others are not required (non-regulatory). Finally, some of the framework/ architectures are domestic while others are world wide (national vs. international).

    Note

    Common security frameworks include ISO, NIST, COBIT, ETSI, RFC, and ISA/IEC.

    Chapter Summary • Attacks against information security

    have grown exponentially in recent years, even though billions of dollars are spent annually on security. No computer system is immune from attacks or can be considered completely secure.

    • There are many reasons for the high number of successful attacks. One reason is the number of widespread vulnerabilities that exist today. Because

    of the sheer number of vulnerabilities, it is difficult to identify and correct all of them. And not all hardware and software can even be corrected once a vulnerability is uncovered. Another reason is that hardware and software are not always properly configured, either because the default configurations are not strengthened or there is a misconfiguration, allowing the device to be compromised. Successful

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    attacks are often the result of software that is poorly designed and has architecture/ design weaknesses. These weaknesses include not properly handling input or handling errors. Hardware limitations can be exploited by attackers who consume more resources than intended, causing the system to become slow or even unable to respond to other users. There are also enterprise-based issues, such as vulnerable business processes that an attacker can exploit or the widespread “sprawl” of devices that have not been properly protected.

    • It is difficult to defend against today’s attacks for several reasons. These reasons include the fact that virtually all devices are connected to the Internet, the speed of the attacks, greater sophistication of attacks, the availability and simplicity of attack tools, faster detection of vulnerabilities by attackers, delays in security updating, weak security update distribution, distributed attacks coming from multiple sources, and user confusion.

    • Information security can be defined as that which protects the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information through products, people, and procedures on the devices that store, manipulate, and transmit the information. As with many advanced subjects, information security has its own set of terminology. A threat is an event or action that represents a danger to information assets, which is something that has value. A threat actor is a person or element that has the power to carry

    out a threat, usually by exploiting a vulnerability, which is a flaw or weakness, through a threat vector. A risk is the likelihood that a threat agent will exploit a vulnerability.

    • The main goals of information security are to prevent data theft, thwart identify theft, avoid the legal consequences of not securing information, maintain productivity, and foil cyberterrorism.

    • The threat actors, or individuals behind computer attacks, fall into several categories and exhibit different attributes. Script kiddies do their work by downloading automated attack software from websites and then using it to break into computers. Hactivists are strongly motivated by their ideology and often attack to make a political statement. Nation state actors are employed by governments as state-sponsored attackers for launching computer attacks against foes. One serious threat to an enterprise comes from its employees, contractors, and business partners, known as insiders. Other threat actors include competitors, organized crime, brokers, and cyberterrorists.

    • Although multiple defenses may be necessary to withstand the steps of an attack, these defenses should be based on five fundamental security principles: layering, limiting, diversity, obscurity, and simplicity. In addition, there are various industry-standard frameworks and reference architectures that provide resources for how to create a secure IT environment.

    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security36

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    Key Terms accept administrative controls Advanced Persistent

    Threat (APT) architecture/design

    weaknesses asset attributes availability avoid competitors confidentiality control diversity default configurations defense-in-depth end-of-life system external funding and resources hactivists improper error

    handling improper input handling

    improperly configured accounts

    industry-specific frameworks

    industry-standard frameworks

    insiders integrity intent and motivation internal international lack of vendor support layered security misconfiguration mitigate nation state actors national new threat non-regulatory open-source intelligence organized crime race condition

    reference architectures regulatory resource exhaustion risk risk response

    techniques script kiddies sophisticated system sprawl technical controls threat threat actor transfer undocumented assets untrained users user training vendor diversity vulnerability vulnerable business

    processes weak configuration zero day

    Review Questions 1. Ian recently earned his security

    certification and has been offered a promotion to a position that requires him to analyze and design security solutions as well as identifying users’ needs. Which of these generally recognized security positions has Ian been offered? a. Security administrator b. Security technician c. Security officer d. Security manager

    2. Alyona has been asked by her supervisor to give a presentation regarding reasons why security attacks continue to be successful. She has decided to focus on the issue of widespread vulnerabilities. Which of the following would Alyona NOT include in her presentation? a. Large number of vulnerabilities b. End-of-life systems c. Lack of vendor support d. Misconfigurations

    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 37

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    3. Tatyana is discussing with her supervisor potential reasons why a recent attack was successful against one of their systems. Which of the following configuration issues would NOT covered? a. Default configurations b. Weak configurations c. Vulnerable business

    processes d. Misconfigurations

    4. What is a race condition? a. When a vulnerability is discovered

    and there is a race to see if it can be patched before it is exploited by attackers.

    b. When two concurrent threads of execution access a shared resource simultaneously, resulting in unintended consequences.

    c. When an attack finishes its operation before antivirus can complete its work.

    d. When a software update is distributed prior to a vulnerability being discovered.

    5. Which the following is NOT a reason why it is difficult to defend against today’s attackers? a. Delays in security updating b. Greater sophistication of defense

    tools c. Increased speed of attacks d. Simplicity of attack tools

    6. Which of the following is NOT true regarding security? a. Security is a goal. b. Security includes the necessary steps

    to protect from harm. c. Security is a process. d. Security is a war that must be won at

    all costs.

    7. Adone is attempting to explain to his friend the relationship between security and convenience. Which of the following statements would he use? a. “Security and convenience are not

    related.” b. “Convenience always outweighs

    security.” c. “Security and convenience are

    inversely proportional.” d. “Whenever security and convenience

    intersect, security always wins.” 8. Which of the following ensures that only

    authorized parties can view protected information? a. Authorization b. Confidentiality c. Availability d. Integrity

    9. Which of the following is NOT a successive layer in which information security is achieved? a. Products b. People c. Procedures d. Purposes

    10. Complete this definition of information security: That which protects the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information . a. on electronic digital devices and limited

    analog devices that can connect via the Internet or through a local area network

    b. through a long-term process that results in ultimate security

    c. using both open-sourced as well as supplier-sourced hardware and software that interacts appropriately with limited resources

    d. through products, people, and procedures on the devices that store, manipulate, and transmit the information

    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security38

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    11. Which of the following is an enterprise critical asset? a. System software b. Information c. Outsourced computing services d. Servers, routers, and power supplies

    12. Gunnar is creating a document that explains risk response techniques. Which of the following would he NOT list and explain in his document? a. Extinguish risk b. Transfer risk c. Mitigate risk d. Avoid risk

    13. Which act requires banks and financial institutions to alert their customers of their policies in disclosing customer information? a. Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Sarbox) b. Financial and Personal Services

    Disclosure Act c. Health Insurance Portability and

    Accountability Act (HIPAA) d. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

    14. Why do cyberterrorists target power plants, air traffic control centers, and water systems? a. These targets are government-

    regulated and any successful attack would be considered a major victory.

    b. These targets have notoriously weak security and are easy to penetrate.

    c. They can cause significant disruption by destroying only a few targets.

    d. The targets are privately owned and cannot afford high levels of security.

    15. Which tool is most commonly associated with nation state threat actors? a. Closed-Source Resistant and

    Recurrent Malware (CSRRM) b. Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) c. Unlimited Harvest and Secure Attack

    (UHSA) d. Network Spider and Worm Threat

    (NSAWT)

    16. An organization that practices purchasing products from different vendors is demonstrating which security principle? a. Obscurity b. Diversity c. Limiting d. Layering

    17. What is an objective of state-sponsored attackers? a. To right a perceived wrong b. To amass fortune over of fame c. To spy on citizens d. To sell vulnerabilities to the highest

    bidder 18. Signe wants to improve the security of

    the small business where she serves as a security manager. She determines that the business needs to do a better job of not revealing the type of computer, operating system, software, and network connections they use. What security principle does Signe want to use? a. Obscurity b. Layering c. Diversity d. Limiting

    19. What are industry-standard frameworks and reference architectures that are required by external agencies known as? a. Compulsory b. Mandatory c. Required d. Regulatory

    20. What is the category of threat actors that sell their knowledge of vulnerabilities to other attackers or governments? a. Cyberterrorists b. Competitors c. Brokers d. Resource managers

    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 39

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    40 CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security

    Hands-On Projects

    Project 1-1: Examining Data Breaches—Textual

    The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit organization whose goals are to raise consumers’ awareness of how technology affects personal privacy and empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information. The PRC maintains a searchable database of security breaches that impact consumer’s privacy. In this project, you gather information from the PRC website.

    1. Open a web browser and enter the URL www.privacyrights.org (if you are no longer able to access the site through the web address, use a search engine to search for “Privacy Rights Clearinghouse data breach.”

    2. First spend time reading about the PRC by clicking LEARN MORE. 3. Click Data Breaches at the top of the page. 4. In the search bar enter a school, organization, or business with which you are familiar

    to determine if it has been the victim of an attack in which your data has been compromised.

    5. Click Data Breaches to return to the main Data Breaches page. 6. Now create a customized list of the data that will only list data breaches of educational

    institutions. Under Select organization type(s), check only EDU- Educational Institutions.

    7. Click Search Data Breaches. 8. Read the Breach Subtotal information. How many breaches that were made public

    pertain to educational institutions? How many total records were stolen? 9. Scroll down and observe the breaches for educational institutions.

    10. Scroll back to the top of the page. Click New Data Breach Search. 11. Now search for breaches that were a result of lost, discarded, or stolen equipment

    that belonged to the government and military. Under Choose the type of breaches to display, check Portable device (PORT) – Lost, discarded or stolen laptop, PDA, smartphone, portable memory device, CD, hard drive, data tape, etc.

    12. Under Select organization type(s), check GOV – Government & Military. 13. Click Search Data Breaches. 14. Read the Breach Subtotal by clicking the Download Results (CSV) file. 15. Open the file and then scroll down the different breaches. What should the government

    be doing to limit these breaches? 16. Scroll back to the top of the page. Click New Data Breach Search. 17. Now create a search based on criteria that you are interested in, such as the Payment

    Card Fraud against Retail/Merchants during the current year. 18. When finished, close all windows.

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    CHAPTER 1  Introduction to Security 41

    Project 1-2: Examining Data Breaches—Visual

    In this project, you view the biggest data breaches resulting in stolen information through a visual format.

    1. Open your web browser and enter the URL http://www.informationisbeautiful.net /visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/ (if you are no longer able to access the site through this web address, use a search engine to search for “Information Is Beautiful World’s Biggest Data Breaches.”

    2. Click Hide Filter to display a visual graphic of the data breaches, as shown in Figure 1-6.

    3. Scroll down the page to view the data breaches. Note that the size of the breach is indicated by the size of the bubble.

    4. Scroll back up to the top and note the color of the bubbles that have an “Interesting Story.” Click one of the bubbles and read the story.

    5. Click Read a bit more. 6. Click Click to see the original report. 7. Read about the data breach. When finished, close only this tab in your browser. 8. Click Show Filter to display the filter menu. 9. Under Organisation, click Government.

    Figure 1-6 World’s biggest data breaches Source: Information is Beautiful

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Lab Worksheet_4

27

 

Introduction

Risk management begins with first identifying risks, threats, and vulnerabilities to then assess

them. Assessing risks means to evaluate risk in terms of two factors. First, evaluate each risk’s

likelihood of occurring. Second, evaluate the impact or consequences should the risk occur. Both

likelihood and impact are important for understanding how each risk measures up to other risks.

How the risks compare with one other is important when deciding which risk or risks take

priority. In short, assessing is a critical step toward the goal of mitigation.

Assessing risks can be done in one of two ways: quantitatively or qualitatively. Quantitatively

means to assign numerical values or some objective, empirical value. For example, “Less than

$1,000 to repair” or “Biweekly.” Qualitatively means to assign wording or some quasi-subjective

value. For example, a risk could be labeled critical, major, or minor.

In this lab, you will define the purpose of an IT risk assessment, you will align identified risks,

threats, and vulnerabilities to an IT risk assessment that encompasses the seven domains of a

typical IT infrastructure, you will classify the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities, and you will

prioritize them. Finally, you will write an executive summary that addresses the risk assessment

findings, risk assessment impact, and recommendations to remediate areas of noncompliance.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this lab, you will be able to:

Define the purpose and objectives of an IT risk assessment.

Align identified risks, threats, and vulnerabilities to an IT risk assessment that encompasses

the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure.

Classify identified risks, threats, and vulnerabilities according to a qualitative risk assessment

template.

Prioritize classified risks, threats, and vulnerabilities according to the defined qualitative risk

assessment scale.

Craft an executive summary that addresses the risk assessment findings, risk assessment

impact, and recommendations to remediate areas of noncompliance.

Lab #4 Performing a Qualitative Risk Assessment for an IT Infrastructure

 

 

28 | LAB #4 Performing a Qualitative Risk Assessment for an IT Infrastructure

 

 

Deliverables

Upon completion of this lab, you are required to provide the following deliverables to your

instructor:

1. Lab Report file;

2. Lab Assessments file.

 

 

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Hands-On Steps

Note: This is a paper-based lab. To successfully complete the deliverables for this lab, you will need access to Microsoft® Word or another compatible word processor. For some labs, you may also need access to a graphics line drawing application, such as Visio or PowerPoint. Refer to the Preface of this manual for information on creating the lab deliverable files.

 

1. On your local computer, create the lab deliverable files.

2. Review the Lab Assessment Worksheet. You will find answers to these questions as you

proceed through the lab steps.

3. On your local computer, open a new Internet browser window.

4. Using your favorite search engine, search for information on the purpose of IT risk assessment.

5. In your Lab Report file, describe the purpose of IT risk assessment.

6. Review the following table for the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities found in a health care

IT infrastructure servicing patients with life-threatening conditions:

Risks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities Primary Domain Impacted

Risk Impact/ Factor

Unauthorized access from public Internet

User destroys data in application and deletes all files

 

Hacker penetrates your IT infrastructure and gains access to your internal network

 

Intraoffice employee romance gone bad

Fire destroys primary data center

Service provider service level agreement (SLA) is not achieved

 

Workstation operating system (OS) has a known software vulnerability

 

Unauthorized access to organization- owned workstations

 

Loss of production data

Denial of service attack on organization Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and e-mail server

 

Remote communications from home office

Local Area Network (LAN) server OS has a

 

 

30 | LAB #4 Performing a Qualitative Risk Assessment for an IT Infrastructure

 

known software vulnerability

User downloads and clicks on an unknown e-mail attachment

 

Workstation browser has a software vulnerability

 

Mobile employee needs secure browser access to sales-order entry system

 

Service provider has a major network outage

 

Weak ingress/egress traffic-filtering degrades performance

 

User inserts CDs and USB hard drives with personal photos, music, and videos on organization-owned computers

 

Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunneling between remote computer and ingress/egress router is needed

 

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access points are needed for LAN connectivity within a warehouse

 

Need to prevent eavesdropping on WLAN due to customer privacy data access

 

Denial of service (DoS)/distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack from the Wide Area Network (WAN)/Internet

 

 

7. Review the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure (see Figure 1).

 

Figure 1 Seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure

8. In your Lab Report file, using the table from step 6, identify in the table’s Primary

Domain Impacted column which of the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure will

be most impacted by each risk, threat, or vulnerability listed.

 

 

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Qualitative Versus Quantitative The next step requests that you assign a score to each of the risks in the table from step 6. The scoring is done qualitatively, by assigning one of several labels on a scale. In this case, the scale is provided for you, ranging from Critical to Minor.

Using qualitative scores to assess risks is comparatively easy and quick. The alternative is to assess quantitatively, using actual, numerical scores. Using qualitative words such as “critical” or “major” introduces subjective opinion, while citing numbers such as “Damage to be more than $3 million” or “Will cause an outage of under four hours” introduces quantitative objectivity.

Quantitative scoring is more objective, but calculating risk assessment this way can take much more time. This is because it requires you to dig up hard facts. For instance, you can conduct quantitative scoring by referring to your organization’s history or claims records by answering such questions as “How often has this happened to us, or others?” You can also assess risks numerically by researching the costs to recover from losses.

It is possible to assess risks both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, you could quantitatively score the likelihood and consequences of each risk, for example, “under 10% chance” and “ ‘X’ number of staff lives harmed or lost.” But you could present the final score qualitatively, for example, “critical” or “needs to be addressed immediately.”

 

9. In your Lab Report file, using the table from step 6, perform a qualitative risk assessment

by assigning a risk impact/risk factor to each of the identified risks, threats, and

vulnerabilities throughout the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure where the risk,

threat, or vulnerability resides. Assign each risk, threat, and vulnerability a priority

number in the table’s Risk Impact/Factor column, where:

 “1” is Critical: A risk, threat, or vulnerability that impacts compliance (that is, privacy

law requirement for securing privacy data and implementing proper security controls,

and so on) and places the organization in a position of increased liability

 “2” is Major: A risk, threat, or vulnerability that impacts the confidentiality, integrity,

and availability (C-I-A) of an organization’s intellectual property assets and IT

infrastructure

“3” is Minor: A risk, threat, or vulnerability that can impact user or employee

productivity or availability of the IT infrastructure

Note: Keep the following in mind when working on the next step: When suggesting next steps to executive management, consider your recommendations from their point of view. Be prepared to explain costs, both in implementing the controls and then in maintaining the controls.

Remember that costs come in many forms, not least of which is labor. Be sure accountability is thought out in terms of roles and responsibilities. Other potential costs outside the data center include goodwill or reputation, market share, and lost opportunity. Executive management might have these costs topmost in mind.

 

 

 

32 | LAB #4 Performing a Qualitative Risk Assessment for an IT Infrastructure

 

10. In your Lab Report file, write a four-paragraph executive summary according to the

following outline:

 Paragraph #1: Summary of findings (risks, threats, and vulnerabilities found

throughout the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure)

 Paragraph #2: Approach and prioritization of critical, major, and minor risk

assessment elements

 Paragraph #3: Risk assessment and risk impact summary of the seven domains of a

typical IT infrastructure

 Paragraph #4: Recommendations and next steps for executive management

Note: This completes the lab. Close the Web browser, if you have not already done so.

 

 

 

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Evaluation Criteria and Rubrics

The following are the evaluation criteria for this lab that students must perform:

1. Define the purpose and objectives of an IT risk assessment. – [20%]

2. Align identified risks, threats, and vulnerabilities to an IT risk assessment that

encompasses the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure. – [20%]

3. Classify identified risks, threats, and vulnerabilities according to a qualitative risk

assessment template. – [20%]

4. Prioritize classified risks, threats, and vulnerabilities according to the defined qualitative

risk assessment scale. – [20%]

5. Craft an executive summary that addresses the risk assessment findings, risk assessment

impact, and recommendations to remediate areas of noncompliance. – [20%]

3-2 Stepping Stone Lab Two: Data Types

As you are learning, data types can move from the simple to complex as we construct programs designed to solve problems. The second stepping stone lab presents an opportunity for you to create primitive data types then use them to construct the more complex forms of strings and arrays as you begin to develop code for a recipe manager program.

Starting with Stepping Stone Lab Two and continuing to the last stepping stone lab in Module Six, you will develop code for the program described in the Stepping Stone Overview document. You will start with a simple structure and gradually build in additional complexity and functionality. The overview also illustrates steps for completing and submitting these labs.

The stepping stone labs constitute a foundation upon which you will build the program you will submit for your final project. Most of the stepping stone labs outline the additional requirements for revising and expanding the concepts in the stepping stone labs as you work on the final project.

Go to the Start Here page and download the Stepping Stone code .zip for the starter code for this assignment.

To complete this assignment, review the following documents:

IT 511 Stepping Stone Lab Two Guidelines

Recipe Manager Data Types

 

Overview: For this stepping stone lab and others to come, you will create coding for a program designed to manage recipes. In Stepping Stone Lab Two, you will begin working with a recipe manager program by focusing on a single ingredient. You will be introduced to basic data types to store numeric values and string values.

You will build this ingredient in code that reflects variables such as its name, the number of cups of that ingredient needed in the recipe, and how many calories

it has per cup. You will also write an expression to calculate the total number of calories this ingredient would contribute to a recipe.

 

To keep track of this information, you need to store it in a program. You will need to utilize variables of various data types to store the information and prompt

the user for the various values. Once you get that information from the user, you can calculate the total number of calories per serving in your recipe.

Prompt: Use SteppingStone2_IngredientCalculator.java as your base code. Areas that require changes to the base code and/or additional code to be written are found in the commented areas that look like this: /** * This is a commented area that describes the task to be completed in this stepping stone * */ Specifically, you will complete the following:

A. Assign the variables with the appropriate data type and value as shown in the table below:

Variable Name Type of Value Stored

nameOfIngredient Text

numberOfCups Decimal numbers (e.g., ½ a cup)

numberOfCaloriesPerCup Whole numbers

totalCalories Decimal numbers

 

 

 

B. Write an expression that multiplies the numberOfCups by the numberOfCalories per cup and assign this value to totalCalories. Guidelines for Submission: This assignment should be submitted as a Java file.

Extending This Lab for Your Final Project For your final project, do the following:

1. Create a new java class named Ingredient.

2. Adapt the code from this stepping stone to include the following changes: A. Rename the variable numberCups to represent the more general ingredientAmount. B. Add a new text variable, unitMeasurement, to store unit of measurement for the ingredient amount (cups, ounces, etc.). C. Prompt the user to input the measurement unit.

 

 

 

 

SteppingStone2_IngredientCalculator.java

 

package SteppingStones;

 

import java.util.Scanner;

/**

*

* @author j.leone1

*/

public class SteppingStone2_IngredientCalculator {

 

/**

* @param args the command line arguments

*/

public static void main(String[] args) {

 

/**

*Assign the following variables with the appropriate data type and value:

 

*VARIABLE NAME VALUE

 

*nameOfIngredient “”

*numberCups 0

*numberCaloriesPerCup 0

*totalCalories 0.0

 

*/

 

Scanner scnr = new Scanner(System.in);

 

System.out.println(“Please enter the name of the ingredient: “);

nameOfIngredient = scnr.next();

 

 

 

System.out.println(“Please enter the number of cups of ”

+ nameOfIngredient + ” we’ll need: “);

numberCups = scnr.nextFloat();

 

System.out.println(“Please enter the name of calories per cup: “);

numberCaloriesPerCup = scnr.nextInt();

 

/**

* Write an expression that multiplies the number of cups

* by the Calories per cup.

* Assign this value to totalCalories

*/

 

System.out.println(nameOfIngredient + ” uses ” + numberCups

+ ” cups and has ” + totalCalories + ” calories.”);

 

}

Principles of Incident Response and Disaster Recovery Second Edition

Michael E. Whitman Ph.D., CISM, CISSP

Herbert J. Mattord Ph.D., CISM, CISSP

Andrew Green MSIS Kennesaw State University

Principles of Incident Response and Disaster Recovery Second Edition

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

 

 

This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions, some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. The publisher reserves the right to

remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by

ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest.

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

 

 

Principles of Incident Response & Disaster Recovery, Second Edition

Michael E. Whitman, Herbert J. Mattord, Andrew Green

Vice President, Careers & Computing:

Dave Garza

Acquisitions Editor: Nick Lombardi

Product Development Manager:

Leigh Hefferon

Senior Product Manager:

Michelle Ruelos Cannistraci

Brand Manager: Kristin McNary

Marketing Development Manager:

Mark Linton

Marketing Coordinator:

Elizabeth Murphy

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Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

 

 

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

 

 

Brief Contents

PREFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Information Security and Risk Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

CHAPTER 2 Planning for Organizational Readiness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

CHAPTER 3 Contingency Strategies for IR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

CHAPTER 4 Incident Response: Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

CHAPTER 5 Incident Response: Detection and Decision Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

CHAPTER 6 Incident Response: Organizing and Preparing the CSIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

CHAPTER 7 Incident Response: Response Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

CHAPTER 8 Incident Response: Recovery and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

CHAPTER 9 Disaster Recovery: Preparation and Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

CHAPTER 10 Disaster Recovery: Operation and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

CHAPTER 11 Business Continuity Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

CHAPTER 12 Crisis Management and International Standards inIR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

APPENDIX A Sample Business Continuity Plan for ABC Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

APPENDIX B Contingency Plan Template from the Computer Security Resource Center at the National Institute of Standards and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

APPENDIX C Sample Crisis Management Plan for Hierarchical Access, Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

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Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

 

 

Table of Contents

PREFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Information Security and Risk Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Opening Case Scenario: Pernicious Proxy Probing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Information Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Key Information Security Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Overview of Risk Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Know Yourself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Know the Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Risk Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Risk Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Risk Control Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Contingency Planning and Its Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Business Impact Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Incident Response Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Disaster Recovery Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Business Continuity Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Contingency Planning Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Role of Information Security Policy in Developing Contingency Plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Key Policy Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Enterprise Information Security Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Issue-Specific Security Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Systems-Specific Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Policy Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Virtualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Ethical Considerations in the Use of Information Security Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Closing Case Scenario: Pondering People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CHAPTER 2 Planning for Organizational Readiness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Opening Case Scenario: Proper Planning Prevents Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Beginning the Contingency Planning Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Commitment and Support of Senior Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Elements Required to Begin Contingency Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Contingency Planning Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

A Sample Generic Policy and High-Level Procedures for Contingency Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

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Business Impact Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Determine Mission/Business Processes and Recovery Criticality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Identify Resource Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Identify System Resource Recovery Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

BIA Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Online Questionnaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Facilitated Data-Gathering Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Process Flows and Interdependency Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Risk Assessment Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 IT Application or System Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Financial Reports and Departmental Budgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Audit Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Production Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Budgeting for Contingency Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Incident Response Budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Disaster Recovery Budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Business Continuity Budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Crisis Management Budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Closing Case Scenario: Outrageously Odd Outages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

CHAPTER 3 Contingency Strategies for IR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Opening Scenario: Panicking over Powder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Data and Application Resumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Online Backups and the Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Disk to Disk to Other: Delayed Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Redundancy-Based Backup and Recovery Using RAID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Database Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Application Backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Backup and Recovery Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Real-Time Protection, Server Recovery, and Application Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Site Resumption Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Exclusive Site Resumption Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Shared-Site Resumption Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Service Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Hands-On Project 3-1: Command-line Backup Using rdiff-backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Hands-On Project 3-2: Copying Virtual Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Closing Case Scenario: Disaster Denied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

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CHAPTER 4 Incident Response: Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Opening Case Scenario: DDoS Dilemma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

The IR Planning Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Forming the IR Planning Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Developing the Incident Response Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Building the Computer Security Incident Response Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Incident Response Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Information for attack success end case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Planning for the Response During the Incident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Planning for “After the Incident”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Reaction!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Planning for “Before the Incident” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

The CCDC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Assembling and Maintaining the Final IR Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Closing Case Scenario: The Never-Ending Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

CHAPTER 5 Incident Response: Detection and Decision Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Opening Case Scenario: Oodles of Open Source Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Detecting Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Possible Indicators of an Incident. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Probable Indicators of an Incident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Technical Details: Rootkits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Definite Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Identifying Real Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Technical Details: Processes and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 IDPS Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Why Use an IDPS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 IDPS Network Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Technical Details: Ports and Port Scanning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 IDPS Detection Approaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Automated Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Incident Decision Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Collection of Data to Aid in Detecting Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Challenges in Intrusion Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

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Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Closing Case Scenario: Jokes with JJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

CHAPTER 6 Incident Response: Organizing and Preparing the CSIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Opening Case Scenario: Trouble in Tuscaloosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Building the CSIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Step 1: Obtaining Management Support and Buy-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Step 2: Determining the CSIRT Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Step 3: Gathering Relevant Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Step 4: Designing the CSIRT Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

A Sample Generic Policy and High-Level Procedures for Contingency Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Step 5: Communicating the CSIRT’s Vision and Operational Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Step 6: Beginning CSIRT Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Step 7: Announce the operational CSIRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Step 8: Evaluating CSIRT Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Final Thoughts on CSIRT Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Outsourcing Incident Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Current and Future Quality of Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Division of Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Sensitive Information Revealed to the Contractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Lack of Organization-Specific Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Lack of Correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Handling Incidents at Multiple Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Maintaining IR Skills In-House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Closing Case Scenario: Proud to Participate in Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

CHAPTER 7 Incident Response: Response Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Opening Case Scenario: Viral Vandal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

IR Response Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Response Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Incident Containment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

The Cuckoo’s Egg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Incident Eradication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 Incident Recovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Incident Containment and Eradication Strategies for Specific Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Egghead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Handling Denial of Service (DoS) Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

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Malware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Unauthorized Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Inappropriate Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Hybrid or Multicomponent Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Automated IR Response Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Closing Case Scenario: Worrisome Worms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

CHAPTER 8 Incident Response: Recovery and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Opening Case Scenario: Wily Worms Wake Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Identify and Resolve Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Restore Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Restore Services and Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Restore Confidence across the Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 After-Action Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Plan Review and Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Rehearsal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Law Enforcement Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Reporting to Upper Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 Loss Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Sample Impact Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Incident Forensics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Legal Issues in Digital Forensics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Digital Forensics Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Technical Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Digital Forensics Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

eDiscovery and Anti-Forensics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Closing Case Scenario: Bureaucratic Blamestorms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

CHAPTER 9 Disaster Recovery: Preparation and Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Opening Case Scenario: Flames Force Fan Fury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Disaster Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

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Forming the Disaster Recovery Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 Organization of the DR Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 Special Documentation and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

Disaster Recovery Planning Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Develop the DR Planning Policy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Review the Business Impact Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Identify Preventive Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Develop Recovery Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Develop the DR Plan Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 Plan Testing, Training, and Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Plan Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Information Technology Contingency Planning Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 Client/Server Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Data Communications Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Mainframe Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Sample Disaster Recovery Plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 The Business Resumption Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

The DR Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Closing Case Scenario: Proactively Pondering Potential Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

CHAPTER 10 Disaster Recovery: Operation and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Opening Case Scenario: Dastardly Disaster Drives Dialing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Facing Key Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Preparation: Training the DR Team and the Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412 Plan Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 Plan Triggers and Notification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 Disaster Recovery Planning as Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 DR Training and Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417 DR Plan Testing and Rehearsal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Rehearsal and Testing of the Alert Roster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

Disaster Response Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Recovery Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424

Resumption Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424

Restoration Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 Repair or Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 Restoration of the Primary Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 Relocation from Temporary Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 Resumption at the Primary Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427 Standing Down and the After-Action Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429

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Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430

Closing Case Scenario: Smart Susan Starts Studying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

CHAPTER 11 Business Continuity Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Opening Case Scenario: Lovely Local Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

Business Continuity Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 BC Team Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Special Documentation and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Business Continuity Policy and Plan Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Develop the BC Planning Policy Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444 Review the BIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Identify Preventive Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Create BC Contingency (Relocation) Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Develop the BC Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 Ensure BC Plan Testing, Training, and Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453 Ensure BC Plan Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453 Sample Business Continuity Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

Implementing the BC Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453 Preparation for BC Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454 Returning to a Primary Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457 BC After-Action Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Continuous Improvement of the BC Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Improving the BC Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Improving the BC Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Maintaining the BC Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 Periodic BC Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 BC Plan Archivist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Closing Case Scenario: Exciting Emergency Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

CHAPTER 12 Crisis Management and International Standards inIR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Opening Case Scenario: Terrible Tragedy Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Crisis Management in the Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Crisis Terms and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Crisis Misconceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Preparing for Crisis Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 General Preparation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Organizing the Crisis Management Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

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Crisis Management Critical Success Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Developing the Crisis Management Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487 Crisis Management Training and Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

Ongoing Case: Alert Roster Test at HAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

Post-crisis Trauma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494 Employee Assistance Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495 Immediately after the Crisis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

Getting People Back to Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496 Dealing with Loss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Law Enforcement Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497 Federal Agencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498 Local Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

Managing Crisis Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 Crisis Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

The 11 Steps Of Crisis Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 Avoiding Unnecessary Blame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

Succession Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 Elements of Succession Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Succession Planning Approaches for Crisis Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

International Standards in IR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 NIST Standards and Publications in IR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 ISO Standards and Publications in IR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 Other Standards and Publications in IR/DR/BC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517

Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519

Real-World Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519

Hands-On Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520

Closing Case Scenario: Boorish Board Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525

APPENDIX A Sample Business Continuity Plan for ABC Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

APPENDIX B Contingency Plan Template from the Computer Security Resource Center at the National Institute of Standards and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

APPENDIX C Sample Crisis Management Plan for Hierarchical Access, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

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Preface

As global networks expand the interconnection of the world’s technically complex infra- structure, communication and computing systems gain added importance. Information secu- rity has gained in importance as a professional practice, and information security has emerged as an academic discipline. Recent events, such as malware attacks and successful hacking efforts, have pointed out the weaknesses inherent in unprotected systems and exposed the need for heightened security of these systems. In order to secure technologically advanced systems and networks, both education and the infrastructure to deliver that educa- tion are needed to prepare the next generation of information technology and information security professionals to develop a more secure and ethical computing environment. There- fore, improved tools and more sophisticated techniques are needed to prepare students to recognize the threats and vulnerabilities present in existing systems and to design and develop the secure systems needed in the near future. Many years have passed since the need for improved information security education has been recognized, and as Dr. Ernest McDuffie of NIST points out:

While there is no doubt that technology has changed the way we live, work, and play, there are very real threats associated with the increased use of technology and our growing dependence on cyberspace….

Education can prepare the general public to identify and avoid risks in cyber- space; education will ready the cybersecurity workforce of tomorrow; and

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education can keep today’s cybersecurity professionals at the leading edge of the latest technology and mitigation strategies.

Source: NIST

The need for improvements in information security education is so great that the U.S. National Secu- rity Agency (NSA) has established Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance, as described in Presidential Decision Directive 63, “The Policy on Critical Infrastructure Protection,” May 1998:

The program goal is to reduce vulnerabilities in our National Information Infrastructure by promoting higher education in information assurance, and producing a growing num- ber of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines.

Source: National Security Agency

The technical nature of the dominant texts on the market does not meet the needs of students who have a major other than computer science, computer engineering, or electronic engineering. This is a key concern for academics who wish to focus on delivering skilled undergraduates to the commer- cial information technology (IT) sector. Specifically, there is a clear need for information security, information systems, criminal justice, political science, and accounting information systems students to gain a clear understanding of the foundations of information security.

Approach This book provides an overview of contingency operations and its components as well as a thorough treatment of the administration of the planning process for incident response, disaster recovery, and business continuity. It can be used to support course delivery for information-security-driven programs targeted at information technology students, as well as IT management and technology management curricula aimed at business or technical management students.

Learning Support—Each chapter includes a Chapter Summary and a set of open-ended Review Questions. These are used to reinforce learning of the subject matter presented in the chapter.

Chapter Scenarios—Each chapter opens and closes with a case scenario that follows the same fic- tional company as it encounters various contingency planning or operational issues. The closing sce- nario also includes a few discussion questions. These questions give the student and the instructor an opportunity to discuss the issues that underlie the content.

Hands-On Learning—At the end of each chapter, Real-World Exercises and Hands-On Projects are provided. These give students the opportunity to examine the contingency planning arena outside the classroom. Using these exercises, students can pursue the learning objectives listed at the begin- ning of each chapter and deepen their understanding of the text material.

Boxed Examples—These supplemental sections, which feature examples not associated with the ongoing case study, are included to illustrate key learning objectives or extend the coverage of plans and policies.

New to This Edition This edition provides a greater level of detail than the previous edition, specifically in the examination of incident response activities. It incorporates new approaches and methods that have been developed at NIST. Although the material on disaster recovery, business continuity, and crisis management has not

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been reduced, the text’s focus now follows that of the IT industry in shifting to the prevention, detection, reaction to, and recovery from computer-based incidents and avoidance of threats to the security of infor- mation. We are fortunate to have had the assistance of a reviewer who worked as a contributing author for NIST, ensuring alignment between this text and the methods recommended by NIST.

Author Team Long-time college professors and information security professionals Michael Whitman and Herbert Mattord have jointly developed this text to merge knowledge from the world of academic study with practical experience from the business world. Professor Andrew Green has been added to this proven team to add a new dimension of practical experience.

Michael Whitman, Ph.D., CISM, CISSP Michael Whitman is a professor of information security and assurance in the Information Systems Department, Michael J. Coles College of Business at Ken- nesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, where he is the director of the KSU Center for Informa- tion Security Education (infosec.kennesaw.edu). Dr. Whitman has over 20 years of experience in higher education, with over 12 years of experience in designing and teaching information security courses. He is an active researcher in information security, fair and responsible use policies, and computer-use ethics. He currently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in information secu- rity. He has published articles in the top journals in his field, including Information Systems Research, Communications of the ACM, Information and Management, Journal of International Business Studies, and Journal of Computer Information Systems. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association for Information Systems. Under Dr. Whitman’s lead- ership, Kennesaw State University has been recognized by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education three times; the university’s coursework has been reviewed by national-level information assurance subject matter experts and determined to meet the national training standard for information systems security professionals. Dr. Whitman is also the coauthor of Principles of Information Security, 4th edition; Management of Information Security, 4th edition; Readings and Cases in the Management of Information Security; Readings and Cases in Information Security: Law and Ethics; The Hands-On Information Security Lab Manual, 3rd edition; Roadmap to the Management of Information Security for IT and Information Security Professionals; Guide to Fire- walls and VPNs, 3rd edition; Guide to Firewalls and Network Security, 2nd edition; and Guide to Network Security, all published by Course Technology. In 2012, Dr. Whitman was selected by the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education as the recipient of the 2012 Information Assurance Educator of the Year award.

Herbert Mattord, Ph.D. CISM, CISSP Herbert Mattord completed 24 years of IT industry experi- ence as an application developer, database administrator, project manager, and information security practitioner before joining the faculty of Kennesaw State University in 2002. Dr. Mattord is an assistant professor of information security and assurance and the coordinator for the Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Security and Assurance program. He is the operations man- ager of the KSU Center for Information Security Education and Awareness (infosec.kennesaw.edu) as well as the coordinator for the KSU certificate in Information Security and Assurance. During his career as an IT practitioner, Dr. Mattord has been an adjunct professor at: Kennesaw State Uni- versity; Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia; Austin Community College in Austin, Texas; and Texas State University: San Marcos. He currently teaches undergraduate courses in information security, data communications, local area networks, database technology, project management, systems analysis and design, and information resources management and policy. He

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was formerly the manager of corporate information technology security at Georgia-Pacific Corpora- tion, where much of the practical knowledge found in this textbook was acquired. Professor Mat- tord is also the coauthor of Principles of Information Security, 4th edition; Management of Informa- tion Security, 4th edition; Readings and Cases in the Management of Information Security; Readings and Cases in Information Security: Law and Ethics; The Hands-On Information Security Lab Man- ual, 3rd edition; Roadmap to the Management of Information Security for IT and Information Security Professionals; Guide to Firewalls and VPNs, 3rd edition; Guide to Firewalls and Network Security, 2nd edition; and Guide to Network Security, all published by Course Technology.

Andrew Green, MSIS Andrew Green is a lecturer of information security and assurance in the Informa- tion Systems Department, Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia. Mr. Green has over a decade of experience in information security. Prior to entering academia full time, he worked as an information security consultant, focusing primarily on the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Prior to that, he worked in the healthcare IT field, where he developed and supported transcription interfaces for medical facilities throughout the United States. Mr. Green is also a full-time Ph.D. student at Nova Southeastern University, where he is studying information systems with a concentration in information security. He is the coauthor of Guide to Firewalls and VPNs, 3rd edition andGuide to Network Security, both published by Course Technology.

Structure The textbook is organized into 12 chapters and 3 appendices. Here are summaries of each chapter’s contents:

Chapter 1. An Overview of Information Security and Risk Management This chapter defines the concepts of information security and risk management and explains how they are integral to the management processes used for incident response and contingency planning.

Chapter 2. Planning for Organizational Readiness The focus of this chapter is on how an organiza- tion can plan for and develop organizational processes and staffing appointments needed for suc- cessful incident response and contingency plans.

Chapter 3. Contingency Strategies for IR/DR/BC This chapter explores the relationships between contingency planning and the subordinate elements of incident response, business resumption, disas- ter recovery, and business continuity planning. It also explains the techniques used for data and application backup and recovery.

Chapter 4. Incident Response: Planning This chapter expands on the incident response planning process to include processes and activities that are needed as well as the skills and techniques used to develop such plans.

Chapter 5. Incident Response: Detection and Decision Making This chapter describes how incidents are detected and how decision making regarding incident escalation and plan activation occur.

Chapter 6. Incident Response: Organizing and Preparing the CSIRT This chapter presents the details of the actions that the CSIRT performs and how they are designed and developed.

Chapter 7. Incident Response: Response Strategies This chapter describes IR reaction strategies and how they are applied to incidents.

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Chapter 8. Incident Response: Recovery and Maintenance This chapter describes how an organiza- tion plans for and executes the recovery process when an incident occurs; it also expands on the steps involved in the ongoing maintenance of the IR plan.

Chapter 9. Disaster Recovery: Preparation and Implementation This chapter explores how organi- zations prepare for disasters and recovery from disasters.

Chapter 10. Disaster Recovery: Operation and Maintenance This chapter presents the challenges an organization faces when engaged in DR operations and how such challenges are met.

Chapter 11. Business Continuity Planning This chapter covers how organizations ensure continu- ous operations even when the primary facilities used by the organization are not available.

Chapter 12. Crisis Management and International Standards in IR/DR/BC This chapter covers the role of crisis management and recommends the elements of a plan to prepare for crisis response. The chapter also covers the key international standards that affect IR, DR, and BC.

Appendices. The three appendices present sample BC and crisis management plans and templates.

Text and Graphic Conventions Wherever appropriate, additional information and exercises have been added to this book to help you better understand what is being discussed in the chapter. Icons throughout the text alert you to additional materials. The icons used in this textbook are described here:

Notes present additional helpful material related to the subject being described.

Offline boxes offer material that expands on the chapter’s contents but that may not be central to the learning objectives of the chapter.

Technical Details boxes provide additional technical information on informa- tion security topics.

Real World Exercises are structured activities to allow students to enrich their understanding of selected topics presented in the chapter by exploring Web- based or other widely available resources.

Hands-On Projects offer students the chance to explore the technical aspects of the theories presented in the chapter.

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Instructor’s Materials The following supplemental materials are available for use in a classroom setting. All the supple- ments available with this book are provided to the instructor on a single CD-ROM (ISBN: 9781111138066) and online at the textbook’s Web site.

Please visit login.cengage.com and log in to access instructor-specific resources.

To access additional course materials, please visit www.cengagebrain.com. At the CengageBrain.com home page, search for the ISBN of your title (from the back cover of your book) using the search box at the top of the page. This will take you to the product page, where these resources can be found.

Additional materials designed especially for you might be available for your course online. Go to www.cengage.com/coursetechnology and search for this book title periodically for more details.

Electronic Instructor’s Manual—The Instructor’s Manual that accompanies this textbook includes additional instructional material to assist in class preparation, including suggestions for classroom activities, discussion topics, and additional projects.

Solution Files—The Solution Files include answers to selected end-of-chapter materials, including the Review Questions and some of the Hands-On Projects.

ExamView—This textbook is accompanied by ExamView, a powerful testing software package that allows instructors to create and administer printed, computer (LAN-based), and Internet exams. ExamView includes hundreds of questions that correspond to the topics covered in this text, enabling students to generate detailed study guides that include page references for further review. The computer-based and Internet testing components allow students to take exams at their compu- ters, and also save the instructor time by grading each exam automatically.

PowerPoint Presentations—This book comes with Microsoft PowerPoint slides for each chapter. These are included as a teaching aid for classroom presentation. They can also be made available to students on the network for chapter review, or they can be printed for classroom distribution. Instruc- tors, feel free to add your own slides for additional topics you introduce to the class.

Information Security Community Site—Stay Secure with the Information Security Community Site! Connect with students, professors, and professionals from around the world, and stay on top of this ever-changing field.

● Visit www.cengage.com/community/infosec. ● Download resources such as instructional videos and labs. ● Ask authors, professors, and students the questions that are on your mind in our Discussion

Forums. ● See up-to-date news, videos, and articles. ● Read author blogs. ● Listen to podcasts on the latest Information Security topics.

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank their families for their support and understanding for the many hours dedicated to this project, hours taken in many cases from family activities. Special thanks to Karen Scarfone, coauthor of several NIST SPs. Her reviews and suggestions resulted in a more read- able manuscript. Additionally, the authors would like to thank Doug Burks, primary developer of

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the Security Onion project used in this textbook. Doug’s insight and suggestions for the Hands-On Projects helped make them more robust and practical for students to use.

Reviewers We are indebted to the following individuals for their respective contributions of perceptive feed- back on the initial proposal, the project outline, and the individual chapters of the text:

Karen Scarfone, Scarfone Cybersecurity Gary Kessler, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Special Thanks The authors wish to thank the editorial and production teams at Course Technology. Their diligent and professional efforts greatly enhanced the final product:

Michelle Ruelos Cannistraci, Senior Product Manager

Kent Williams, Developmental Editor

Nick Lombardi, Acquisitions Editor

Andrea Majot, Senior Content Project Manager

Nicole Ashton Spoto, Technical Editor

In addition, several professional and commercial organizations and individuals have aided the development of the textbook by providing information and inspiration, and the authors wish to acknowledge their contribution:

Bernstein Crisis Management

Continuity Central

Information Systems Security Associations

Institute for Crisis Management

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Oracle, Inc.

Purdue University

Rothstein Associates, Inc.

SunGard

Our colleagues in the Department of Information Systems and the Michael J. Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University

Dr. Amy Woszczynski, Interim Chair of the Department of Information Systems, Michael J. Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University

Dr. Kathy Schwaig, Dean of the Michael J. Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University

Our Commitment The authors are committed to serving the needs of the adopters and readers. We would be pleased and honored to receive feedback on the textbook and its supporting materials. You can contact us through Course Technology.

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chapter1

An Overview of Information Security and Risk Management

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. —Benjamin Franklin

Upon completion of this material, you should be able to: ● Define and explain information security ● Identify and explain the basic concepts of risk management ● List and discuss the components of contingency planning ● Describe the role of information security policy in the development of contingency plans

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Introduction This book is about being prepared for the unexpected, being ready for such events as incidents and disasters. We call this contingency planning, and the sad fact is that most organizations don’t incorporate it into their day-to-day business activities. Such organi- zations are often not well prepared to offer the proper response to a disaster or security incident. By July 2012, Internet World Stats estimated that there were over 2.4 billion people online,1 representing one third of the world’s 6.9 billion population. Each one of those online users is a potential threat to any online system. The vast majority of Inter- net users will not intentionally probe, monitor, attack, or attempt to access an organiza- tion’s information without authorization; however, that potential does exist. If even less than 1/10 of 1 percent of online users make the effort, the result would be almost two and a half million potential attackers.

Paul Alexander and his boss Amanda Wilson were sitting in Amanda’s office discussing the coming year’s budget when they heard a commotion in the hall. Hearing his name mentioned, Paul stuck his head out the door and saw Jonathon Jasper (“JJ” to his friends) walking quickly toward him.

“Paul!” JJ called again, relieved to see Paul waiting in Amanda’s office. “Hi, Amanda,” JJ said, then, looking at Paul, he added, “We have a problem.” JJ was

one of the systems administrators at Hierarchical Access LTD (HAL), a Georgia-based Internet service provider that serves the northwest region of metropolitan Atlanta.

Paul stepped out into the hall, closing Amanda’s door behind him. “What’s up, JJ?” “I think we’ve got someone sniffing around the e-mail server,” JJ replied. “I just

looked at the log files, and there is an unusual number of failed login attempts on accounts that normally just don’t have that many, like yours!”

Paul paused a moment. “But the e-mail server’s proxied,” he finally said to JJ, “which means it must be an

internal probe.” “Yeah, that’s why it’s a problem,” JJ replied. “We haven’t gotten this kind of thing

since we installed the proxy and moved the Web and e-mail servers inside the DMZ. It’s got to be someone in-house.”

JJ looked exasperated. “And after all that time I spent conducting awareness training!” “Don’t worry just yet,” Paul told him. “Let’s make a few calls, and then we’ll go

from there. Grab your incident response book and meet me in the conference room in 10 minutes. Grab Tina in network operations on the way.”

Opening Case Scenario: Pernicious Proxy Probing

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1 In the weeks that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C., the media reported on the disastrous losses that various organizations were suffering. Still, many organizations were able to continue conducting business. Why? The reason is that those organizations were prepared for unexpected events. The cataclysm in 2001 was not the first attack on the World Trade Center (WTC). On February 26, 1993, a car bomb exploded beneath one of the WTC towers, killing 6 and injuring over 1000. The attack was limited in its devastation only because the attackers weren’t able to acquire all the components for a coordinated bomb and cyanide gas attack.2

Still, this attack was a wake-up call for the hundreds of organizations that conducted business in the WTC. Many began asking the question, “What would we have done if the attack had been more successful?” As a direct result, many of the organizations occupying the WTC on September 11, 2001 had developed contingency plans. Although thousands of people lost their lives in the attack, many were able to evacuate, and many organizations were prepared to resume their businesses in the aftermath of the devastation.

A 2008 Gartner report found that two out of three organizations surveyed had to invoke their disaster recovery or business continuity plans in the two years preceding the study.3 Consider- ing that nearly 80 percent of businesses affected by a disaster either never reopen or close within 18 months of the event, having a disaster recovery and business continuity plan is vital to sustaining operations when disasters strike.4 Considering the risks, it is imperative that management teams create, implement, and test effective plans to deal with incidents and disasters. For this reason, the field of information security has been steadily growing and is taken seriously by more and more organizations, not only in the United States but throughout the world.

Before we can discuss contingency planning in detail, we must introduce some critical con- cepts of which contingency planning is an integral part. The first of these, which serves as the overall disciplinary umbrella, is information security. This refers to many interlinked programs and activities that work together to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information used by organizations. This includes steps to ensure the protection of organiza- tional information systems, specifically during incidents and disasters. Because information security is a complex subject, which includes risk management as well as information security policy, it is important to have an overview of that broad field and an understanding of these major components. Contingency planning is an important element of information security, but before management can plan for contingencies, it should have an overall strategic plan for information security in place, including risk management processes to guide the appropriate managerial and technical controls. This chapter serves as an overview of information security, with special consideration given to risk management and the role that contingency planning plays in (1) information security in general and (2) risk management in particular.

Information Security The Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) has defined information security as the protection of information and its critical elements, including the systems and hard- ware that use, store, and transmit that information. This definition is part of the CNSS model (see Figure 1-1), which serves as the conceptual framework for understanding information security. The model evolved from a similar model developed within the

Information Security 3

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computer security industry, known as the C.I.A. triangle. An industry standard for com- puter security since the development of the mainframe, the C.I.A. triangle illustrates the three most critical characteristics of information used within information systems: confi- dentiality, integrity, and availability.

Information assets have the characteristics of confidentiality when only those persons or com- puter systems with the rights and privileges to access it are able to do so. Information assets have integrity when they are not exposed (while being stored, processed, or transmitted) to corruption, damage, destruction, or other disruption of their authentic states; in other words, the information is whole, complete, and uncorrupted. Finally, information assets have availability when authorized users—persons or computer systems—are able to access them in the specified format without interference or obstruction. In other words, the information is there when it is needed, from where it is supposed to be, and in the format expected.

In summary, information security (InfoSec) is the protection of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information, whether in storage, during processing, or in transmission. Such protection is achieved through the application of policy, education and training, and technology.

Key Information Security Concepts In general, a threat is an object, person, or other entity that is a potential risk of loss to an asset, which is the organizational resource being protected. An asset can be logical, such as a Web site, information, or data, or it can be physical, such as a person, com- puter system, or other tangible object. A threat can become the basis for an attack—an intentional or unintentional attempt to cause damage to or otherwise compromise the information or the systems that support it. A threat-agent is a specific and identifiable instance of a general threat that exploits vulnerabilities set up to protect the asset. NIST defines a vulnerability as “a flaw or weakness in system security procedures, design, implementation, or internal controls that could be exercised (accidentally triggered or intentionally exploited) and result in a security breach or violation of the system’s secu- rity policy.”5 Vulnerabilities that have been examined, documented, and published are referred to as well-known vulnerabilities. Some vulnerabilities are latent and thus not revealed until they are discovered and made known.

Po licy

Ed uc

ati on

Te ch

no log

y Confidentiality

Integrity

Availability

Polic y Edu

catio n Tec

hnolo gy

Storage Processing Transmission

Confidentiality

Integrity

Availability

Storage Processing Transmission © Cengage Learning 2014

Figure 1-1 The CNSS security model

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1 There are two common uses of the term exploit in information security. First, threat-agents are said to exploit a system or information asset by using it illegally for their personal gains. Second, threat-agents can create an exploit, or means to target a specific vulnerabil- ity, usually found in software, to formulate an attack. A defender tries to prevent attacks by applying a control, a safeguard, or a countermeasure; these terms, all synonymous with control, represent security mechanisms, policies, or procedures that can successfully counter attacks, reduce risk, resolve vulnerabilities, and generally improve the security within an organization.

The results of a 2012 study that collected, categorized, and ranked the identifiable threats to information security are shown in Table 1-1. The study compared its findings with a prior study conducted by one of its researchers.

The threat categories shown in Table 1-1 are explained in detail in the following sections.

Trespass Trespass is a broad category of electronic and human activities that can breach the confidentiality of information. When an unauthorized individual gains access to the information an organization is trying to protect, that act is categorized as a deliber- ate act of trespass. In the opening scenario of this chapter, the IT staff members at HAL were more disappointed than surprised to find someone poking around their mail server, looking for a way in. Acts of trespass can lead to unauthorized real or virtual actions that enable information gatherers to enter premises or systems they have not been autho- rized to enter.

Threat Category 2010 Ranking Prior Ranking

Espionage or trespass 1 4

Software attacks 2 1

Human error or failure 3 3

Theft 4 7

Compromises to intellectual property 5 9

Sabotage or vandalism 6 5

Technical software failures or errors 7 2

Technical hardware failures or errors 8 6

Forces of nature 9 8

Deviations in quality of service from service providers 10 10

Technological obsolescence 11 11

Information extortion 12 12

Table 1-1 Threats to information security6 Source: 2003 Study © Communications of the ACM used with permission

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The classic perpetrator of deliberate acts of espionage or trespass is the hacker. In this text, hackers are people who bypass legitimate controls placed on information systems in order to gain access to data or information against the intent of the owner. More specifically, a hacker is someone who uses skill, guile, or fraud to attempt to bypass the controls placed around information that belongs to someone else.

Software Attacks Deliberate software attacks occur when an individual or group designs software to attack a system. This software is referred to as malicious code, mali- cious software, or malware. These software components or programs are designed to damage, destroy, or deny service to the target systems. Some of the more common instances of malicious code are viruses and worms, Trojan horses, logic bombs, bots, rootkits, and back doors. Equally prominent among the recent incidences of malicious code are the denial-of-service attacks conducted by attackers on popular e-commerce sites. A denial-of-service (DoS) attack seeks to deny legitimate users access to services by either tying up a server’s available resources or causing it to shut down. A variation on the DoS attack is the distributed DoS (DDoS) attack, in which an attacker compro- mises a number of systems, then uses these systems (called zombies or bots) to attack an unsuspecting target.

A potential source of confusion when it comes to threats posed by malicious code are the differences between the method of propagation (worm versus virus), the payload (what the malware does once it is in place, such as deny service or install a back door), and the vector of infection (how the code is transmitted from system to system, whether through social engineering or by technical means, such as an open network share). Various concepts related to the topic of malicious code are discussed in the following sections.

Viruses Computer viruses are segments of code that perform malicious actions. The code attaches itself to an existing program and takes control of that program’s access to the targeted computer. The virus-controlled target program then carries out the virus’s plan by replicating itself and inserting itself into additional targeted systems.

Opening an infected e-mail or some other seemingly trivial action can cause anything from random messages popping up on a user’s screen to the destruction of entire hard drives of data. Viruses are passed from machine to machine via physical media, e-mail, or other forms of computer data transmission. When these viruses infect a machine, they may immedi- ately scan the local machine for e-mail applications; they may even send themselves to every user in the e-mail address book.

There are several types of viruses. One type is the macro virus, which is embedded in auto- matically executing macrocode, common in word-processed documents, spreadsheets, and database applications. Another type, the boot virus, infects the key operating systems files located in a computer’s boot sector.

Worms Named for the tapeworm in John Brunner’s novel The Shockwave Rider, worms are malicious programs that replicate themselves constantly without requiring another pro- gram to provide a safe environment for replication. Worms can continue replicating them- selves until they completely fill available resources, such as memory, hard drive space, and

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1 network bandwidth. These complex behaviors can be invoked with or without the user downloading or executing the file. Once the worm has infected a computer, it can redis- tribute itself to all e-mail addresses found on the infected system. Further, a worm can deposit copies of itself onto all Web servers that the infected system can reach, so that users who subsequently visit those sites become infected themselves. Worms also take advantage of open shares found on the network in which an infected system is located, placing working copies of the worm code onto the server so that users of those shares are likely to become infected.

Back Doors and Trap Doors A virus or worm can have a payload that installs a back door or trap door component in a system, which allows the attacker to access a system, at will, with special privileges. Examples of these kinds of payloads are SubSeven, Back Orifice, and Flashfake.

Polymorphism One of the biggest ongoing problems in fighting viruses and worms are polymorphic threats. A polymorphic threat is one that changes its apparent shape over time, making it undetectable by techniques that look for preconfigured signatures. These viruses and worms actually evolve, changing their size and appearance to elude detection by antivi- rus software programs. This means that an e-mail generated by the virus may not match previous examples, making detection more of a challenge.

Propagation Vectors The way that malicious code is spread from one system to another can vary widely. One common way is through a social engineering attack—that is, getting the computer user to perform an action that enables the infection. An example of this is the Trojan horse, often simply called a Trojan. A Trojan is something that looks like a desirable program or tool but is in fact a malicious entity. Other propagation vectors do not require human interaction, leveraging open network connections, file shares, or software vulnerabil- ities to spread themselves.

Malware Hoaxes As frustrating as viruses and worms are, perhaps more time and money is spent on resolving malware hoaxes. Well-meaning people can disrupt the harmony and flow of an organization when they send random e-mails warning of dangerous malware that is fictitious. While these individuals feel they are helping out by warning their coworkers of a threat, much time and energy is wasted as everyone forwards the message to everyone they know, posts the message on social media sites, and begins updating antivirus protection software. By teaching its employees how to verify whether a malware threat is real, the organization can reduce the impact of this type of threat.

Human Error or Failure This threat category includes acts performed by an authorized user, usually without malicious intent or purpose. When people use information systems, mistakes sometimes happen as a result of inexperience, improper training, incorrect assumptions, and so forth. Unfortunately, small mistakes can produce extensive damage with catastrophic results. This is what is meant by human error. Human failure, on the other hand, is the intentional refusal or unintentional inability to comply with policies, guidelines, and procedures, with a potential loss of information. An organization may be

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doing its part to protect information, but if an individual employee fails to follow estab- lished protocols, information can still be put at risk.

Theft The threat of theft—the illegal taking of another’s property—is a constant prob- lem. Within an organization, property can be physical, electronic, or intellectual. The value of information assets suffer when they are copied and taken away without the own- er’s knowledge. This threat category also includes acts of espionage, given that an attacker is often looking for information to steal. Any breach of confidentiality can be construed as an act of theft.

Attackers can use many different methods to access the information stored in an information system. Some information gathering is quite legal—for example, when doing research. Such techniques are collectively referred to as competitive intelligence. When information gathering employs techniques that cross the threshold of what is considered legal or ethical, it becomes known as industrial espionage.

Also of concern in this category is the theft or loss of mobile devices, including phones, tablets, and computers. Although the devices themselves are of value, perhaps even more valu- able is the information stored within. Users who have been issued company equipment may establish (and save) VPN-connection information, passwords, access credentials, company records, customer information, and the like. This valuable information becomes a target for information thieves. In fact, it has become commonplace to find lost or stolen devices in the trash, with the hard drives or data cards (like phone SIMs) removed or the data having been copied and erased The information is more valuable and easier to conceal than the actual device itself.

Users who travel or use their devices away from home should be extremely careful when leav- ing the device unattended at a restaurant table, conference room, or hotel room. Actually, most globally engaged organizations now have explicit policy directives that prohibit taking these portable devices to certain countries and direct employees required to travel to take sanitized, almost disposable, devices that are not allowed contact with internal company net- works or technology.

Compromises to Intellectual Property Many organizations create or support the development of intellectual property as part of their business operations. FOLDOC, an online dictionary of computing, defines intellectual property (IP) this way:

The ownership of ideas and control over the tangible or virtual representation of those ideas. Use of another person’s intellectual property may or may not involve royalty payments or permission but should always include proper credit to the source.7

Source: FOLDOC

IP includes trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, and patents, all of which employees use to conduct day-to-day business. Once an organization has properly identified its IP, breaches in the controls placed to control access to it constitute a threat to the security of this information.

Often, an organization purchases or leases the IP of other organizations and must therefore abide by the purchase or licensing agreement for its fair and responsible use.

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1 Of equal concern is the exfiltration, or unauthorized removal of information, from an organization. Most commonly associated with disgruntled employees, the protection of intellectual property from unauthorized disclosure to third parties further illustrates the severity of this issue. Theft of organizational IP, such as trade secrets or trusted informa- tion like customer personal and financial records, is a commonplace issue. Data exfiltration is also being made tougher to combat because of the increasing popularity of “bring your own device” (or BYOD) systems, which allow employees to attach their own personal devices to the corporate network. These devices are frequently not as secure as the systems owned and maintained by the organization. If compromised by attackers prior to attaching to the corporate network, BYOD systems can easily be used as conduits to allow data to be exfiltrated. Additionally, unhappy employees can use these devices to copy data, then leave the organization with that valuable asset in their hands and no one the wiser.

Among the most common IP breaches is the unlawful use or duplication of software-based intellectual property, more commonly known as software piracy. Because most software is licensed to a particular purchaser, its use is restricted to a single user or to a designated user in an organization. If the user copies the program to another computer without securing another license or transferring the license, he or she has violated the copyright. Software licenses are strictly enforced by a number of regulatory and private organizations, and soft- ware publishers use several control mechanisms to prevent copyright infringement. In addition to the laws surrounding software piracy, two watchdog organizations investigate allegations of software abuse: the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the Web site for which can be found at www.siia.net, and the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which can be found at www.bsa.org.

Sabotage or Vandalism This threat category involves the deliberate sabotage of a computer system or business or acts of vandalism to either destroy an asset or damage an organization’s image. The acts can range from petty vandalism by employees to organized sabotage by outsiders. A frequently encountered threat is the assault on an organization’s electronic profile—its Web site.

A much more sinister form of hacking is cyberterrorism. Cyberterrorists hack systems to conduct terrorist activities through network or Internet pathways. The United States and other governments are developing security measures intended to protect the critical computing and communications networks as well as the physical and power utility infrastructures.

Technical Software Failures or Errors This threat category stems from purchasing software with unknown hidden faults. Large quantities of computer code are written, pub- lished, and sold before all the significant security-related bugs are detected and resolved. Also, combinations of particular software and hardware may reveal new bugs. While most bugs are not a security threat, some may be exploitable and may result in potential loss or damage to information used by those programs. In addition to bugs, there may be untested failure conditions or purposeful subversions of the security controls built into systems. These may be oversights or intentional shortcuts left by programmers for benign or malign rea- sons. Collectively, shortcut access routes into programs that bypass security checks are called trap doors; they can cause serious security breaches.

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Software bugs are so commonplace that entire Web sites are dedicated to documenting them—for example, Bugtraq (www.securityfocus.com) and the National Vulnerability Data- base (http://nvd.nist.gov). These resources provide up-to-the-minute information on the latest security vulnerabilities and a very thorough archive of past bugs.

Technical Hardware Failures or Errors Technical hardware failures or errors occur when a manufacturer distributes equipment containing a known or unknown flaw. These defects can cause the system to perform outside of expected parameters, resulting in unreliable service or lack of availability. Some errors are terminal, in that they result in the unrecoverable loss of the equipment. Some errors are intermittent, in that they only periodi- cally manifest themselves, resulting in faults that are not easily identified. For example, equipment can sometimes stop working or can work in unexpected ways. Murphy’s Law says that if something can possibly go wrong, it will. In other words, it’s not whether some- thing will fail but when.

Forces of Nature Forces of nature, also known as force majeure, or acts of God, pose some of the most dangerous threats imaginable because they often occur with very little warn- ing. Fire, flood, earthquake, lightning, volcanic eruptions, even animal or insect infestation— these threats disrupt not only the lives of individuals but also the storage, transmission, and use of information.

Deviations in Quality of Service by Service Providers This threat category covers situations in which a product or service is not delivered to the organization as expected. Utility companies, service providers, and other value-added organizations form a vast web of interconnected services. An organization’s information system depends on the successful operation of such interdependent support systems, including power grids, telecom networks, parts suppliers, service vendors, and even the janitorial staff and garbage haulers. Any one of these support systems can be interrupted by storms, employee illnesses, or other unforeseen events.

An example of this threat category occurs when a construction crew damages a fiber-optic link for an ISP. The backup provider may be online and in service but may only be able to supply a fraction of the bandwidth the organization needs for full service. This degradation of service is a form of availability disruption. Internet service, communications, and power irregularities can dramatically affect the availability of information and systems.

Technological Obsolescence This threat category involves antiquated or outdated infrastructure that leads to unreliable and untrustworthy systems. Management must recog- nize that when technology becomes outdated, there is a risk of a loss of data integrity from attacks. Strategic planning should always include an analysis of the technology that is currently in use. Ideally, proper planning will prevent the risks stemming from technology obsolesce, but when obsolescence is identified, management must take immediate action. IT professionals play a large role in the identification of obsolescence.

Information Extortion The threat of information extortion is the possibility that an attacker or trusted insider will steal information from a computer system and demand compensation for its return or for an agreement to not disclose the information. Extortion

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1 is common in credit card number theft. Unfortunately, organized crime is increasingly involved in this area.

Other Threats Listings The Computer Security Institute conducts an annual study of computer crime, the results for which are shown in Table 1-2. Malware attacks continue to cause the most financial loss, and malware continues to be the most frequently cited attack (with a reported loss of over $42 million in 2009 alone). Nearly 70 percent of respondents noted that they had experienced one or more malware attacks in the 12-month reporting period—and that doesn’t include companies that are unwilling to report attacks. The fact is, almost every company has been attacked. Whether or not that attack was successful depends on the company’s security efforts.

Type of Attack or Misuse 2010/11 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000

Malware infection (revised after 2008) 67% 50% 65% 78% 85% 85%

Being fraudulently represented as sender of phishing message

39% 31% (new category)

Laptop/mobile hardware theft/loss 34% 42% 47% 49% 55% 60%

Bots/zombies in organization 29% 20% (new category

Insider abuse of Internet access or e-mail 25% 44% 42% 59% 78% 79%

Denial of service 17% 21% 25% 39% 40% 27%

Unauthorized access or privilege escalation by insider

13% 15% (revised category)

Password sniffing 11% 9% (new category)

System penetration by outsider 11% (revised category)

Exploit of client Web browser 10% (new category)

Other Attacks/Misuse categories with less than 10% responses not listed above include (listed in decreasing order of occurrence/reporting):

Financial fraud

Web site defacement

Exploit of wireless network

Other exploit of public-facing Web site

Theft of or unauthorized access to PII or PHI due to all other causes

Instant Messaging misuse

Theft of or unauthorized access to IP due to all other causes

Exploit of user’s social network profile

Theft of or unauthorized access to IP due to mobile device theft/loss

Theft of or unauthorized access to PII or PHI due to mobile device theft/loss

Exploit of DNS Server

Extortion or blackmail associated with threat of attack or release of stolen data

Table 1-2 Top Ten CSI/FBI survey results for types of attack or misuse (2000-2011)8 Source CSI/FBI surveys 2000 to 2010/11 (www.gocsi.com)

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Overview of Risk Management One part of information security is risk management, which is the process of identifying and controlling the risks to an organization’s information assets. All managers are expected to play a role in the risk management process, but information security managers are expected to play the largest roles. Very often, the chief information officer (CIO) will delegate much of the responsibility for risk management to the chief information security officer (CISO).

Given that contingency planning is considered part of the risk management process, it is important to fully understand how risk management works and how contingency planning fits within that process. Risk management consists of two major undertakings: risk identifica- tion and risk control. Risk identification is the process of examining, documenting, and asses- sing the security posture of an organization’s information technology and the risks it faces. Risk control is the process of applying controls to reduce the risks to an organization’s data and information systems. The various components of risk management and their relationships to one another are shown in Figure 1-2.

As an aspiring information security professional, you will have a key role to play in risk management. As part of the management team within an organization’s management, you may find yourself on the team that must structure the IT and information security func- tions to perform a successful defense of the organization’s information assets—the infor- mation and data, hardware, software, procedures, and people. The IT community must serve the information technology needs of the broader organization and, at the same

Inventorying assets

Classifying assets

Identifying threats & vulnerabilities

Risk controlRisk identification

Selecting strategy

Justifying controls

Risk assessment is the documented result of

the risk identification process.

Risk management

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Figure 1-2 Components of risk management

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1 time, leverage the special skills and insights of the information security community. The information security team must lead the way with skill, professionalism, and flexibility as it works with the other communities of interest to appropriately balance the usefulness and security of the information system.

Looked at another way, risk management is the process of identifying vulnerabilities in an organization’s information systems and taking carefully reasoned steps to ensure the confi- dentiality, integrity, and availability of all the components of the organization’s information system. Each of the three elements in the C.I.A. triangle is an essential part of an organiza- tion’s ability to sustain long-term competitiveness. When the organization depends on IT- based systems to remain viable, information security and the discipline of risk management move beyond theoretical discussions and become an integral part of the economic basis for making business decisions. These decisions are based on trade-offs between the costs of apply- ing information systems controls and the benefits realized from the operation of secured, avail- able systems.

An observation made over 2400 years ago by Chinese General Sun Tzu is relevant to informa- tion security today:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.9

Source: Oxford University Press

Consider for a moment the similarities between information security and warfare. Information security managers and technicians are the defenders of information. The many threats mentioned earlier are constantly attacking the defenses surrounding information assets. Defenses are built in layers, by placing safeguard upon safeguard. You attempt to detect, prevent, and recover from attack after attack after attack. Moreover, organizations are legally prevented from switching to offense, and the attackers themselves have no need to expend their resources on defense. To be victorious, you must therefore know yourself and know the enemy.

Know Yourself First, you must identify, examine, and understand the information and systems currently in place within your organization. To protect assets, which are defined here as informa- tion and the systems that use, store, and transmit information, you must understand what they are, how they add value to the organization, and to which vulnerabilities they are susceptible. Once you know what you have, you can identify what you are already doing to protect it. Just because you have a control in place to protect an asset does not necessarily mean that the asset is protected. Frequently, organizations implement control mechanisms but then neglect to periodically perform the necessary review, revision, and maintenance of their own systems. The policies, education and training programs, and technologies that protect information must be carefully maintained and administered to ensure that they are still effective.

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Know the Enemy Once you are informed of your organization’s assets and weaknesses, you can move on to the other part of Sun Tzu’s advice: know the enemy. This means identifying, examining, and understanding the threats facing the organization. You must determine those threat aspects that most directly affect the organization and the security of the organization’s information assets. You can then use your understanding of these aspects to create a list of threats priori- tized by how important each asset is to the organization.

It is essential that all stakeholders conduct periodic management reviews. The first focus of management review is asset inventory. On a regular basis, management must verify the completeness and accuracy of the asset inventory. In addition, organizations must review and verify the threats and vulnerabilities that have been identified as dangerous to the asset inventory, as well as the current controls and mitigation strategies. The cost effectiveness of each control should be reviewed as well and the decisions on deployment of controls revi- sited. Furthermore, managers at all levels must regularly verify the ongoing effectiveness of every control that’s been deployed. For example, a sales manager might assess control proce- dures by going through the office before the workday starts and picking up all the papers from every desk in the sales department. When the workers show up, the manager could inform them that a fire drill is underway—that all their papers have been destroyed and that each worker must now follow the disaster recovery procedures. The effectiveness of the pro- cedures can then be assessed and corrections made.

Risk Identification A risk management strategy calls on information security professionals to identify, classify, and prioritize the organization’s information assets. Once that has been done, the threat iden- tification process begins. Each information asset is examined to identify vulnerabilities, and when vulnerabilities are found, controls are identified and assessed regarding their capability to limit possible losses should an attack occur. The components of this process are shown in Figure 1-3.

Asset Identification and Value Assessment The iterative process of identifying assets and assessing their value begins with the identification of the elements of an orga- nization’s systems: people, procedures, data/information, software, hardware, and net- works. The assets are then classified and categorized, with details added as the analysis goes deeper.

Information Asset Classification In addition to identifying the assets, it is advisable to classify them with respect to their security needs. For example, data could be classified as confi- dential data, internal data, and public data. Likewise, the individuals authorized to view the data could be classified using a personnel security clearance structure.

No matter how an organization chooses to classify the components of its system, the com- ponents must be specific enough to allow the creation of various priority levels. The com- ponents then can be ranked according to criteria established by the categorization. The categories themselves should be comprehensive and mutually exclusive. Comprehensive means that all the information assets should fit in the list somewhere; mutually exclusive means that each information asset should fit in only one category. For example, when

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1

using a purely technical standard to classify a certificate authority used in a PKI system, an analysis team could categorize the certificate authority in the asset list as software but within the software category as either an application or a security component. It is a mat- ter of professional judgment. To add consistency and simplify the categorization of ele- ments when there is ambiguity, it is essential to establish a clear and comprehensive set of categories.

Information Asset Valuation As each asset is assigned to a category, the following questions should be asked:

● Is this asset the most critical to the organizations’ success? ● Does it generate the most revenue? ● Does it generate the most profit? ● Would it be the most expensive to replace? ● Will it be the most expensive to protect? ● If revealed, would it cause the most embarrassment or greatest damage? Does the law

or other regulation require us to protect this asset?

Risk identification

Risk assessment

Plan and organize the process.

Categorize system components.

Inventory and categorize assets.

Identify threats.

Specify vulnerable assets.

Assign value to attack on assets.

Assess likelihood of attack on

vulnerabilities.

Calculate relative risk factor for assets.

Review possible controls.

Document findings.

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Figure 1-3 Components of risk identification

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The answers to these questions help determine the weighting criteria used for information asset valuation and information impact evaluation. Before beginning the inventory process, the organization should decide which criteria are best suited to establish the value of the information assets.

In addition to the criteria just listed, company-specific criteria should be identified, documen- ted, and added to the process. To finalize this step of the information asset identification pro- cess, the organization should assign a weight to each asset based on the answers to the vari- ous questions.

Once the process of inventorying and assessing value is complete, you can calculate the rela- tive importance of each asset using a straightforward process known as weighted factor anal- ysis, which is shown in Table 1-3. In this process, each information asset is assigned a score for each critical factor. In the example shown, these scores may range from 0.1 to 1.0 In addition, each criterion is assigned a weight (ranging from 1 to 100) to show its assigned importance for the organization.

Data Classification and Management Corporate and military organizations use a variety of data classification schemes, which are procedures that require organizational data to be classified into mutually exclusive categories based on the need to protect the confidenti- ality of each category of data. For example, at one time Georgia-Pacific, an American pulp and paper company, used a data classification scheme in which information owners through- out the company were expected to classify the information assets for which they were respon- sible. At least once a year, they would review these classifications to ensure that the informa- tion was still classified correctly and the appropriate access controls were in place.

The military has specialized classification ratings ranging from “Public” to “For Official Use Only” to “Confidential“ to “Secret” to “Top Secret.” Most organizations do not need the detailed level of classification used by the military or federal agencies, but most organizations may find it necessary to classify their data to provide protection. A simple classification scheme would allow an organization to protect such sensitive information as its marketing or

Information Asset

Criterion 1: Impact on Revenue

Criterion 2: Impact on Profitability

Criterion 3: Impact on Image

Weighted Score

Criterion Weight (1–100 must total 100) 30 40 30

EDI Document Set 1—Logistics BOL to outsourcer (outbound)

0.8 0.9 0.5 75

EDI Document Set 2—Supplier orders (outbound) 0.8 0.9 0.6 78

EDI Document Set 2—Supplier fulfillment advice (inbound)

0.4 0.5 0.3 41

Customer order via SSL (inbound) 1.0 1.0 1.0 100

Customer service request via e-mail (inbound) 0.4 0.4 0.9 55

Table 1-3 A weighted factor analysis worksheet © Cengage Learning 2014

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1 research data, its personnel data, its customer data, and its general internal communications. Alternatively, a scheme such as the following could be adopted:

● Public—Information for general public dissemination, such as an advertisement or public release

● For Official Use Only—Information that is not particularly sensitive but is not for public release, such as internal communications

● Sensitive—Information important to the business that could embarrass the company or cause loss of market share if revealed

● Classified—Information of the utmost secrecy to the organization, disclosure of which could severely affect the well-being of the organization

As mentioned earlier, personnel can also be classified with respect to information security, resulting in various levels of security clearance. In organizations that require security clear- ances, each user of data is assigned an authorization level that indicates the data he or she is authorized to view. This is usually accomplished by assigning each employee a named role— such as data entry clerk, development programmer, information security analyst, or even CIO—and a security clearance associated with that role. Overriding one’s security clearance, however, is the fundamental principle of need to know. Employees are not simply allowed to view any and all data that falls within their level of clearance. Before someone can access a specific set of data, the need-to-know requirement must be met. This extra level of protection ensures that the confidentiality of information is properly maintained.

Threat Identification After identifying and performing a preliminary classification of an organization’s information assets, the analysis phase moves to an examination of the threats facing the organization. An organization faces a wide variety of threats; the realistic ones need to be investigated further, while the unimportant threats are set aside. Otherwise, the project’s scope can overwhelm the organization’s ability to plan.

Each of the threat categories identified in Table 1-1 must be assessed regarding its potential to endanger the organization. This is known as a threat assessment. Each threat can be assessed using a few basic questions:

● Which threats present a danger to the organization’s assets in the given environment? ● Which threats represent the most danger to the organization’s information? ● Which threats would cost the most to recover from if there was an attack? ● Which threats require the greatest expenditure to prevent?

By answering these questions, you can establish a framework for discussing threat assessment. The list may not cover everything, however. If an organization has specific guidelines or poli- cies, these may require the posing of additional questions. The list is easily expanded to include additional requirements.

Vulnerability Identification Once you have identified the organization’s information assets and documented some criteria for assessing the threats they face, you should review each information asset and each threat it faces to create a list of vulnerabilities. You should then examine how each of the threats could be perpetrated. Finally, you should list the organization’s assets and its vulnerabilities. The list shows all the vulnerabilities of all the

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information assets and can be quite long. Some threats manifest themselves in multiple ways, yielding multiple vulnerabilities for that threat. The process of listing vulnerabilities is somewhat subjective and draws on the experience and knowledge of the people creating the list. Therefore, it works best when groups of people with diverse backgrounds work itera- tively in a series of brainstorming sessions. For instance, the team that reviews the vulner- abilities for networking equipment should include the networking specialists, the systems management team that operates the network, the information security risk specialist, and even technically proficient users of the system.

At the end of the risk identification process, you will have a list of all the information assets and their respective vulnerabilities. This list, along with any supporting documentation, is the starting point for the next step, risk assessment.

Risk Assessment Now that you have identified the organization’s information assets and the threats and vul- nerabilities of those assets, it’s time to assess the relative risk for each vulnerability. This is accomplished through a process called risk assessment. Risk assessment assigns a risk rating or score to each information asset. Although this number does not mean anything in absolute terms, it is useful in gauging the relative risk to each vulnerable information asset and facili- tates the development of comparative ratings later in the risk control process. Figure 1-4 shows the factors that go into the risk-rating estimate for each of the vulnerabilities.

The goal at this point is to create a method for evaluating the relative risk of each of the listed vulnerabilities. There are many detailed methods for determining accurate and detailed costs of each of the vulnerabilities. Likewise, there are models that can be used to estimate expenses for the variety of controls that can be used to reduce the risk for each vulnerability. However, it is often more useful to use a simpler risk model (such as the one shown in Figure 1-4) to evaluate the risk for each information asset. The following sections pres- ent the factors used to calculate the relative risk for each vulnerability.

Likelihood The probability that a specific vulnerability within an organization will be successfully attacked is referred to as likelihood.10 In risk assessment, you assign a numeric value to the likelihood of a vulnerability being successfully exploited. A likelihood

Risk is the likelihood of the occurrence of a vulnerability

multiplied by the value of the information asset

minus the percentage of risk mitigated by current controls

plus the uncertainty of current knowledge of the vulnerability.

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Figure 1-4 Factors of risk

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1 vulnerability could be assigned a number between 0.1 (for low) and 1.0 (for high), or it could be assigned a number between 1 and 100, but 0 is not used because vulnerabilities with a zero likelihood have been removed from the asset/vulnerability list. Whatever rating system is used, you should bring all your professionalism, experience, and judgment to bear, and you should use the rating model you selected consistently. Whenever possible, use external references for likelihood values that have been reviewed and adjusted for your spe- cific circumstances.

Many asset/vulnerability combinations have sources for determining their likelihoods. For example, the likelihood of a fire has been actuarially estimated for each type of structure (such as a building). Likewise, the likelihood that a given e-mail contains a virus or worm has been researched. Finally, the number of network attacks can be forecast based on how many network addresses the organization has been assigned.

Valuation of Information Assets Using the information obtained during the infor- mation asset identification phases, you can assign weighted scores for the value to the organi- zation of each information asset. The actual numbers used can vary with the needs of the organization. Some groups use a scale of 1 to 100, with “100” reserved for those information assets that, if lost, would cause the company to stop operations within a few minutes. Other scales assign weights in broad categories, assigning all critical assets a value of 100, all low- critical assets a value of 1, and all others a value of 50. Still other groups use a scale of 1 to 10 or assigned values of 1, 3, and 5 to represent low-valued, medium-valued, and high-valued assets. You can also create weight values for your specific needs. To be effective, the values must be assigned by asking the questions described in the “Threat Identification” section.

After re-asking these questions, you should use the background information from the risk identification process to pose one additional question: Which of these questions is most important to the protection of the organization’s information? This helps you set priorities in the assessment of vulnerabilities. Additional questions may also be asked. Again, you are looking at threats the organization faces in its current state; however, this information will be valuable in later stages as you begin to design the security solution. Once these questions are answered, you move to the next step in the process: examining how current controls can reduce the risk faced by specific vulnerabilities.

If a vulnerability is fully managed by an existing control, it no longer needs to be considered for additional controls and can be set aside. If it is partially controlled, you need to estimate what percentage of the vulnerability has been controlled.

It is impossible to know everything about each vulnerability, such as how likely it is to occur or how great an impact a successful attack would have. The degree to which a current control can reduce risk is also subject to estimation error. You must apply judg- ment when adding factors into the equation to allow for an estimation of the uncer- tainty of the information.

Risk Determination For the purpose of making relative risk assessments, we can say that risk equals the likelihood of a vulnerability occurring times the value (or impact) of that asset to the organization minus the percentage of risk that is already being con- trolled plus an element of uncertainty. For example, consider an information asset A that has a value of 50 and one vulnerability with a likelihood of 1.0 and no current controls; furthermore, it’s estimated that the assumptions and data are 90 percent

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accurate (that is, there’s a 10 percent uncertainty). Therefore, asset A’s vulnerability is rated as 55, which is derived from the following calculation:

(50 [being the value] × 1.0 [being the likelihood of occurrence]) – 0 percent [being the percent of risk currently controlled] + 10 percent [being the uncertainty of our assumptions]

Or, using just numbers:

55 = (50 × 1.0) – ((50 × 1.0) × 0.0) + ((50 × 1.0) × 0.1)

55 = 50 – 0 + 5

Qualitative Risk Management Now that this formula has been carefully explained, you need to keep in mind that virtually every number used in it has been estimated by someone, somewhere. Insurance companies may have reliable values for physical disasters (fire, floods, etc.), but a different approach may be preferred when considering the substantial portion of an organization’s budget that goes for informa- tion security as well as the budget for IR, DR, and BC planning and preparation. Some organizations prefer more qualitative approaches in which more general categories and ranking are used to evaluate risk. One such approach—the Factor Anal- ysis of Information Risk (FAIR) strategy promoted by CXOWARE, a company focusing on enterprise risk management. (http://riskmanagementinsight.com)—is flexible yet robust.

For each threat and its associated vulnerabilities that have residual risk, you need to create a preliminary list of control ideas. Residual risk is the risk that remains to the information asset even after the existing control has been applied.

Identify Possible Controls Controls, safeguards, and countermeasures are terms used to represent security mechanisms, policies, and procedures that reduce the risk of operating information systems. The three general categories of controls, according to the CNSS model discussed earlier, are policies, programs (education and training), and technologies.

Policies are documents that specify an organization’s approach to security. There are three types of security policies: the enterprise information security policy, issue-specific policies, and systems-specific policies. The enterprise information security policy is an executive-level docu- ment that outlines the organization’s approach and attitude toward information security and relates to the strategic value of information security within the organization. This document, typically created by the CIO in conjunction with the CEO and CISO, sets the tone for all sub- sequent security activities. Issue-specific policies address the specific implementations or appli- cations of which users should be aware. These policies are typically developed to provide detailed instructions and restrictions associated with security issues. Examples include policies for Internet use, e-mail, and access to the building. Finally, systems-specific policies address the particular use of certain systems. This could include firewall configuration policies, systems access policies, and other technical configuration areas.

Programs are activities performed within the organization to improve security. These include security education, training, and awareness programs. Security technologies are implementa- tions of the policies defined by the organization using technology-based mechanisms, such as firewalls or intrusion detection systems.

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1 Risk Control Strategies When management has determined that the risks from information security threats are unac- ceptable, or when laws and regulations mandate such action, they empower the information technology and information security communities of interest to control the risks. Once the project team for information security development has created the ranked vulnerability work- sheet, it must choose one of the following five approaches for controlling the risks that result from the vulnerabilities:

● Defense ● Transferal ● Mitigation ● Acceptance ● Termination

Defense The defense approach attempts to prevent the exploitation of the vulnerability. This is the preferred approach and is accomplished by means of countering threats, remov- ing vulnerabilities in assets, limiting access to assets, and adding protective safeguards. This approach is sometimes referred to as avoidance.

There are three common methods of risk defense: defense through application of policy, defense through application of training and education programs, and defense through applica- tion of technology. The application of policy allows management to mandate that certain pro- cedures are always followed. For example, if the organization needs to control password use more tightly, a policy requiring passwords on all IT systems can be implemented. Note that policy alone may not be enough and that effective management always couples changes in policy with training and education and/or the application of technology. Policy must be com- municated to employees. In addition, new technology often requires training. Awareness, training, and education are essential if employees are to exhibit safe and controlled behavior.

In the real world of information security, technical solutions are usually required to assure that risk is reduced. To continue the earlier example, system administrators may not configure systems to use passwords unless required by policy. Without the policy to mandate the use of passwords, the system administrator may choose not to implement them.

Risks may be avoided by countering the threats facing an asset or by eliminating the exposure of a particular asset. Eliminating the risk posed by a threat is virtually impossible, but it is possible to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. Another method of risk management that falls under the defense category is the implementation of security controls and safeguards to deflect attacks on systems and therefore minimize the probability that an attack will be successful. An organization with an FTP access vulnerability, for example, may choose to implement a control or safeguard for that service, or the organization may choose to eliminate the FTP service to avoid the potential risk.

Transferal The transferal approach attempts to shift the risk to other assets, other pro- cesses, or other organizations. This may be accomplished through rethinking how services are offered, revising deployment models, outsourcing to other organizations, purchasing insurance, or implementing service contracts with providers.

Overview of Risk Management 21

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When an organization does not have the correct balance of information security skills, it should consider hiring or making outsourcing arrangements with individuals or firms that provide such expertise. This allows the organization to transfer the risks associated with the management of these complex systems to another organization that has experience in dealing with those risks. A side benefit of specific contract arrangements is that the provider is respon- sible for disaster recovery and, through service-level agreements, can be made responsible for guaranteeing server and Web site availability.

However, outsourcing is not without its own risks. It is up to the owner of the information asset, IT management, and the information security team to ensure that the disaster recovery requirements of the outsourcing contract are sufficient and have been met before they are needed for recovery efforts. If the outsourcer fails to meet the contract terms, the consequences may be far worse than expected.

Mitigation The mitigation approach attempts to reduce the impact caused by the exploitation of vulnerability through planning and preparation. This approach includes contingency planning and its four functional components: the business impact analysis, the incident response plan, the disaster recovery plan, and the business continuity plan. Each of these components of the contingency plan depends on the ability to detect and respond to an attack as quickly as possible and relies on the existence and quality of the other plans. Mitigation begins with the early detection that an attack is in progress and the ability of the organization to respond quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Each of these is described later in this chapter and explored in depth in later chapters of the book.

Acceptance Acceptance is the choice to do nothing to protect an information asset and to accept the outcome of its potential exploitation. This may or may not be a conscious business decision. The only industry-recognized valid use of this strategy occurs when the organization has done the following:

● Determined the level of risk ● Assessed the probability of attack ● Estimated the potential damage that could occur from an attack ● Performed a thorough cost-benefit analysis ● Evaluated controls using each appropriate type of feasibility ● Decided that the particular function, service, information, or asset did not justify the

cost of protection

This control, or rather lack of control, is based on the conclusion that the cost of protecting an asset does not justify the security expenditure. In this case, management may be satisfied with taking its chances and saving the money that would normally be spent on protecting this asset. If every vulnerability identified in the organization is handled through acceptance, it may reflect an organization’s inability to conduct proactive security activities and an apa- thetic approach to security in general.

Termination Like acceptance, termination is based on the organization’s need or choice to leave an asset unprotected. Here, however, the organization does not wish the informa- tion asset to remain at risk and so removes it from the environment that represents risk. Sometimes, the cost of protecting an asset outweighs its value. In other cases, it may be too

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1 difficult or expensive to protect an asset, compared to the value or advantage that asset offers the company. In either case, termination must be a conscious business decision, not simply the abandonment of an asset, which would technically qualify as acceptance.

Contingency Planning and Its Components A key role for all managers is planning. Managers in IT in general and information security in particular usually provide strategic planning for an organization to ensure the continuous availability of information systems. Unfortunately for managers, the probability that some form of damaging event will occur, whether it be from inside or outside, intentional or acci- dental, human or nonhuman, annoying or catastrophic, is very high. Thus, managers from each community of interest within the organization must be ready to act when a successful attack occurs.

There are various types of plans for events of this type, and they all fall under the general def- inition of contingency planning. A contingency plan is used to anticipate, react to, and recover from events that threaten the security of information and information assets in the organiza- tion; it is also used to restore the organization to normal modes of business operations.

Contingency planning (CP) typically involves four subordinate functions:

● Business impact analysis (BIA) ● Incident response planning (IRP) ● Disaster recovery planning (DRP) ● Business continuity planning (BCP)

Each of these is described in the following sections and discussed in greater detail in later chapters. You will notice that contingency planning has many similarities with the risk man- agement process. The contingency plan is a microcosm of risk management activities, and it focuses on the specific steps required to return all information assets to the level at which they were functioning before the incident or disaster. As a result, the planning process closely emulates the process of risk management.

Business Impact Analysis The entire planning process begins with an assessment of the risks associated with these contingencies. The first function in the development of the CP process is the business impact analysis (BIA). A BIA is an investigation and assessment of the impact that various attacks can have on the organization. The BIA takes up where the risk assessment process leaves off. It begins with the prioritized list of threats and vulnerabilities identified in the risk management process and adds critical information. The BIA is a crucial component of the initial planning stages, as it provides detailed scenarios of the potential impact each attack could have on the organization.

Incident Response Plan The actions an organization can, and perhaps should, take while an incident is in progress are defined in a document referred to as the incident response plan (IR plan). An incident is any clearly identified attack on the organization’s information assets that would threaten the

Contingency Planning and Its Components 23

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assets’ confidentiality, integrity, or availability. The IR plan deals with identifying, classifying, responding to, and recovering from an incident. It provides answers to questions victims might pose in the midst of an incident, such as “What do I do now?” In this chapter’s opening sce- nario, the IT organization was ready to respond to the events that had alerted JJ to an unusual situation. There, a simple process was used, based on documented procedures that were prepared in advance. Another example would be a systems administrator who notices that someone is copying information from the server without authorization, signaling a violation of policy by a potential hacker or unauthorized employee. What should the administrator do first? Whom should be contacted? What should be documented? The IR plan supplies the answers.

In the event of a serious virus or worm outbreak, the IR plan may be used to assess the likelihood of imminent damage and to inform key decision makers in the various communities of interest (IT, information security, organization management, and users). The IR plan also enables the organization to take coordinated action that is either predefined and specific or ad hoc and reactive. The intruders who, in some instances, cause these incidents, constantly look for new weaknesses in operating systems, network services, and protocols.

According to a report released by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon Univer- sity, “[Intruders] actively develop and use sophisticated programs to rapidly penetrate systems. As a result, intrusions, and the damage they cause, are often achieved in a matter of seconds.”11

Another report released by the Software Engineering Institute states that organizations “will not know what to do in the event of an intrusion if the necessary procedures, roles, and responsibilities have not been defined and exercised in advance.” The absence of such proce- dures, the report adds, can lead to the following:

● Extensive damage to data, systems, and networks due to not taking timely action to contain an intrusion. This can result in increased costs, loss of productivity, and loss of business.

● The possibility of an intrusion affecting multiple systems both inside and outside your organization because staff did not know who else to notify and what addi- tional actions to take

● Negative exposure in the news media that can damage your organization’s stature and reputation with your shareholders, your customers, and the community at large

● Possible legal liability and prosecution for failure to exercise an adequate standard of due care when your systems are inadvertently or intentionally used to attack others.12

Source: Carnegie Mellon University

Disaster Recovery Plan The most wisely implemented form of mitigation strategy is the disaster recovery plan. A disaster recovery plan (DR plan) deals with the preparation for and recovery from a disaster, whether natural or man-made. Although media backup strategies are an integral part of the disaster recovery plan, the overall program includes the entire spectrum of activities used to recover from an incident. The DR plan can include strategies to limit losses before and during the disaster. These strategies are fully deployed once the disaster has stopped. DR plans usually include all preparations for the recovery process, strategies to limit losses during the disaster, and detailed steps to follow when the smoke clears, the dust settles, or the floodwaters recede.

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1 The DR plan and IR plan development processes overlap to a degree. In many regards, the DR plan is an extension to the IR plan that covers disastrous events. The IR plan is also flex- ible enough to be useful in situations that are near disasters but still require coordinated, planned actions. Although some DR plan and IR plan decisions and actions are the same, their urgency and results can differ dramatically. The DR plan focuses more on preparations completed before the incident and actions taken after the incident, whereas the IR plan focuses on intelligence gathering, information analysis, coordinated decision making, and urgent, concrete actions.

Business Continuity Plan The third type of planning document that’s part of the mitigation strategy is the business con- tinuity plan (BCP). A business continuity plan (BC plan) is a document that describes how, in the event of a disaster, critical business functions will continue at an alternate location while the organization recovers its ability to function at the primary site—as supported by the DR plan. The BC plan is the most strategic and long term of the three plans. It encom- passes the continuation of business activities if a catastrophic event occurs, such as the loss of an entire database, building, or operations center. The BC plan development process includes planning the steps necessary to ensure the continuation of the organization when the scope or scale of a disaster exceeds the ability of the DR plan to restore operations. Many companies offer services as a contingency against disastrous events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, and most natural disasters.

A related tool that is being used more and more often in contingency planning is the busi- ness resumption plan (BR plan). The phrase itself reflects the fact that disaster recovery and business continuity are closely related functions, and it is used here to describe an approach that merges the capabilities of both subsets of contingency planning. In a grow- ing number of organizations, all the subordinate functions of the contingency plan may be handled as a single planning process, resulting in a single document. In large, complex organizations, all these plans may represent separate but related planning functions that differ in scope, applicability, and design. In a small organization, the security administra- tor (or systems administrator) may have one simple plan that consists of a straightforward set of media backup and recovery strategies and a few service agreements from the com- pany’s service providers. However, the sad reality is that many organizations have a level of planning that is woefully deficient.

Contingency Planning Timeline Here is a brief review of the steps involved in CP:

● The IR plan focuses on immediate response, but if the event escalates or is disastrous (such as a fire, flood, earthquake, or total blackout), the process moves on to disaster recovery and the BCP.

● The DR plan typically focuses on restoring systems at the original site after disasters occur and, as such, is closely associated with the BC plan.

● The BC occurs concurrently with the DR plan when the damage is major or long term, requiring more than simple restoration of information and information resources. The BCP establishes critical business functions at an alternate site.

Contingency Planning and Its Components 25

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Some organizations treat the DR plan and BC plan as so closely linked that they are indistin- guishable. However, each has a distinct role and planning requirement. The following sections describe the tasks necessary for each of these three types of plans. You can also further distinguish among the three types of planning by examining when each comes into play during the life of an incident. Figure 1-5 shows a sample sequence of events and the overlap when the plans come into play. Disaster recovery activities typically continue even after the organization has resumed operations at the original site.

The major project work modules (described later in this book) that are performed by the contingency planning project team are shown in Figure 1-6. Although the figure does not explain these modules in full detail, it provides a useful overview of the process. Many of the sections of upcoming chapters correspond to the steps depicted in this diagram.

There are seven steps in NIST SP 800-34, Revision 1, where CP involves much more than the IRP, DRP, and BCP.13 Here are the seven steps:

1. Develop the contingency planning policy statement. The CP Policy is the formal pol- icy that will guide the efforts of the subordinate teams in developing their plans, and the overall operations of the organization during contingency operations.

2. Conduct the business impact analysis (BIA). The BIA, described later in this chapter, helps identify and prioritize organizational functions, and the information systems and components critical to supporting the organization’s mission/business processes.

3. Identify preventive controls. Assess those countermeasures and safeguards that mitigate the risk and impact of events on organizational data, operations, and personnel.

Incident recovery

Incident resolved Operations restored End IRP

Disaster recovery (Restore operations at primary site)

IRP

DRP

BCP

Pr im

ar y

O pe

r

BRP

at io

ns R

es to

re d

En d

DR P/

BC P

Event occurs Post-event (hours) Post-event (days)

Incident detection

Incident reaction

Disaster reaction

Continuity reaction

Alternate site operations

(If incident classified as disaster)

(If event is classified as an incident)

(If disaster requires off-site operations)

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Figure 1-5 Contingency planning timeline

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1

4. Create contingency strategies. The CPMT, with input from the subordinate team leaders will evaluate and invest in strategies that will support the IR, DR, and BC efforts should an event affect business operations. These include data backup and recovery plans, off-site data storage and alternate site occupancy strategies.

5. Develop subordinate plans. For each subordinate area develop a plan to handle the corresponding actions and activities necessary to (1) respond to an incident, (2) recover from a disaster, and (3) establish operations at an alternate site follow- ing a disruptive event.

6. Ensure plan testing, training, and exercises. Ensure each subordinate plan is tested and the corresponding personnel are trained to handle any event that escalates into an incident or a disaster.

7. Ensure plan maintenance. Manage the plan, ensuring periodic review, evaluation, and updating.

Source: NIST, SP 800-34, Revision 1

These seven stages are illustrated in Figure 1-7.

Before the event, the organization should form the CPMT. That is, they should assemble the management team that will guide CP planning and execution. This includes representatives from business management, operations, and the projected subordinate teams. After the con- tingency plan is drafted, the subordinate teams, policies, and plans are developed.

Form the CP team.

Determine mission/business

processes & recover criticality.

Develop the CP policy statement.

Identify recovery priorities for

system resources.

Form subordinate planning teams

(IR/DR/BC).

Develop subordinate

planning policies (IR/DR/BC).

Integrate the business impact analysis (BIA).

Identify preventive controls.

Organize response

teams (IR/DR/BC).

Create response strategies (IR/DR/BC).

Develop subordinate plans

(IR/DR/BC).

Ensure plan testing, training, and

exercises.

Ensure plan maintenance.

Conduct the business impact analysis (BIA).

Identify resource requirements.

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Figure 1-6 Major steps in contingency planning

Contingency Planning and Its Components 27

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The NIST plans that support these processes are summarized in Table 1-4.

Develop Contingency

Planning Policy

• Identify statutory or regulatory requirements for contingency plans • Develop IT contingency planning policy statement • Obtain approval of policy • Publish policy

• Develop test objectives • Develop success criteria • Document lessons learned • Incorporate into the plan • Train personnel

• Review and update plan • Coordinate with internal/external organizations • Control distribution • Document changes

• Identify critical IT resources • Identify outage impacts and allowable outage times • Develop recovery priorities

• Implement controls • Maintain controls

• Identify methods • Integrate into system architecture

• Document recovery strategy

Conduct Business Impact

Analysis

Identify Preventive Controls

Develop Recovery Strategies

Develop Contingency

Plan

Plan Testing, Training, and

Exercises

Plan Maintenance

Source: NIST, SP 800-34, Revision 1

Figure 1-7 Stages of contingency planning

Plan Purpose Scope Plan Relationship

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

Provides procedures for sustaining mission/business operations while recovering from a significant disruption

Addresses mission/business processes at a lower or expanded level from COOP MEFs

Mission/business process- focused plan that may be activated in coordination with a COOP plan to sustain non-MEFs

Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan

Provides procedures and guidance to sustain an organization’s MEFs at an alternate site for up to 30 days; mandated by federal directives

Addresses MEFs at a facility; information systems are addressed based only on their support of the mission essential functions

MEF focused plan that may also activate several business unit-level BCPs, ISCPs, or DRPs, as appropriate

Crisis Communications Plan

Provides procedures for disseminating internal and external communications; means to provide critical status information and control rumors

Addresses communications with personnel and the public; not information system-focused

Incident-based plan often activated with a COOP or BCP, but may be used alone during a public exposure event

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Plan

Provides policies and procedures for protection of national critical infrastructure components, as defined in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan

Addresses critical infrastructure components that are supported or operated by an agency or organization

Risk management plan that supports COOP plans for organizations with critical infrastructure and key resource assets

Cyber-Incident Response Plan

Provides procedures for mitigating and correcting a cyber-attack, such as a virus, worm, or Trojan horse

Addresses mitigation and isolation of affected systems, cleanup, and minimizing loss of information.

Information system- focused plan that may activate an ISCP or DRP, depending on the extent of the attack

Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

Provides procedures for relocating information systems operations to an alternate location

Activated after major system disruptions with long-term effects

Information system- focused plan that activates one or more ISCPs for recovery of individual systems

Table 1-4 Types of NIST contingency-related plans (continues) Source: NIST, SP 800-34, Revision 1

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1

Figure 1-8 shows how the various plans referenced in SP 800-34 relate to one another.

Role of Information Security Policy in Developing Contingency Plans

Much of what must be done in CP should be guided by, and reinforce, organizational information security policies. In fact, the outcome of the typical CP process is often new policy. This reinforces the need for proactive planning for the employees and the organi- zation. It also indicates that policy is needed to enforce certain requirements for the protection of information before, during, and after any situation requiring a contingency

Plan Purpose Scope Plan Relationship

Information System Contingency Plan (ISCP)

Provides procedures and capabilities for recovering an information system

Addresses single information system recovery at the current or, if appropriate alternate location

Information system- focused plan that may be activated independent from other plans or as part of a larger recovery effort coordinated with a DRP, COOP, and/or BCP

Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP)

Provides coordinated procedures for minimizing loss of life or injury and protecting property damage in response to a physical threat

Focuses on personnel and property particular to the specific facility; not mission/ business process or information system-based

Incident-based plan that is initiated immediately after an event, preceding a COOP or DRP activation

Table 1-4 Types of NIST contingency-related plans (continued) Source: NIST, SP 800-34, Revision 1

ORGANIZATION

Crisis Communications Plan

OEP

DRP

ISCP** CIRP

COOPBCP*

Plans may be implemented in coordination with one another * One or more BCPs could be activated. ** One or more ISCPs could be activated. = Business/mission process-focused pan = Assets/personnel-focused plan = Information system-focused plan

CIP

Source: NIST, SP 800-34, Revision 1

Figure 1-8 Interrelationship of emergency preparedness plans

Role of Information Security Policy in Developing Contingency Plans 29

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plan. To better understand this relationship, a brief review of the key elements of the policy-making process is in order.

Quality security programs begin and end with policy.14 Because information security is primarily a management problem, not a technical one, policy obliges personnel to function in a manner that adds to the security of information assets rather than as a threat to those assets. Security policies are the least expensive control in that they involve only the time and effort of the management team to create, approve, and communicate, but they are the most difficult to implement properly. Shaping policy is difficult because it must never conflict with laws, must stand up in court if challenged, and must be properly administered through dissemination and documented acceptance.

Key Policy Definitions Before examining the various types of information security policies, it is important to under- stand exactly what policies and standards are and how they should be used.

A policy is a plan or course of action used by an organization to convey instructions from its senior management to those who make decisions, take actions, and perform other duties on behalf of the organization. Policies are organizational laws in that they dictate acceptable and unacceptable behavior within the context of the organization’s culture. Like laws, poli- cies must define what is right, what is wrong, what the penalties are for violating policy, and what the appeal process is.

Standards, which have the same compliance requirements as policies, are more detailed state- ments of what must be done to comply with policy. Standards may be casually accepted; these are referred to as informal or de facto standards. Alternatively, they may be published, scrutinized, and ratified by a group; these are referred to as formal or de jure standards. Finally, there are practices, procedures, and guidelines, which explain how to comply with policy. Figure 1-9 shows policies as the force that drives standards, which in turn drive practices, procedures, and guidelines.

Policies are sanctioned by senior management.

DRIVE

Standards are built on sound policy and carry the weight of policy.

Practices, procedures, and guidelines include detailed steps required to meet the requirements of standards

Policies

Standards

DRIVE

Practices Procedures Guidelines

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Figure 1-9 Policies, standards, and practices

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1 Policies are written to support the mission, vision, and strategic planning of an organization. The mission of an organization is a written statement of an organization’s purpose. The vision of an organization is a written statement about the organization’s goals—where will it be in five years? In 10 years? Strategic planning is the process of moving the organization toward its vision.

To be effective, a policy must be disseminated by all means possible, including printed per- sonnel manuals, organization intranets, and periodic supplements. All members of the organi- zation must read, understand, and agree to the policies. At the same time, policies should be considered living documents, in that they require constant modification and maintenance as the needs of the organization evolve.

In general, a security policy is a set of rules that protect an organization’s assets. An informa- tion security policy provides rules for the protection of the information assets of the organi- zation. According to NIST SP 800-14, management must define three types of security policy: the enterprise security policy, issue-specific security policies, and systems-specific security policies.

Enterprise Information Security Policy An enterprise information security policy (EISP) is also known as a general security policy, IT security policy, or information security policy. The EISP is based on and directly supports the mission, vision, and direction of the organization and sets the strategic direction, scope, and tone for all security efforts. The EISP is an executive-level document, usually drafted by, or in cooperation with, the chief information officer of the organization. This policy is usu- ally two to 10 pages long and shapes the philosophy of security in the IT environment. The EISP does not usually require continuous modification, unless there is a change in the strate- gic direction of the organization.

The EISP guides the development, implementation, and management of the security program. It contains the requirements to be met by the information security blueprint or framework. It defines the purpose, scope, constraints, and applicability of the security program in the orga- nization. It also assigns responsibilities for the various areas of security, including systems administration, maintenance of the information security policies, and the practices and responsibilities of the users. Finally, it addresses legal compliance. According to NIST, the EISP typically addresses compliance by documenting the organizational structures put into place, describing the programs that have been developed, and reviewing the assignment of responsibilities and/or the use of specified penalties and disciplinary actions.15

When the EISP has been developed, the CISO (or chief information security officer) begins forming the security team and initiating the necessary changes to the information security program.

Issue-Specific Security Policy As an organization executes various technologies and processes to support routine opera- tions, guidelines are needed to instruct employees to use these technologies and processes properly. In general, the issue-specific security policy (ISSP) addresses specific areas of tech- nology and contains a statement on the organization’s position on a specific issue. It requires frequent updating.16

Role of Information Security Policy in Developing Contingency Plans 31

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There are several approaches to creating and managing ISSPs, each with its own set of ISSP documents. Here are the three most common ones:

● Independent ISSP documents, each tailored to a specific issue ● A single comprehensive ISSP document covering all issues ● A modular ISSP document that unifies policy creation and administration while main-

taining each specific issue’s requirements

Table 1-5 shows a sample ISSP, which can be used as a template to enable an organization to address all the key points of such a policy. An organization should add to this structure the specific details that dictate security procedures not covered by these general guidelines.

1. Statement of policy

a. Scope and applicability

b. Definition of technology addressed

c. Responsibilities

2. Authorized access and usage of equipment

a. User access

b. Fair and responsible use

c. Protection of privacy

3. Prohibited usage of equipment

a. Disruptive use or misuse

b. Criminal use

c. Offensive or harassing materials

d. Copyrighted, licensed, or other intellectual property

e. Other restrictions

4. Systems management

a. Management of stored materials

b. Employer monitoring

c. Virus protection

d. Physical security

e. Encryption

5. Violations of policy

a. Procedures for reporting violations

b. Penalties for violations

6. Policy review and modification

a. Scheduled review of policy and procedures for modification

7. Limitations of liability

a. Statements of liability or disclaimers

Table 1-5 Sections of an issue-specific security policy17 Source: NIST, SP 800-34, Revision 1

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1 Each of the areas presented in Table 1-5 is discussed in the following sections. Even though the details may vary from policy to policy and some sections of a modular policy may be combined, it is essential for management to address and complete each section.

Statement of Policy The policy should begin with a clear statement of purpose that answers the following questions: What is the scope of this policy? Who is responsible and accountable for policy implementation? What technologies and issues does it address?

Authorized Access and Usage of Equipment This section of the policy statement addresses who can use the technology governed by the policy and what it can be used for. It defines “fair and responsible use” of equipment and other organizational assets, and it addresses key legal issues, such as protection of personal information and privacy.

Prohibited Usage of Equipment Whereas the previous section described what the issue or technology can be used for, this section outlines what it cannot be used for. Unless a par- ticular use is clearly prohibited, the organization cannot penalize its employees for misuse. The following can be prohibited: personal use, disruptive use or misuse, criminal use, use of offensive or harassing materials, and infringement of copyrighted, licensed, or other intellectual property.

Systems Management This section focuses on the users’ relationship to systems man- agement. It is important to designate all responsibilities to either the systems administrator or the users; otherwise, both parties may infer that the responsibility belongs to the other party.

Violations of Policy This section contains not only the specifics of the penalties for each category of violation but also instructions on how individuals in the organization can report observed or suspected violations without fear of recrimination or retribution.

Policy Review and Modification The policy should contain procedures and a time- table for periodic review. This section contains a specific methodology for the review and modification of the policy to ensure that users do not begin circumventing it as it grows obsolete.

Limitations of Liability This final section describes the limitations of the company’s liability. It should state that if employees violate a company policy or any law using com- pany technologies, the company will not protect them, and that the company is not liable for their actions.

Systems-Specific Policy Whereas issue-specific policies are formalized as written documents, distributed to users, and agreed upon in writing, systems-specific security policies (SysSPs) are frequently codified as standards and procedures to be used when configuring or maintaining systems. SysSPs can be organized into two groups:

● Access control lists (ACLs)—Lists, matrices, and capability tables governing the rights and privileges of particular users to particular systems

● Configuration rules—The specific configuration codes entered into security systems to guide the execution of the system when information is passing through it

Role of Information Security Policy in Developing Contingency Plans 33

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ACL Policies Most modern operating systems (OSs) translate ACLs into sets of config- urations that administrators use to control access to their respective systems. ACLs allow a configuration to set restrictions for a particular user, computer, time, duration—even a particular file. In general, ACLs regulate the who, what, when, and where of access:

● Who can use the system ● What authorized users can access ● When authorized users can access the system ● Where authorized users can access the system from

In some systems, these lists of ACL rules are known as capability tables, user profiles, or user policies. They specify what the user can and cannot do with the system’s resources.

Rule Policies Rule policies are more specific to the operation of a system than ACLs and may or may not deal with users directly. Many security systems require specific configura- tion scripts that tell the systems what actions to perform on each set of information they process. Examples of these systems are firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and proxy servers.

Policy Management Policies are living documents that must be nurtured, given that they are constantly changing and growing. They must be properly disseminated (distributed, read, understood, and agreed to) and managed. To remain viable, security policies must have the following:

● An individual (such as a policy administrator) responsible for the creation, revision, distribution, and storage of the policy; this individual should solicit input from all communities of interest in policy development.

● A schedule of reviews to ensure currency and accuracy, and to demonstrate due diligence

● A mechanism by which individuals can comfortably make recommendations for revi- sions, preferably anonymously

● A policy and revision date and possibly a “sunset” expiration date ● Optionally, policy management software to streamline the steps of writing the policy,

tracking the workflow of policy approvals, publishing the policy once it is written and approved, and tracking when individuals have read the policy

Chapter Summary ● The Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) has defined information security

as “the protection of information and its critical elements, including the systems and hardware that use, store, and transmit that information.” The industry standard for computer security since the development of the mainframe, the C.I.A. triangle, is used to illustrate the three most critical characteristics of information used within informa- tion systems: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

34 Chapter 1 An Overview of Information Security and Risk Management

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1 ● In general, a threat is an object, person, or other entity that is a potential risk of loss

to an asset. A threat-agent is a specific and identifiable instance of a general threat that exploits vulnerabilities set up to protect the asset. A vulnerability is a flaw or weakness in a system that could be exploited, resulting in a security breach.

● The identifiable threats to information security are espionage or trespass, software attacks, human error or failure, theft, compromises of intellectual property, sabotage or vandalism, technical software failures or errors, technical hardware failures or errors, forces of nature, deviations in quality of service from service providers, technological obsolescence, and information extortion. Other sources for types of threats are also possible.

● Risk management is the process of identifying and controlling the risks to an organiza- tion’s information assets. All managers are expected to play a role in the risk management process, but information security managers are expected to play the largest roles. Risk management consists of two major undertakings: risk identification and risk control.

● Risk identification requires managers to identify, classify, and prioritize the organization’s information assets. The process continues with threat identification, in which each informa- tion asset is examined to identify vulnerabilities, and to identify existing and possible controls.

● Those responsible for risk control can use a ranked vulnerability worksheet to choose one of the five approaches for controlling the risks that result from the vulnerabilities: defense, transferal, mitigation, acceptance, or termination. The defense approach attempts to pre- vent the exploitation of the vulnerability. The transferal approach attempts to shift the risk to other assets, other processes, or other organizations. The mitigation approach attempts to reduce the impact caused by the exploitation of vulnerability through planning and preparation. Acceptance is the choice to do nothing to protect an information asset and to accept the outcome of its potential exploitation. Termination is based on the organization’s need or choice to leave an asset unprotected without the information asset to remain at risk by removing it from the environment that represents risk.

● Contingency planning is a strategic process to ensure the continuous availability of infor- mation systems. A contingency plan is used to anticipate, react to, and recover from events that threaten the security of information and information assets in the organization; it is also used to restore the organization to normal modes of business operations. Contingency planning involves four subordinate functions: business impact assessment (BIA), incident response planning (IRP), disaster recovery planning (DRP), and business continuity plan- ning (BCP). Contingency planning has many similarities to the risk management process.

● Business impact analysis (BIA) is an investigation and assessment of the impact that vari- ous attacks can have on the organization. The BIA takes up where the risk assessment process leaves off. It begins with the prioritized list of threats and vulnerabilities identified in the risk management process and appends critical information. The incident response (IR) plan deals with identifying, classifying, responding to, and recovering from an inci- dent. The disaster recovery (DR) plan deals with the preparation for and recovery from a disaster, whether natural or man-made. A business continuity (BC) plan is a document that describes how, in the event of a disaster, critical business functions will continue at an alternate location while the organization recovers its ability to function at the primary site.

● Information security policy has a role in developing contingency plans. Much of what must be done in CP should be guided by, and reinforce, organizational information secu- rity policies. Information security is primarily a management problem, not a technical

Chapter Summary 35

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one. Policy obliges personnel to function in a manner that adds to the security of infor- mation assets rather than as a threat to those assets. Policies are written to support the mission, vision, and strategic planning of an organization. An enterprise information security policy is based on and directly supports the mission, vision, and direction of the organization and sets the strategic direction, scope, and tone for all security efforts.

● As an organization executes various technologies and processes to support routine operations, guidelines are needed to instruct employees in how to use these technologies and processes properly, with issue-specific policies to address specific areas of technol- ogy. Whereas issue-specific policies are formalized as written documents, distributed to users, and agreed upon in writing, systems-specific security policies are frequently codi- fied as standards and procedures to be used when configuring or maintaining systems

Review Questions 1. What is information security?

2. How is the CNSS model of information security organized?

3. What three principles are used to define the C.I.A. triangle? Define each in the context in which it is used in information security.

4. What is a threat in the context of information security?

5. What is an asset in the context of information security?

6. What is a vulnerability in the context of information security?

7. What is risk management?

8. What are the component parts of risk management?

9. Who is expected to be engaged in risk management activities in most organizations?

10. What are the basic strategies used to control risk? Define each.

11. What is a contingency plan?

12. List and describe the four subordinate functions of a contingency plan.

13. In general terms, what is policy?

14. What is the enterprise information security policy, and how is it used?

15. Why is shaping policy considered difficult?

16. What are standards? How are they different from policy?

17. What is an issue-specific security policy?

18. List the critical areas covered in an issue-specific security policy.

19. What is a systems-specific security policy?

20. When is a systems-specific security policy used?

36 Chapter 1 An Overview of Information Security and Risk Management

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1Real-World Exercises Exercise 1-1 Using a Web browser, search for any information security policies used at your academic institution. Compare them to the ones discussed in this chapter. Are there sections missing? If so, which ones?

Exercise 1-2 Using a Web browser, go to www.gocsi.com and download the latest CSI Computer Crime and Security Survey. What threats are currently the most dangerous? Which threats represent problems for your home computer? For your lab computer?

Exercise 1-3 Using a Web browser, go to http://cve.mitre.org. What type of site is this, and what information can it provide? Change the URL to http://cve.mitre.org/cve, click Search, and enter IP Validation Vulnerability in the search field. Click Search again. What information are you provided with? How would this be useful? Go to the URL noted in the CVE description for the Microsoft refer- ence. What additional information are you provided? How would this be useful?

Exercise 1-4 Using a Web browser, go to www.securityfocus.com. What information is provided under the BugTraq tab? Under the Vulnerabilities tab? On the Vulnerabilities tab, select Microsoft as the Vendor and Windows Messenger as the title. Look for a PNG Buffer Overflow vulnerability. What information is provided under the Exploit tab? What does it mean? How could an attacker use this information? How could a security manager?