The Problem of Security Tools and Advisories
Introduction
Whether the intent be malicious or merely curiosity, people will always try to circumvent barriers. Physical locks have bread lock picks, and so digital barriers have bread hackers. In the new ethereal world of the wired, this common problem has developed a new dimension. Whereas physical security measures for business, banks, and the like is at a more sophisticated level than for home users, the digital security is similar at just about any level. And, because everyone is connected, and its difficult to know what is behind a given IP address, everyone is a target.
Clearly there is a problem, and something needs to be done to make sure the "bad guys" can't get into
…show more content…
The vulnerabilities exploited are typically well known, and typically patches are already available, or are available before the virus has become a massive threat.
This past summer, the Blaster and Nachi worms spread quickly using a bug in Microsoft's RPC service. A tool was written that could be used to detect if a system was vulnerable to the attack method the worm was using. I implemented an automatic testing method for all campus computers coming onto campus in September's to protect our network from the flood of traffic generated by these worms. Any unpatched systems had to be patched before being granted network access.
The system proved itself to work very effectively, and now is being expanded. Rather than simply test for specific problems, it will be testing computers against a large list of known exploits. Any unpatched systems, whether infected or not, will not be allowed full network access. The hope is to raise diligence in patching software, and prevent future virus outbreaks. The implementation of these anti-attack measures requires the use of port scanning and traffic sniffing tools, and for tools to be effective in detecting a remote vulnerability, a decently large amount of detail regarding the vulnerability much be available.
I have also been involved in less noble uses of security tools. My freshman year, I used a port scanner to look for computers with open FTP
I have learned skills to diagnose and repair software vulnerabilities within Windows and Linux operating systems through the CyberPatriot program. I also participated in additional studies within the Cisco Networking Academy and received a perfect score on the Cisco Networking Quiz during the CyberPatriot competition.
Utilizing two simple command switches, -O and -v, provided a wealth of information about the host system. Most notably, it listed all of the open ports, protocols, and the operating system of the target system. This quick gathering of information enabled the execution of more detailed commands against specific ports to expose specific vulnerabilities. This information can then be used to address any specific vulnerabilities that are
After initial intrusion malicious software is installed on victim host that is re-ferred as RAT (remote access Trojan). RAT takes the responsibility to connect with attacker and regularly performed the actions that instructed by attacker. At this intruder take the full command and control (C2) over target host. The fact is that the initial connection is established by victim host, not by the attacker [6]. This will happens mainly for two reasons: (i) organizations firewall usually allows the connections initialized by internal hosts, and (ii) this will help the attacker to not to detected easily. Because intrusion detection systems [7] can easily detect the extremely suspicious activity such as downloads from outside hosts.
There are several system tests conducted to locate vulnerabilities in the network; however, the penetration test is not one of them. The risk of not conducting penetration tests has not been identified, and it is an obvious risk PCPSS is willing to assume. Management has implemented corrective and remedial measures actions to quickly mitigate any weakness that found. Since the severity of not conducting penetration is high, risk tolerance mitigating, and action priority 1, automated systems are in place, however, to deliver real-time alerts in the event that a system-wide emergency should occur.
This report is containing four tasks and the aim of this report is to discuss vulnerabilities which are existed in Microsoft Windows Vista over the whole year 2008. In this report I will provide a reasonable level discussion of the history and vulnerabilities of Microsoft Windows Vista. The main sections are:
Any time a new security system is implemented it needs to be tested thoroughly. Part of the tests that are performed to ensure that the new or prosed system meets the goals set forth by the organization, is penetration testing. Penetration testing involves security professionals simulating “attacks by a malicious external source” (Whitman & Mattord, 2012, p. 551). These tests allow the security professionals to determine points of failure that may not have been identified in vulnerability testing, as well as the criticality of the items defined in the vulnerability tests. These tests can be performed in one of two ways, either with or without knowledge of the organizations information technology infrastructure. These two tests are known
Times are changing and the threats that businesses face are changing as well. Workplace security and asset protection is vital in order for a company of any size to be successful. Crime is getting more sophisticated and ruthless, and no matter how big or small a company is it needs to be mindful of threats to keep themselves protected. There are countless steps that can be taken to ensure that a company’s assets and employees are kept safe and out of harm’s way. A few of these steps include informing employees of security procedures to prevent dangerous situations, maintaining a competent security staff, and exterior facility defenses. Finally and perhaps the most important aspect, steps that can be taken in the unlikely event that a life threatening situation occurs.
Navigating vulnerable unpatched client-side workstations through the Internet super highway can lead to computer security
In today’s computer based world there are several potential and devastating threats like hackers, viruses, worms, and Trojans etc. to our computers, networks, and confidential information. So as to protect any computers, networks, and confidential information the installation of security applications is vital and hardware systems to protect our confidential information, computers, and networks. Some of the most popular Internet security systems are firewalls, intrusive prevention system, intrusive detection system, access control, and cryptographic tools and processes. However, there is no Internet security application or
A Web Service is software which is available over the internet and uses the standardized XML messaging system. To encode the communications, XML is used. Web services are self-contained, modular, distributed, dynamic applications that can be described, published, located, or invoked over the network to create products, processes, and supply chains. These applications can be local, distributed, or web-based. Web services are built on top of open standards such as TCP/IP, HTTP, Java, HTML, and XML. Web Services have three main components – Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) and Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and they are built on XML and HTTP platforms.
In the last decade there has been an almost exponential increase in the number, complexity and sophistication of malicious software. The rate of occurrence of cyber-attacks, the lighting fast speed of dissemination, and the economic impact requires same level of attention and response as a pandemic health crisis.
BotSwat, proposed by Stinson and Mitchell, is a host based taint tracking system to discover the programs that take advantage of the received network data to identify the potential remote control behavior. Limitation with the host based approach is its high false positive rate[2].
This memo presents the plans for the revision of information security and computer usage polices for Technocracy. The memo will outline discovered security issues and new policies including additional steps, goals and obstacles when implementing them.
The last half of the 20th Century surged with the excitement of digital innovation and discovery as the world connected networks of computers and servers together. It was the birth of the information age, a time when these new ideas and innovations would connect the world and change life forever. This webbed network of computers and servers became known as the internet and later as cyberspace. Today, it is estimated that there are over 8.7 billion devices connected and the number will grow exponentially, 15 billion by 2015, and 40 billion by 2020, and each one is a potential threat and everyone who connects to the internet is at risk (Day, Page IX). In this paper, I will argue that the Stuxnet worm is the harbinger for the dawn of a
On getting started, the exploit to be targeted should be selected and configured which is the code that targets the system with the intention of taking advantage of system. Once found, it can be validated if it is susceptible.