1.6 security system

1.6 security system

1. threats posed to networks

   • malware or "Malicious software"
     • another word for hacking
     • viruses, worms and trojan horses
       • worms replicates itself in order to spread to other computers
         • often using a computer network
         • worms exploits vulnerabilities across the computer network
         • unlike a virus it does not need to attach to the program
       • trojan horses are designed to access a computer by misleading users of its intent
     • attaches it's self to programs or files on a computer server
       • can affect all components of an operating system
     • around 82,000 viruses are made each day, famous viruses include stuxnet and cryptolocker
   • social engineering
     • people as the weak point in secure systems
     • relies on human interaction (social skills)
     • commonly involves tricking users into breaking normal security procedures
     • method does not revolve around technical cracking techniques such as viruses or worms
     • phishing (form of social engineering)
       • fraud
       • designed to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, card details etc.
         • most common form of phishing attacks is through emails
     • Telephone System Mirroring (IVR)
       • direct phone calls that pretend to be an official service
   • DDOS
     • Disturbed denial of service
     • overloading a website with unwanted traffic
     • uses a number of computers over a network of infected machines which send requests to a website which would bring it offline
       • used as a "botnet"
   • brute force attacks
   • data interception and theft
     • data travels across networks in packets (packets can be intercepted)
     • if packets are encrypted, they can not be read without a key
     • unencrypted packets can be re-assembled using signatures
     • data can also be intercepted physically
   • SQL injection
     • where an attacker can execute malicious SQL statements using software which controls a database management system
     • can affect a website which uses SQL based databases
     • by exploiting the vulnerabilities of SQL through injection, attackers could access systems containing customer data, intellectual property and other sensitive information
   • poor network policy
     • could expose a network to numerous threats
       • users could be unaware to the risks of
         • using software
         • opening emails
         • turning off firewalls

2. identifying and preventing vulnerabillites

   • penetration testing
   • network forensics
   • network policies
   • anti-malware software
   • firewalls
   • user access levels
   • complex passwords
   • complex encryption