INFORMATION SECURITY STUDY GUIDE for STUDENTS
- 1. Information Security and Risk Management CISSP Guide to Security Essentials Chapter 1
- 2. Objectives • How security supports organizational mission, goals and objectives • Risk management • Security management • Personnel security • Professional ethics
- 4. Mission • Statement of its ongoing purpose and reason for existence. • Usually published, so that employees, customers, suppliers, and partners are aware of the organization’s stated purpose.
- 5. Mission (cont.) • Should influence how we will approach the need to protect the organization’s assets.
- 6. Example Mission Statements • “Promote professionalism among information system security practitioners through the provisioning of professional certification and training.” – (ISC)²
- 7. Example Mission Statements • “Help civilize the electronic frontier; to make it truly useful and beneficial not just to a technical elite, but to everyone, and to do this in a way which is in keeping with our society's highest traditions of the free and open flow of information and communication.” – Electronic Frontier Foundation
- 8. Example Mission Statements • “Empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally.” – Wikimedia Foundation
- 9. CCSF Mission Statement • Link Ch 1a
- 10. Objectives • Statements of activities or end-states that the organization wishes to achieve. • Support the organization’s mission and describe how the organization will fulfill its mission. • Observable and measurable. • Do not necessarily specify how they will be completed, when, or by whom.
- 11. Example Objectives • “Obtain ISO 27001 certification by the end of third quarter.” • “Reduce development costs by twenty percent in the next fiscal year.” • “Complete the integration of CRM and ERP systems by the end of November.”
- 12. Goals • Specify specific accomplishments that will enable the organization to meet its objectives. • Measurable, observable, objective, support mission and objectives • Goals and objectives are synonyms (links Ch 1c & 1d)
- 13. Security Support of Mission, Objectives, and Goals • Our role is to reduce risk through proper activities and controls that protect assets – Protect the organization and its ability to perform its mission, not just its IT assets (Ch 1e) – Be aware of mission, objectives, goals • We need the support of senior management – To get priorities and resources – To become involved in key activities
- 14. Risk Management
- 15. Risk Management • “The process of determining the maximum acceptable level of overall risk to and from a proposed activity, then using risk assessment techniques to determine the initial level of risk and, if this is excessive, …”
- 16. Risk Management • “…developing a strategy to ameliorate appropriate individual risks until the overall level of risk is reduced to an acceptable level.” – Wiktionary • Two steps – Risk assessments – Risk treatment
- 17. Qualitative Risk Assessment • For a given scope of assets, identify: – Vulnerabilities – Threats – Threat probability (Low / medium / high) – Impact (Low / medium / high) – Countermeasures
- 18. Example of Qualitative Risk Assessment Threat Impact Initial Probability Counter- measure Residual Probability Flood damage H L Water alarms L Theft H L Key cards, surveillance, guards L Logical intrusion H M Intrusion prevention system L
- 19. Quantitative Risk Assessment • Extension of a qualitative risk assessment. Metrics for each risk are: – Asset value: replacement cost and/or income derived through the use of an asset – Exposure Factor (EF): portion of asset's value lost through a threat (also called impact) – Single Loss Expectancy (SLE) = Asset ($) x EF (%)
- 20. Quantitative Risk Assessment • Metrics (cont.) – Annualized Rate of Occurrence (ARO) • Probability of loss in a year, % – Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE) = SLE x ARO
- 21. Example of Quantitative Risk Assesment • Theft of a laptop computer, with the data encrypted • Asset value: $4,000 • Exposure factor: 100% • SLE = $4,000 x 100% = $4,000 • ARO = 10% chance of theft in a year • ALE = 10% x $4,000 = $400
- 22. Example of Quantitative Risk Assesment • Dropping a laptop computer and breaking the screen • Asset value: $4,000 • Exposure factor: 50% • SLE = $4,000 x 50% = $2,000 • ARO = 25% chance of theft in a year • ALE = 25% x $2,000 = $500
- 23. Quantifying Countermeasures • Goal: reduction of ALE (or the qualitative losses) • Impact of countermeasures: – Cost of countermeasure – Changes in Exposure Factor (EF) – Changes in Single Loss Expectancy (SLE)
- 24. Geographic Considerations • Replacement and repair costs of assets may vary by location • Exposure Factor may vary by location • Impact may vary by location
- 25. Risk Assessment Methodologies • NIST 800-30, Risk Management Guide for Information Technology Systems • OCTAVE (Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation) • FRAP (Facilitated Risk Analysis Process) – qualitative pre-screening • Spanning Tree Analysis – visual, similar to mind map
- 26. Risk Treatment • One or more outcomes from a risk assessment – Risk Acceptance • “yeah, we can live with that” – Risk Avoidance • Discontinue the risk-related activity -- the most extreme form of risk treatment – Risk Reduction (also called Risk Mitigation) • Using countermeasures such as firewalls, IDS systems, etc., to reduce risks – Risk Transfer • Buy insurance
- 27. Residual Risk • After risk treatment, some risk remains • Risk can never be eliminated entirely • The remaining risk is called Residual Risk
- 29. Security Management Concepts • Security controls • CIA Triad • Defense in depth • Single points of failure • Fail open, fail closed • Privacy
- 30. ISO 27001 • Standard for Information Security Management System • Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle – Plan = define requirements, assess risks, decide which controls are applicable – Do = implement and operate the ISMS – Check = monitor and review the ISMS – Act = maintain and continuously improve the ISMS • Documents and records are required
- 31. ISO 27001
- 32. Security Controls • Detective (records events) • Deterrent (scares evil-doers away) • Preventive (stops attacks) • Corrective (after an attack, prevents another attack) • Recovery (after an attack, restores operations) • Compensating (substitutes for some other control that is inadequate) (covered in depth in Chapter 2, p. 56ff)
- 33. CIA: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability • The three pillars of security: the CIA Triad – Confidentiality: information and functions can be accessed only by properly authorized parties – Integrity: information and functions can be added, altered, or removed only by authorized persons and means – Availability: systems, functions, and data must be available on-demand according to any agreed-upon parameters regarding levels of service
- 34. Defense in Depth • A layered defense in which two or more layers or controls are used to protect an asset – Heterogeneity: the different controls should be different types, so as to better resist attack – Entire protection: each control completely protects the asset from most or all threats • Example: antivirus on the email gateway, and also on the workstations
- 35. Defense in Depth (cont.) • Defense in depth reduces the risks from – Vulnerability of a single device – Malfunction of a single device – Fail open of a single device
- 36. Defense in Depth Example • The IE 0day used against Google – From link Ch 1h
- 37. Single Points of Failure • A single point of failure (SPOF) – Failure of a single component results in the failure of the entire system
- 38. Fail Open / Fail Closed / Fail Soft • When a security mechanism fails, there are usually two possible outcomes: – Fail open – the mechanism permits all activity – Fail closed – the mechanism blocks all activity • Fail Soft -- shutting down failed systems, preserving some functionality – Example: A server with a UPS and a shutdown script
- 39. Fail Open / Fail Closed (cont.) • Principles – Different types of failures will have different results – Both fail open and fail closed are undesirable, but sometimes one or the other is catastrophic – Security devices generally fail closed
- 40. Privacy • Defined: the protection and proper handling of sensitive personal information • Requires proper technology for protection • Requires appropriate business processes and controls for appropriate handling • Issues – Inappropriate uses – Unintended disclosures to others
- 41. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) • Name • SSN • Phone number • Driver's license number • Credit card numbers – Etc.
- 43. Security Management • Executive oversight • Governance • Policy, guidelines, standards, and procedures • Roles and responsibilities
- 44. Security Management (cont.) • Service level agreements • Secure outsourcing • Data classification and protection • Certification and accreditation • Internal audit
- 45. Security Executive Oversight • Executives must support security activities – Support and enforcement of policies – Allocation of resources – Prioritization of activities – Support of risk treatment
- 46. Governance • Defined: “Security governance is the set of responsibilities and practices exercised by the board and executive management with the goal of providing strategic direction, ensuring that objectives are achieved, ascertaining that risks are managed appropriately and verifying that the enterprise's resources are used responsibly.”
- 47. Governance (cont.) • The process and action that supports executive oversight – Steering committee oversight – Resource allocation and prioritization – Status reporting – Strategic decisions
- 48. Policies • Policies – Constraints of behavior on systems and people – Specifies activities that are required, limited, and forbidden • Example – Information systems should be configured to require good security practices in the selection and use of passwords • Policy Standards – ISO 27002:2005 (link Ch 1f) – SANS Security Policy Project (Ch 1j)
- 49. Requirements • Requirements – Required characteristics of a system or process – Often the same as or similar to the policy – Specifies what should be done, not how to do it • Example – Information systems must enforce password quality standards and reference a central authentication service, such as LDAP or Active Directory.
- 50. Guidelines • Guidelines: defines how to support a policy – Example: Passwords must not be dictionary words
- 51. Standards and Procedures • Standards: what products, technical standards, and methods will be used to support policy • Examples – All fiber optic cables must be Corning brand – Passwords must be at least 8 characters • Procedures: step by step instructions
- 52. Security Roles and Responsibilities • Formally defined in security policy and job descriptions • These need to be defined: – Ownership of assets – Access to assets – Use of assets: employees are responsible for their behavior – Managers responsible for employee behavior
- 53. Service Level Agreements • SLAs define a formal level of service • SLAs for security activities – Security incident response – Security alert / advisory delivery – Security investigation – Policy and procedure review
- 54. Secure Outsourcing • Outsourcing risks – Control of confidential information – Loss of control of business activities – Accountability – the organization that outsources activities is still accountable for their activities and outcomes
- 55. Data Classification and Protection • Components of a classification and protection program – Sensitivity levels • “confidential”, “restricted”, “secret”, etc. – Marking procedures • How to indicate sensitivity on various forms of information – Access procedures – Handling procedures • E-mailing, faxing, mailing, printing, transmitting, destruction
- 56. Certification and Accreditation • Two-step process for the formal evaluation and approval for use of a system – Certification is the process of evaluating a system against a set of formal standards, policies, or specifications. – Accreditation is the formal approval for the use of a certified system – for a defined period of time (and possibly other conditions).
- 57. Internal Audit • Evaluation of security controls and policies to measure their effectiveness – Performed by internal staff – Objectivity is of vital importance – Formal methodology – Required by some regulations, e.g. Sarbanes Oxley • Links Ch 1k, 1l
- 58. Security Strategies • Management is responsible for developing the ongoing strategy for security management • Past incidents can help shape the future – Incidents – SLA performance – Certification and accreditation – Internal audit
- 60. Personnel / Staffing Security • Hiring practices and procedures • Periodic performance evaluation • Disciplinary action policy and procedures • Termination procedures
- 61. Hiring Practices and Procedures • Effective assessment of qualifications • Background verification (prior employment, education, criminal history, financial history) • Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) • Non-compete agreement • Intellectual property agreement
- 62. Hiring Practices and Procedures (cont.) • Employment agreement • Employee Handbook • Formal job descriptions
- 63. Termination • Immediate termination of all logical and physical access • Change passwords known to the employee • Recovery of all company assets • Notification of the termination to affected staff, customers, other third parties • And possibly: code reviews, review of recent activities prior to the termination
- 64. Work Practices • Separation of duties – Designing sensitive processes so that two or more persons are required to complete them • Job rotation – Good for cross-training, and also reduces the likelihood that employees will collude for personal gain • Mandatory vacations – Detect / prevent irregularities that violate policy and practices
- 65. Security Education, Training, and Awareness • Training on security policy, guidelines, standards • Upon hire and periodically thereafter • Various types of messaging – E-mail, intranet, posters, flyers, trinkets, training classes • Testing – to measure employee knowledge of policy and practices
- 67. Professional Ethics • (ISC)² code of ethics – Protect society, the commonwealth, and the infrastructure. – Act honorably, honestly, justly, responsibly, and legally. – Provide diligent and competent service to principals. – Advance and protect the profession.