Throughout This Course You Will Study The Different Roles

Throughout This Course You Will Study The Different Roles That Contrib

Throughout this course you will study the different roles that contribute to an organization's information security and assurance. Specifically, you will assume the role of a Cyber Security Threat Analyst for an organization you select. Your task involves conducting a comprehensive cyber threat analysis, focusing on analyzing vulnerabilities, potential threats, exploits, and countermeasures affecting the organization’s information systems and infrastructure.

The assessment requires identifying the organization's tangible assets, including virtualization, cloud environments, databases, networks, mobile devices, and information systems. You will also describe existing security measures, identify threat agents and potential attacks, explore exploitable vulnerabilities, evaluate past threat incidents and their impacts on the organization, and develop a prioritized list of risks along with recommended countermeasures for each.

Paper For Above instruction

Organization Selection: XYZ Corporation is a prominent manufacturer of medical devices and equipment, providing healthcare products for diagnostics, patient care, and laboratory use. The organization encompasses various IT assets, including cloud-based systems, on-premise servers, and mobile devices, making it an ideal subject for security analysis.

Assessment Scope and Asset Identification: The scope covers critical information systems and infrastructure such as a Salesforce.com CRM hosted on AWS, ERP applications like SAP and PeopleSoft, Oracle database servers, and network infrastructure. It includes mobile access, physical facilities, and cloud services, but excludes certain systems like payroll managed externally by KPMG because they are audited separately.

Specifically, tangible assets include:

• Cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
• On-premise and cloud-hosted database servers
• Network hardware including routers, switches, and firewalls
• Physical facilities and access controls
• Mobile devices accessing enterprise data

The assessment excludes systems like the external payroll system managed by third-party auditors due to existing oversight.

System Models and Asset Descriptions: The organizational infrastructure comprises various interconnected components:

• Cloud Services: Salesforce CRM and SAP ERP applications hosted on AWS providing critical customer and business data.
• On-premise Assets: Oracle database servers and internal file servers supporting core business operations.
• Network Infrastructure: Secure connections between cloud and on-premise assets, protected by firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
• Physical Assets: Data centers with physical access controls, and employee workstations.
• Mobile Devices: Company-issued smartphones and tablets with remote access capabilities.

A diagram representing these assets would illustrate cloud environments connected via VPNs and secure gateways to internal networks, with all components protected by layered security controls.

Existing Countermeasures: The organization has implemented several security controls:

• Third-party managed denial-of-service (DoS) prevention services
• Intrusion detection systems and firewalls at network perimeters
• Physical access controls including badge access to data centers
• Regular software updates and patch management
• Password policies enforcing complexity and periodic changes
• Security awareness training for employees to recognize social engineering attacks

Threat Agents and Possible Attacks: The threat landscape includes various actors and attack vectors, such as:

1. Cybercriminals: Conducting phishing campaigns, malware deployment, and data theft.
2. Insiders/Employees: Unintentional mistakes or malicious acts leading to data leakage.
3. Hackers: Exploiting vulnerabilities through software attacks like SQL injection and buffer overflows.
4. Competitors: Engaging in industrial espionage via social engineering or hacking.
5. Nation-State Actors: Conducting cyber warfare against critical infrastructure or stealing intellectual property.
6. Organized Crime Groups: Extortion, ransomware attacks, and infrastructure sabotage.
7. Script Kiddies: Using automated tools for unauthorized access with minimal technical knowledge.
8. Supply Chain Attackers: Compromising third-party vendors or software providers.

Specific attack scenarios include phishing to obtain credentials, malware infections via malicious email attachments, SQL injection exploiting database vulnerabilities, and DoS attacks over network infrastructure.

Exploitable Vulnerabilities: The assessment identified key vulnerabilities:

1. Human error or lack of training leading to poor password management
2. Unprotected network ports allowing unauthorized access
3. Outdated software versions susceptible to known exploits
4. Poorly configured file sharing and access controls
5. Inadequate physical security allowing unauthorized personnel access
6. Vulnerable web applications prone to SQL injection and buffer overflow
7. Unsecured mobile devices connecting remotely to enterprise systems
8. Employees leaving computers unlocked or transmitting sensitive information insecurely

Threat History and Business Impact: Recent cybersecurity incidents include:

• Denial-of-Service Attacks: Disrupted website and cloud service availability for two days, affecting customer access and order processing.
• Data Breaches: Theft of intellectual property via hacking, leading to potential loss of competitive advantage.
• Phishing Incidents: Multiple employees fell victim, resulting in credential compromise and subsequent network intrusion.
• Hardware Failures: On-premise server failures causing a week of service downtime.
• Theft of Physical Assets: Physical theft of equipment and devices over three weeks, requiring security incident responses.

These incidents underscore the importance of layered defense mechanisms, employee training, and incident response plans to mitigate business impact.

Risks and Contingency Planning: The organization faces several high-priority risks, including network exploits, malware, data loss, and insider threats. To address these, a risk matrix has been developed:

References

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