¶ … worst that could happen to an information system was a natural disaster destroying all information, nowadays, the category of risks has become thoroughly diversified and, because an increasing use of informational systems as data storage and processing tools, it has become more and more important to provide suitable solutions in each situations. In the paragraphs here below, we present a series of problems one may face in ensuring IT security in an organization, together with a set of solutions that may be applied. We have referred to external and internal vulnerabilities, as well as cyber, physical and social ones.
External/Internal Vulnerabilities
According to an excellent study by Gerhard Eschelbeck
, there are several generations of external threats and vulnerabilities worth discussing:
First Generation threats comprise external virus attacks, generally by email or forms of file sharing. The main characteristic of these attacks is that human action is needed in order for the virus to be replicated and spread to other computers. Examples from this category include the Melissa Macro virus, the LoveLetter VBScript worm or the SoBig virus.
Second Generation threats refer to "active worms leveraging system and application vulnerabilities"
. Viruses and Trojans are major representatives of this category, characterized by automatic replication and spreading. Common recent examples are the Slapper worm, the SQL Slammer worm and the Blaster worm.
Third Generation external threats are much tougher to handle, as the viruses and worms in this category are much more insidious, targeting viable potential victims in advance and, as such, having a faster propagation. These targets include Instant Messaging and Voice-over-IP systems. Even more worrying, traditional defenses are not always fully effective against these threats.
In terms of internal vulnerabilities, many of them seem to come from Microsoft. Indeed, according to Gerhard Eschelbeck, the top 10 internal vulnerabilities are...
Cybersecurity Vulnerability What are Vulnerabilities? Hardware attacks because of Vulnerabilities Hardware Data modification / injection The Scientist Argument Secure Coprocessing How organizations can best address its potential impacts Cybersecurity Vulnerability: Hardware Weakness This essay introduces the role that computer hardware weakness opens the door up for attack in cyber-physical systems. Hardware security -- whether for attack or defense -- is not the same as software, network, and data security on account of the nature of hardware. Regularly, hardware
This is problematic, as these kinds of issues could lead to wide spread disruptions with no one knowing or understanding where it came from. For example, if a terrorist group was able to master this tool, they could utilize it to attack Western power grids. (Magnuson, 2013) This would create significant amounts of disruptions without having anyone being able to trace what is happening directly. When this occurs, there is
This researcher rejects the existence of online communities because computer mediated group discussions cannot possibly meet this definition. Weinreich's view is that anyone with even a basic knowledge of sociology understands that information exchange in no way constitutes a community. For a cyber-place with an associated computer mediated group to be labeled as a virtual settlement it is necessary for it to meet a minimum set of conditions. These are:
Social Engineering as it Applies to Information Systems Security The research takes into account several aspects that better create an overview of the term and the impact it has on security systems. In this sense, the first part of the analysis reviews the concept of social engineering and the aspects it entails. Secondly, it provides a series of cases that were influenced by social engineering and the effects each had on
Metrics, Implementation, and Enforcement (Security Governance) How can you determine whether there has been a malware outbreak? The threat situation today has become more dangerous than in the past. Security and safety threats have been increasing in an alarming rate; there are more than 70,000 brand new bits of malware recognized daily. Well-funded cybercriminals have been currently making advanced malware that has been made to bypass present security options by launching prior
gathered on the DOD The tools and a description of the how they are used What sort of attacks would work in this case? Give some examples and how you would carry them out What social engineering and physical security aspects were discovered / devised? Give a detailed explanation What methods could you employ to help secure these vulnerabilities? What suggestions would you make to the organization if you were a penetration tester? Attack
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