Course outline

 Basic concepts: cyber, security, confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication,

access control, non-repudiation and fault-tolerant methodologies for implementing
security.

 Security policies, best current practices, testing security, and incident response.

 Risk management, disaster recovery and access control.

 Basic cryptography and software application vulnerabilities.

 Evolution of cyber-attacks.

 Operating system protection mechanisms, intrusion detection systems, basic formal

models of security, cryptography, steganography, network and distributed system security,
denial of service (and other) attack strategies, worms, viruses, transfer of funds/value
across networks, electronic voting, secure applications.

 Cybersecurity policy and guidelines.

 Government regulation of information technology.

 Main actors of cyberspace and cyber operations.

 Impact of cybersecurity on civil and military institutions, privacy, business and

government applications; examination of the dimensions of networks, protocols,
operating systems, and associated applications.

 Methods and motives of cybersecurity incident perpetrators, and the countermeasures

employed by organizations and agencies to prevent and detect those incidences.

 Ethical obligations of security professionals.

 Trends and development in cybersecurity.

 Software application vulnerabilities.

 Evolution of cybersecurity and national security strategies, requirements to the typologies

of cyber-attacks that require policy tools and domestic response.

 Cybersecurity strategies evolving in the face of big risk.

 Role of standards and frameworks.

Basic concepts: cyber, security, confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, access
control, non-repudiation and fault-tolerant methodologies for implementing security.

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks.
These attacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information;
extorting money from users; or interrupting normal business processes.

Cybersecurity Methods

The methods of cybersecurity can be broadly classified into two categories:

Preventive measures: These measures are designed to prevent cyberattacks from happening
in the first place.

Detective measures: These measures are designed to detect cyberattacks that have already
occurred.

Corrective measures: These measures are designed to recover from cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity elements:

i. Confidentiality: This is the protection of information from unauthorized access.

ii. Integrity: This is the protection of information from unauthorized modification.

iii. Availability: This is ensuring that authorized users have access to information when they
need it.

iv. Authentication: This is the process of verifying the identity of a user or device.

v. Access control: This is the process of restricting access to information to authorized

users.

vi. Non-repudiation: This is ensuring that users cannot deny having performed an action.

Fault-tolerant methodologies:

Fault-tolerant methodologies are designed to ensure that systems can continue to operate even in
the event of a failure. There are a variety of fault-tolerant methodologies that can be used to
implement security, such as:

i. Redundancy: This involves having multiple copies of critical components so that if one
component fails, another can take over.

ii. Diversity: This involves using different types of components so that if one type of
component is vulnerable to attack, another type of component can still provide protection.
 iii. Isolation: This involves isolating critical components from other components so that if
one component is compromised, the others are not affected.

Examples of cybersecurity concepts in practice:

 Confidentiality: A company encrypts its sensitive data so that only authorized employees
can access it.

 Integrity: A bank uses digital signatures to ensure that transactions cannot be modified
without authorization.

 Availability: A website uses a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure that it can
handle a large number of visitors.

 Authentication: A user enters a username and password to log in to their email account.

 Access control: A company uses a firewall to block unauthorized access to its network.

 Non-repudiation: A user signs a digital contract to ensure that they cannot later deny
having agreed to the terms.

Case studies:

i. The Equifax data breach (2017): This breach resulted in the personal information of
147.9 million people being compromised.

ii. The WannaCry ransomware attack (2017): This attack infected over 200,000
computers in 150 countries.

iii. The SolarWinds supply chain attack (2020): This attack compromised the software of
a major IT company, giving attackers access to the networks of its customers.

Advantages of cybersecurity:

i. Protects sensitive information.

ii. Maintained the integrity of data.

iii. Ensures the availability of systems and data.

iv. Builds trust with customers and partners.

Disadvantages of cybersecurity:

i. Can be expensive to implement and maintain.

ii. Can be complex and difficult to manage.

 iii. Can create a false sense of security.

iv. Can be bypassed by sophisticated attackers.

Class Exercises

1. What are the three main goals of cybersecurity?

2. What is the difference between a threat, a vulnerability, and an attack?

Assignment Questions

1. Research and describe a real-world example of a cyberattack. What were the

consequences of the attack?

2. What are some of the ethical considerations that cybersecurity professionals need to be
aware of?

3. Imagine that you are a cybersecurity consultant. A small business owner has asked you to
help them improve their cybersecurity posture. What are some of the steps you would
recommend?

Solution

Class Exercises

1. The three main goals of cybersecurity are confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

2. A threat is anything that has the potential to cause harm. A vulnerability is a weakness
in a system that can be exploited by a threat. An attack is an attempt to exploit a
vulnerability.

Assignment Questions

Class Exercise 1:

 Question: What is the difference between authentication and authorization?

 Answer: Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or device.

Authorization is the process of granting or denying access to resources.

Class Exercise 2:

 Question: What are the three main types of access control?

 Answer: The three main types of access control are:

1. Mandatory access control (MAC)

 2. Discretionary access control (DAC)

3. Role-based access control (RBAC)

Class Exercise 3:

 Question: What is the difference between a virus and a worm?

 Answer: A virus is a type of malware that requires a host program to execute. A worm is
a type of malware that can spread from computer to computer without requiring a host
program.