Lecture 1:

Overview
 Outline
The focus of this chapter is on three fundamental
questions:

• What assets do we need to protect?

• How are those assets threatened?

• What can we do to counter those threats?

 Computer Security Overview
• The NIST Computer Security Handbook defines
the term Computer Security as:
“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.
The CIA Triad
 Key Security Concepts

Confidentiality Integrity Availability

• preserving • guarding against • ensuring timely

authorized improper and reliable access
restrictions on information to and use of
information access modification or information
and disclosure. destruction,
• including means • including ensuring
for protecting information
personal privacy nonrepudiation
and proprietary and authenticity Is this all?
information
 Computer Security Challenges
• computer security is not as simple as it might
first appear to the novice
• potential attacks on the security features must
be considered
• procedures used to provide particular services
are often counterintuitive
• physical and logical placement needs to be
determined
• multiple algorithms or protocols may be
involved
 Computer Security Challenges
• attackers only need to find a single weakness,
the developer needs to find all weaknesses
• users and system managers tend to not see the
benefits of security until a failure occurs
• security requires regular and constant
monitoring
• is often an afterthought to be incorporated into
a system after the design is complete
• thought of as an impediment to efficient and
user-friendly operation
 Computer Security Terminology
• Adversary (threat agent) - An entity that attacks, or is
a threat to, a system.
• Attack - An assault on system security that derives
from an intelligent threat; a deliberate attempt to
evade security services and violate security policy of
a system.
• Countermeasure - An action, device, procedure, or
technique that reduces a threat, a vulnerability, or
an attack by eliminating or preventing it, by
minimizing the harm it can cause, or by discovering
and reporting it so that corrective action can be
taken.
 Computer Security Terminology
• Risk - An expectation of loss expressed as the
probability that a particular threat will exploit a
particular vulnerability with a particular harmful result.
• Security Policy - A set of rules and practices that
specify how a system or org provides security services
to protect sensitive and critical system resources.
• System Resource (Asset) - Data; a service provided by
a system; a system capability; an item of system
equipment; a facility that houses system
operations and equipment.
 Computer Security Terminology
• Threat - A potential for violation of security, which
exists when there is a circumstance, capability,
action, or event that could breach security and cause
harm.

• Vulnerability - Flaw or weakness in a system's design,

implementation, or operation and management that
could be exploited to violate the system's security
policy.
Security Concepts and Relationships
 Vulnerabilities, Threats and Attacks
• vulnerabilities
– corrupted (loss of integrity)
– leaky (loss of confidentiality)
– unavailable or very slow (loss of availability)
• threats
– capable of exploiting vulnerabilities
– represent potential security harm
• attacks (threats carried out)
– passive or active attempt to alter/affect system resources
– insider or outsider
Countermeasures
• prevent
means used to deal • detect
with security attacks • recover

may introduce new

vulnerabilities
Residual
vulnerabilities may
remain
goal is to minimize
residual level of risk
to the assets
 Threat Consequences
• Unauthorized disclosure is a threat to confidentiality

• Exposure: This can be deliberate or be the result of a

human, hardware, or software error

• Interception: unauthorized access to data

• Inference: e.g., traffic analysis, use of limited access

to get detailed information

• Intrusion: unauthorized access to sensitive data

 Threat Consequences
• Deception is a threat to either system or data
integrity
• Masquerade: e.g., an attempt by an
unauthorized user to gain access to a system
by posing as an authorized user; Trojan horse.
• Falsification: altering or replacing of valid data
or the introduction of false data
• Repudiation: denial of sending, receiving or
possessing the data.
 Threat Consequences
• Disruption is a threat to availability or system
integrity
• Incapacitation: a result of physical destruction
of or damage to system hardware
• Corruption: system resources or services
function in an unintended manner;
unauthorized modification
• Obstruction: e.g. overload the system or
interfere with communications
 Threat Consequences
• Usurpation is a threat to system integrity.

• Misappropriation: e.g., theft of service,

distributed denial of service attack

• Misuse: security functions can be disabled or

thwarted
Scope of Computer Security
Computer and Network Assets
 Passive and Active Attacks
• Passive attacks attempt to learn or make use of information
from the system but does not affect system resources
• eavesdropping/monitoring transmissions
• difficult to detect
• emphasis is on prevention rather than detection
• two types:
– release of message contents
– traffic analysis
• Active attacks involve modification of the data stream
• goal is to detect them and then recover
• four categories:
– masquerade
– replay
– modification of messages
– denial of service
 Answers to Questions
• 1 - 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).
• 3 - Passive attacks have to do with eavesdropping on, or
monitoring, transmissions. Electronic mail, file transfers, and
client/server exchanges are examples of transmissions that can be
monitored.
Active attacks include the modification of transmitted data and
attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer systems.
• 4 - Passive attacks: release of message contents and traffic analysis.
Active attacks: masquerade, replay, modification of messages, and
denial of service.