Application and OS Security

Application and OS Security

1. structure of an OS

   • Autenticate before access, control activities, control information flow, protect the app, user from all others on the same host.

2. Structure of an Application

   • Hardware Architecture
   • Process architecture
     • All the programs, executables, shell scripts, etc that are actively doing a task
   • Software communications architecture
     • How the sw bus is used
   • Data architecture
   • Network Architecture
     • networking interfaces, subnets, type of traffic, etc.
   • Configuration architecture
     • layout of files and directories
   • Operations, administration & maintenance architecture
     • the care and feeding methods and procedures

3. Application delivery

   • Halt the current executing instance at a safe point Save system execution state information, Export the database to files, Clean up the current instance

4. Application & Operating System Security

   • Hardware Security Issues
     • some measures are enabling the administrator to prevent system startups from floppy disks by setting a PROM password
   • Process Security Issues
     • Apps that use process flow maps must prevent from tampering with the configuration
   • Software Bus Security Issues
     • Setting files permissions
     • IPC mechanisms could use IPSec
     • Restrict clients by IP address or hostname
     • Messagin software
     • middleware security service providers
   • Data Security Issues
     • Operating systems provide file security through a security manager component of the file system.
   • Network Security Issues
     • Transport layer can extend beyond the 1024 the privileged ports
     • Network Layer requires IPSec connectivity from certain apps
     • Data link layer can turn off unsolicited ARP
   • Configuration Security Issues
     • Set permissions on system configuration files
     • policies of passwords
     • special group identities to match system logins
     • Using UNIX OS Pluggable Authentication
     • Prohibit executable stacks
   • Operations, Administration & Maintenance Security Issues
     • Protect backup tapes with sensitive information
     • Security Scanner
     • Automate security log reviews, Create audit logs to capture user logins and logouts,
     • Use a restricted shell, set variables correctly
     • Restrict SUID programs owned by root

5. Securing Network Services

   • FTP, uses port 21 for sending commands
   • Telnet, uses port 23 using TCP enables a client to log
   • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol on port 25 using TCP enables host to exchange e-mai
   • DNS to map IP addresses to hostnames and vice-versa
   • Finger, this queries the host for information on currently active users
   • HTTP runs on port 80
   • Network News Transfer Protocol runs on port 119, enables hosts to exchange news articles
   • Network Time Protocol, runs on port 123 using UDP used to query a reference timeserver

6. UNIX Pluggable Authentication Modules

   • User Authentication
   • Account Management
   • Session Management
   • Password management

7. UNIX Access Control Lists

   • Subjects
   • Objects & Objects-Access groups
   • Roles
   • ACL management commands