Description of Data Mart's Network - Assignment Example

Data Marts Network – Case Study Create a of Data Marts network, based on the information given. If you need to make assumptions, do so and state them in your description. Network security is essential for every organization that keeps some form of electronic database. This security is crucial because it defines their business. It serves as the perimeter defense (protection of boundaries) for the business. Data Mart’s network also relies on such a system. Availability, accuracy, authenticity and confidentiality are the pillars on which a network security company, like Data Mart, stands on. The assumptions one can make from the case can be; that the company will have enlarged client base in future. This assumption is based on their gradual growth from inception in 2003 to the present time. The company’s network comprises of the basic information security measurements; the C.I.A triangle. This is another assumption because all network security companies rely on this triangle as fundamentals of their business. Confidentiality, integrity and availability are the prime reasons why clients trust backup companies like Data Mart with their confidential information. An example of how Data Mart protects its data from untrusted network is shown in this diagram; Figure: Data Mart Basic Network Structure 2. Create a list of the organizations assets. Again, state your assumptions. The main asset category at Data Mart falls under intellectual assets, be it their staff or the company information they store in their 200 rack mounted servers. The assumptions are that the company has a simple setup of a typical backup protection company that offers additional services of data analysis. Here is a brief list of organization’s assets; Tangible Assets Physical Servers Computers Land Intangible Assets Data Archives Software (Antivirus Programs, Data Analysis, Data Management, Account Archives) Intellectual Property 3. Create a list of the threats that Data Mart faces. Data Mart faces all those threats that can damage its data or somehow compromise its integrity that the customers trust it with. Network connections create the possibility of spilling problems due to an exogenous or endogenous attack that depends on the profile of security investments (Acemoglu, Malekian, & Ozdaglar, 2013).  Here are some specific threats that Data Mart faces; Compromising Passwords Bypassing the access controls is one of the favorite attacks. Making educated guesses about passwords or trying every possible combination of numbers and letters makes them finally guess the right password. Cracking; guessing a password is referred to as cracking Brute Force Attack; means trying every possible combination of letters/numbers Dictionary attack; variation of brute force attack to bypass access Denial of Service and the Distributed Denial of Service In a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, the assailant sends a number of requests to the target. So, numerous requests are made that the system cannot appendage them. The system can crash or it may just be unable to accomplish different functions. In Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) the attacker(s) launches an integrated number of requests against an entity from numerous locations simultaneously. Malicious code (threats); These threats include Trojan horses, viruses, worms, active web scripts etc. meant to destroy of steal information. Polymorphic, multi-vector worm is the state of the art malicious code. It is difficult to detect. This can attack Data Mart’s system through; IP Scan and attack Web Browsing Virus Unprotected shares Mass mail Simple Network Management Spoofing Spoofing is a technique utilized to acquire unaccredited access to computers, where the attacker sends messages to IP addresses that represent to the acquirer that the messages are coming from a trusty source. To engage in IP spoofing, a programmer must use a range of methods to get an IP of a trustworthy source and then make the target accept the packet headers. Man in the middle In the well-known man-in-the-middle attack, the attacker monitors packets from the network, alters them using IP spoofing techniques, and then inserts them back into the network, which allows the offender to listen, delete, reroute, add, and/or modify the data. Email attacks; A number of attacks are made through the use of e-mail to refuse service to the victim (denial of service), to utilize the inexperience of someone, or to lure the person into installing doors or viruses. In summary, e-mail is the vehicle for attacks rather than the attack itself. There are different types of email attacks; Spam; unsolicited commercial email Mail bombing; routing large quantities of emails to the victim Sniffers A sniffer is a program or a trick that can watch data transfer over a network. Sniffers can be utilized both for legal and illegal functions. Stealing a message from the network is a illegal use of sniffing. Buffer Overflow A Buffer Overflow is an error that arises when much data is sent to a buffer than it can handle. During a Buffer Overflow, the attacker can create send instructions to the target system, or the attacker can gain something through the failure of the victim system. 4. Create a prioritized TVA (Threat Vulnerability Asset) worksheet, with the most valuable assets on the LEFT and the most dangerous at the TOP. With this worksheet, what should Data Mart focus on first with regard to protecting its most important assets? Threat Vulnerability Assessment Malicious code Buffer Overflow Email attacks Compromising Passwords Spoofing Distributed Denial of Service Physical Damage Information 6 5 5 5 4 2 1 Employees 1 1 6 5 6 4 3 Physical Assets 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 On a scale of 1-6, where six shows the highest severity of a threat and one represents the lowest Data Mart needs to protect their information asset. The companies rely on Data Mart for their customer information. The core asset of the company is customer information. They need to setup measures to protect this asset. Firewalls, secured IP address accesses, communication with clients on how to safely access their allotted archives and frequent scanning of archives for rectifying malicious codes is a good strategy to safeguard their assets. Building a firewall will prevent the company from obvious threats like viruses and spam. It will also alert the employees regarding any suspicious file that may or may not harm the data archive. For instance, here is a table showing fundamental protective measures to counter attacks on its network; Compromising Passwords Buffer Overflow Email attacks Spoofing Malicious code Distributed Denial of Service Preventive measures must include protective passwords guarded by further security questions Risk Management Using filtering technologies Newer routers and better firewall can prevent spoofing Better routers Better routers and close cooperation with service providers The company needs to hire experienced risk managers on immediate basis. It is operating without any IT risk management experts at the current moment. This can prove very costly in case something goes wrong. Preventable threats will become critical and the damage done will be more than normal containment. Data Mart has Alex Truman as the director of IT that supervises tech support help desk coordinator but this setup is not sufficient for the safeguard of customer data. ‘Sensor networks’ have proven helpful in building more secure networks (Singh, Singh, & Singh, 2011). As an additional measure the company can also install these network protocols. Data mart can also incorporate another novel but successful technique against Buffer overflow. Studies have shown a 66% success rate with the technique where Trust requester and trust provider send trust-requests and computed-trust tickets respectively, this traffic meets in a common node with a certain probability (Cheng, Govindan, & Mohapatra, 2011). This will reduce the burden on wireless communication in and across the company data transfer. Data Mart must also take better measures to protect its physical assets and its people. Without this intellectual property the company can suffer irrecoverable loses. The company is small and the setup of company shows a lot of dependability on a few people. The company needs to upgrade its physical security to avert unlawful access and/or misuse of their machines. The company also needs to safeguard its internal communications, technology, content and media. References Acemoglu, D., Malekian, A., & Ozdaglar, A. (2013). Network Security and Contagion. The National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER Working Paper No. 19174. Retrieved August 27, 2014, from http://www.nber.org/papers/w19174 Cheng, N., Govindan, K., & Mohapatra, P. (2011). Rendezvous based trust propagation to enhance distributed network security. International Journal of Security and Networks, 6(2), 112-122. Singh S. K., Singh, M. P. & Singh, D. K. (2011) A Survey on Network Security and Attack Defense Mechanism for Wireless Sensor Networks. International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology, Issue May-June, pp. 1-9 Retrieved August 27, 2014, from www.ijcttjournal.org/Volume1/issue-2/ijcttjournal-v1i2p2.pdf Read More