Identify the potential hacking actors of these threat attacks on vulnerabilities in networks and information systems

The security posture of the information systems infrastructure of an organization should be regularly monitored and assessed (including software, hardware, firmware components, governance policies, and implementation of security controls).

The monitoring and assessment of the infrastructure and its components, policies, and processes should also account for changes and new procurements in order to stay in step with ever-changing information system technologies.

The data breach at the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was one of the largest in US government history. It provides a series of lessons learned for other organizations in industry and the public sector. Some failures of security practices, such as lack of diligence with security controls and management of changes to the information systems infrastructure, were cited as contributors to the massive data breach in the OPM Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG)  Final Audit Report, which can be found in open-source searches.

Some of the findings in the report include:

· weak authentication mechanisms;

· lack of a plan for life-cycle management of the information systems;

· lack of a configuration management and change management plan;

· lack of inventory of systems, servers, databases, and network devices;

· lack of mature vulnerability scanning tools;

· lack of valid authorizations for many systems; and

· lack of plans of action to remedy the findings of previous audits.

The breach ultimately resulted in removal of OPM’s top leadership. The impact of the breach on the livelihoods of millions of people may never be fully known.

There is a critical need for security programs that can assess vulnerabilities and provide mitigations.

In this project, there are eight steps, including a lab, that will help you create your final deliverables. The deliverables for this project are as follows:

1. Security Assessment Report (SAR): This should be an eight- to 10-page double-spaced Word document with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables, or citations.

2. Risk Assessment Report (RAR): This report should be a five- to six-page double-spaced Word document with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables, or citations.

3. Lab: In a Word document, share your lab experience and provide screenshots to demonstrate that you performed the lab.

STEP1: ENTERPRISE NETWORK DESIGN

In this project, you will research and learn about types of networks and their secure constructs that may be used in an organization to accomplish the functions of the organization’s mission.

You will propose a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) for the organization, define the systems environment, and incorporate this information in a network diagram. You will discuss the security benefits of your chosen network design.

Read the following resources about some of the computing platforms available for networks and discuss how these platforms could be implemented in your organization:

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·

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·

Include the rationale for each of the platforms you choose to include in your network design.

STEP 2: ENTERPRISE THREAT

Review the OIG report on the OPM breach that you were asked to research and read about at the beginning of the project. The OIG report includes many security deficiencies that likely left OPM networks vulnerable to being breached.

In addition to those external threats, the report describes the ways OPM was vulnerable to insider threats. The information about the breach could be classified as threat intelligence. Define threat intelligence and explain what kind of threat intelligence is known about the OPM breach.

You just provided detailed background information on your organization. Next, you’ll describe threats to your organization’s system. Before you get started, select and explore the contents of the following link:   (also known as internal threats). As you’re reading, take note of which insider threats are a risk to your organization.

Now, differentiate between the external threats to the system and the insider threats. Identify where these threats can occur in the previously created diagrams. Relate the OPM threat intelligence to your organization. How likely is it that a similar attack will occur at your organization?

The OPM breach is a matter of historical fact. Your scholarly research into this matter can and should inform your approach to cybersecurity. Your ability to fluently converse on past cyber breaches is one way of demonstrating to potential employers that you have the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be a valuable addition to their team.

Take notes as you read about this breach—feel free to search for other major breaches—and pay attention to the mistakes that were made that and what actions were taken afterward. As a part of the interview process, you might be asked to apply this knowledge to a new situation

STEP 3: SCAN THE NETWORK

You will now investigate network traffic and the security of the network and information system infrastructure overall. Past network data has been logged and stored, as collected by a network analyzer tool such as Wireshark. Explore the tutorials and user guides to learn more about the   you will use.

You will perform a network analysis of the Wireshark files provided to you in Workspace and assess the network posture and any vulnerability or suspicious information you are able to obtain. You will identify any suspicious activities on the network through port scanning and other techniques. Include this information in your SAR.

Complete This Lab

Cyber Lab Help – MARS

Lab Resources

· Access the MARS Virtual Lab Environment Guide:  .

You are highly recommended to fully read the MARS Reference Guide to help you set up, navigate, and connect to the MARS virtual environment, perform any lab setup activities, connect to your allocated VMs, and several others. The guide was quickly developed for students to get acquainted with the new MARS environment. Therefore, please use it as a supplement to any resources provided by UMGC and/or our EdTech team, and note that the guide in no way replaces those materials. If possible, all MARS-related materials will later be integrated into a common platform in the near future and made accessible to all students and faculty.

· Use the link to the MARS Portal:  .

Lab Instructions

· Open the Lab Instructions for this course:  .

Note:  The lab instructions and other PDF documents such as the MARS guide have active hyperlinks (URLs) to external sources. Hence for best user experience, if a weblink does not automatically open in another tab, right-click and open it in a new tab. Be aware that this behavior can change depending on the specific types and settings of your browser and platform being used.

Lab Support

To obtain lab assistance, fill out the  , and please be as descriptive as possible in your responses to facilitate swift resolutions of your reported issues.

Make sure you complete all fields on the form including the following: Date of issue and time zone, your name, mail address, phone, your instructor’s name and the course you are taking, the type of device, operating system, the browser you are using, and any other useful information.

In the description box of the form, provide a detailed description of the issue with the requested information. Include details such as steps taken, system responses, screenshots or supporting documents, the type of your devices (PC, tablet, mobile device, etc.), OS platform and version (e.g. Windows or Mac), browser type/version, and others.

Note:  It is imperative that you use your official email address that was used to enroll in the course—or you currently use for your classroom communications—to complete the support form. 

In order to validate the assets and devices on the organization’s network, you should run scans using security and vulnerability assessment analysis tools such as OpenVAS, Nmap, or Nessus, depending on the operating systems of your organization’s networks. Live network traffic can also be sampled and scanned using Wireshark on either the Linux or Windows systems. Wireshark allows you to inspect all OSI layers of traffic information. Further analyze the packet capture for network performance, behavior, and any suspicious source and destination addresses on the networks.

Hackers frequently scan the internet for computers or networks to exploit. An effective firewall can prevent hackers from detecting the existence of networks. Hackers continue to scan ports, but if the hacker finds there is no response from the port and no connection, the hacker will move on. The firewall can block unwanted traffic and Nmap can be used to self-scan to test the responsiveness of the organization’s network to would-be hackers.

In the existing Wireshark files, identify whether any databases have been accessed. What are the IP addresses associated with that activity? Include this information in your SAR.

STEP 4: IDENTIFY SECURITY ISSUES

You have a suite of security tools, techniques, and procedures that can be used to assess the security posture of your organization’s network in a SAR.

Now it’s time to identify the security issues in your organization’s networks. You have previously learned about password-cracking tools; in this step, provide an analysis of the strength of passwords used by the employees in your organization. Are weak passwords a security issue for your organization?

STEP 5: FIREWALL AND ENCRIPTION

Next, examine these resources on   and   related to the use of the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), the database system and data. Also review these resources related to  .

Determine the role of firewalls, encryption, and auditing for RDBMS in protecting information and monitoring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information in the information systems.

Reflect any weaknesses found in the network and information system diagrams previously created, as well as in your developing SAR.

STEP 6: THREAT IDENTIFICATION

Now that you know the weaknesses in your organization’s network and information system, you will determine various known threats to the organization’s network architecture and IT assets.

Get acquainted with the following types of threats and attack techniques. Which are a risk to your organization?

· IP address

In identifying the different threats, complete the following tasks:

1. Identify the potential hacking actors of these threat attacks on vulnerabilities in networks and information systems, as well as the types of remediation and mitigation techniques available in your industry and for your organization.

2. Identify the purpose and function of firewalls for organization network systems and how they address the threats and vulnerabilities you have identified.

3. Discuss the value of using access control, database transaction, and firewall log files.

4. Identify the purpose and function of encryption as it relates to files, databases, and other information assets on the organization’s networks.

Include these in your SAR.

STEP7: RISK AND REMEDIATION

What is the risk and what is the remediation? What is the security exploitation? You can use the OPM OIG  Final Audit Report findings and recommendations as a possible source for methods to remediate and mitigate vulnerabilities.

Read this   resource to get familiar with the process, then prepare a risk assessment. Be sure to first list the threats, then the vulnerabilities, and then the pairwise comparisons for each threat and vulnerability. Then determine the likelihood of each event occurring and the level of impact it would have on the organization.

Include this in your risk assessment report (RAR).

STEP 8: CREATING THE SAR AND THE RAR

Your research and your Workspace exercise have led you to this moment: creating your SAR and RAR. Consider what you have learned in the previous steps as you create your reports for leadership.

Prepare a Security Assessment Report (SAR) with the following sections:

1. Purpose

2. Organization

3. Scope

4. Methodology

5. Data

6. Results

7. Findings

The final SAR does not have to stay within this framework and can be designed to fulfill the goal of the security assessment.

Prepare a risk assessment report (RAR) with information on the threats, vulnerabilities, likelihood of exploitation of security weaknesses, impact assessments for exploitation of security weaknesses, remediation, and cost/benefit analyses of remediation.

Devise a high-level plan of action with interim milestones (POAM) in a system methodology to remedy your findings.

Include this high-level plan in the RAR.

Summarize the results you obtained from the OpenVAS vulnerability assessment tool in your report.The deliverables for this project are as follows:

1. Security Assessment Report (SAR): This should be an eight- to 10-page double-spaced Word document with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables, or citations.

2. Risk Assessment Report (RAR): This report should be a five- to six-page double-spaced Word document with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables, or citations.

3. Lab: In a Word document, share your lab experience and provide screenshots to demonstrate that you performed the lab.

Submit your deliverables after reading the instructions below.

Identify the potential hacking actors of these threat attacks on vulnerabilities in networks and information systems,

Introduction

As a network administrator, it’s not uncommon to be aware of vulnerabilities and threats that can lead to attacks on networks and information systems. However, it can be hard for us to identify which potential hacking actors are behind these attacks. In this article, I’ll go over some common types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities in networks (and how we differentiate between potential hacking actors), as well as how we can protect ourselves from these potential risks.

What are the potential hacking actors of these threat attacks on vulnerabilities in networks and information systems?

You will have to identify the potential hacking actors of these threat attacks on vulnerabilities in networks and information systems. The list includes:

• Hackers
• Malicious Users
• Fraudsters
• Spies and Traitors * The government, military, intelligence community etc. They can also be called: CIA; NSA; FBI; DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), NRO (National Reconnaissance Office).

The most common types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities are

The most common types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities are:

• Malicious software
• Vulnerability exploitation
• Social engineering

The different types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities are

The different types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities are:

• Malicious software (malware) is a computer program that can cause damage or disruption to your network and information system. Malicious software may be spread through removable media such as CDs, DVDs, USB drives and memory sticks; infected email attachments; and other methods.
• Hacking involves the unauthorized access to systems in order to steal information or cause harm. Hackers often use social engineering techniques like phishing emails or websites designed specifically for malware distribution. They also use brute force attacks on weak passwords when they infect computers with Trojans such as Braintea, Zeus and SpyEye as well as worms such as WannaCry 2nd Generation Ransomware which encrypts data on infected machines before demanding payment in exchange for decrypting them.[7]

Phishing scams involve sending fake emails requesting personal information from users so they can then be used by hackers.[8] Spear phishing involves sending targeted messages directly from trusted sources (such as friends) which appear legitimate but contain malicious links leading victims into cybercriminal traps where their credentials are stolen by criminals who may then use this information for identity fraud[9].

How do we differentiate between potential hacking actors for these threat attacks?

How do we differentiate between potential hacking actors for these threat attacks on vulnerabilities in networks and information systems?

The different types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities are:

• Malware or zero day exploits (exploits that have not yet been discovered by security researchers)
• Social engineering attacks (attacks perpetrated through deception or trickery)
• Advanced persistent threats (APTs)

There is a lot that can go wrong with our networks, so we should be aware of what is going on and take steps to protect ourselves from these threats.

There is a lot that can go wrong with our networks, so we should be aware of what is going on and take steps to protect ourselves from these threats.

To start with, there are some general steps you should take:

• Be aware of what’s going on in your network. You need to know what kinds of devices are connected to it (and whether they’re trusted), how they’re connected (e.g., wired versus wireless), who has access to them, etc. That way you’ll be able to identify if someone has broken into your system or if there’s something suspicious happening inside the network itself.* Understand what kind of information doesn’t belong on any device connected or stored by those devices.* Understand where all data travels before leaving your organization; this will allow you to determine whether someone else has gained access through an open port or network connection.* Be prepared for potential security breaches by keeping backup copies offsite in case something happens at home/work/etc

Conclusion

If you are looking for more information on the different types of threats that lead to the exploitation of vulnerabilities, then I suggest reading about them and keeping yourself updated on how they work. This will help keep you informed so that if anything were to happen again, we would know what happened.