CST433
Security in Computing
Dr. Anver. S. R
Module 1
Basics of Security and Traditional
Cryptosystems
OSI security architecture – Security attacks, Services,
Mechanisms.
Cryptography vs Cryptanalysis.
Classical encryption techniques – Symmetric cipher model.
Substitution ciphers – Monoalphabetic vs Polyalphabetic
ciphers, Caesar cipher, Affine cipher, Playfair cipher,
Vigenere cipher, Hill cipher.
Transposition ciphers – Keyless, Keyed, Double
transposition.
Computer Security(NIST)
The protection afforded to an automated
information system in order to attain the
applicable objectives of preserving the
integrity, availability and confidentiality of
information system resources (includes
hardware, software, firmware,
information/data, and telecommunications)
Key Security Concepts
(CIA triad)
This definition introduces three key objectives that are at
the heart of computer security:
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
•Confidentiality: This term covers two related concepts:
• Data confidentiality: Assures that private or
confidential information is not made available or
disclosed to unauthorized individuals.
• Privacy: Assures that individuals control or influence
what information related to them may be collected and
stored and by whom and to whom that information may
be disclosed.
•
• Integrity: This term covers two related concepts:
• Data integrity: Assures that information and programs
are changed only in a specified and authorized manner.
• System integrity: Assures that a system performs its
intended function in an unimpaired manner, free from
deliberate or inadvertent unauthorized manipulation of
the system.
• Availability: Assures that systems work promptly and service
is not denied to authorized users.
FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) definition:
• Confidentiality: Preserving authorized restrictions on information
access and disclosure, including means for protecting personal
privacy and proprietary information. A loss of confidentiality is the
unauthorized disclosure of information.
• Integrity: Guarding against improper information modification or
destruction, including ensuring information nonrepudiation and
authenticity. A loss of integrity is the unauthorized modification or
destruction of information.
• Availability: Ensuring timely and reliable access to and use of
information. A loss of availability is the disruption of access to or use
of information or an information system.
Additional Concepts
• Authenticity: The property of being genuine and being able to be
verified and trusted; confidence in the validity of a transmission, a
message, or message originator. This means verifying that users are
who they say they are and that each input arriving at the system
came from a trusted source.
• Accountability: The security goal that generates the requirement
for actions of an entity to be traced uniquely to that entity. This
supports nonrepudiation, deterrence, fault isolation, intrusion
detection and prevention, and after-action recovery and legal
action. Because truly secure systems are not yet an achievable goal,
we must be able to trace a security breach to a responsible party.
Systems must keep records of their activities to permit later
forensic analysis to trace security breaches or to aid in transaction
disputes.
Levels of Impact
can define 3 levels of impact from a
security breach
Low
Moderate
High
Low Impact
The loss could be expected to have a limited adverse
effect on organizational operations, organizational
assets, or individuals.
A limited adverse effect means that, for example, the
loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability might
(i) cause a degradation in mission capability to an
extent and duration that the organization is able to
perform its primary functions, but the effectiveness of
the functions is noticeably reduced;
(ii) result in minor damage to organizational assets;
(iii) result in minor financial loss; or
(iv) result in minor harm to individuals.
Moderate Impact
The loss could be expected to have a serious adverse effect
on organizational operations, assets, or individuals.
A serious adverse effect means that, e.g., the loss might
(i) cause a significant degradation in mission capability to
an extent and duration that the organization is able to
perform its primary functions, but the effectiveness of the
functions is significantly reduced;
(ii) result in significant damage to organizational assets;
(iii) result in significant financial loss; or
(iv) result in significant harm to individuals that does not
involve loss of life or serious, life-threatening injuries.
High Impact
The loss could be expected to have a severe or
catastrophic adverse effect on organizational operations,
organizational assets, or individuals.
A severe or catastrophic adverse effect means that, for
example, the loss might
(i) cause a severe degradation in or loss of mission
capability to an extent and duration that the
organization is not able to perform one or more of its
primary functions;
(ii) result in major damage to organizational assets;
(iii) result in major financial loss; or
(iv) result in severe or catastrophic harm to individuals
involving loss of life or serious life threatening injuries.
Examples of Security
Requirements
confidentiality – student grades
integrity – patient information
availability – authentication service
authenticity – admission ticket
non-repudiation – stock sell order
OSI Security Architecture
ITU-T(International
ITU-T( Telecommunication Union -
Telecommunication Standardization Sector) X.800
“Security Architecture for OSI”
defines a systematic way of defining and providing
security requirements
for us it provides a useful, if abstract, overview of
concepts we will study
Aspects of Security
consider 3 aspects of information security:
security attack
security mechanism (control)
security service
note terms
threat – a potential for violation of security
vulnerability – a way by which loss can happen
attack – an assault on system security, a
deliberate attempt to evade security services
Passive Attack - Interception
Passive Attack: Traffic Analysis
Observe traffic pattern
Active Attack: Interruption
Block delivery of message
Active Attack: Fabrication
Fabricate message
Active Attack: Replay
Active Attack: Modification
Modify message
Handling Attacks
Passive attacks – focus on Prevention
• Easy to stop
• Hard to detect
Active attacks – focus on Detection and
Recovery
• Hard to stop
• Easy to detect
Security Service
enhance security of data processing systems
and information transfers of an organization
intended to counter security attacks
using one or more security mechanisms
often replicates functions normally associated
with physical documents
• which, for example, have signatures, dates; need
protection from disclosure, tampering, or
destruction; be notarized or witnessed; be
recorded or licensed
Security Services
X.800:
“a service provided by a protocol layer of
communicating open systems, which ensures
adequate security of the systems or of data
transfers”
RFC 2828:
“a processing or communication service
provided by a system to give a specific kind of
protection to system resources”
Security Services (X.800)
Authentication - assurance that communicating
entity is the one claimed
have both peer-entity & data origin authentication
Access Control - prevention of the
unauthorized use of a resource
Data Confidentiality –protection of data from
unauthorized disclosure
Data Integrity - assurance that data received is
as sent by an authorized entity
Non-Repudiation - protection against denial by
one of the parties in a communication
Availability – resource accessible/usable
Security Mechanism
a.k.a. control
feature designed to detect, prevent, or
recover from a security attack
no single mechanism that will support all
services required
however one particular element underlies
many of the security mechanisms in use:
cryptographic techniques
hence our focus on this topic
Security Mechanisms (X.800)
specific security mechanisms:
encipherment, digital signatures, access
controls, data integrity, authentication
exchange, traffic padding, routing control,
notarization
pervasive security mechanisms:
trusted functionality, security labels, event
detection, security audit trails, security
recovery
Model for Network Security
Model for Network Security
using this model requires us to:
1. design a suitable algorithm for the security
transformation
2. generate the secret information (keys) used
by the algorithm
3. develop methods to distribute and share the
secret information
4. specify a protocol enabling the principals to
use the transformation and secret
information for a security service
Model for Network Access
Security
Model for Network Access
Security
using this model requires us to:
1. select appropriate gatekeeper functions to
identify users
2. implement security controls to ensure only
authorised users access designated
information or resources
note that model does not include:
1. monitoring of system for successful
penetration
2. monitoring of authorized users for misuse
3. audit logging for forensic uses, etc.
Summary
topic roadmap & standards organizations
security concepts:
confidentiality, integrity, availability
X.800 security architecture
security attacks, services, mechanisms
models for network (access) security
