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IT & Data Assurance I (IST293) > Module 1 - Introduction to Security > Flashcards

Module 1 - Introduction to Security Flashcards

Introduction to Security

1
Q

What is Security?

A

To be free from danger & the process that achieves that freedom

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2
Q

As security is increased, what happens to convenience?

A

Decreases

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3
Q

How is digital information secured?

A

1) Manipulated by a microprocessor
2) Preserved on a storage device
3) Transmitted over a network

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4
Q

What are the 3 types of information protecting, & what is the acronym?

A

CIA Triad:

1) Confidentiality
2) Integrity
3) Availability

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5
Q

Define Confidentiality

A

Only approved individuals may access information

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6
Q

Define Integrity

A

Ensures information is correct & unaltered

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7
Q

Define Availability

A

Ensures information is accessible to authorized users

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8
Q

What is a Threat Actor?

A

An individual or entity responsible for cyber incidents against the technology equipment of enterprises & users; aka “attacker” or “hacker”

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9
Q

What 3 categories is Financial Crime divided into based on targets?

A

1) Individual Users
2) Enterprises
3) Governments

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10
Q

What are the 3 types of hackers?

A

1) Black hat hackers
2) White hat hackers
3) Gray hat hackers

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11
Q

What are Black Hat Hackers?

A

Threat actors who violate computer security for personal gain or to inflict malicious damage (ex: corrupt a hard drive)

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12
Q

What do White Hat Hackers do?

A

Attempt to probe a system (with an organization’s permission) for weaknesses & then privately provide that information; aka “ethical hackers”

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13
Q

What are Gray Hat Hackers?

A

Attackers’ who attempt to break into a computer system without the organization’s permission (illegal) but not for their own advantage; instead, they publicly disclose the attack in order to shame the organization into taking action

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14
Q

What are the 5 distinct categories of hackers?

A

1) Script kiddies
2) Hacktivists
3) State actors
4) Insiders
5) Others (Competitors, Criminal Syndicates, Shadow IT, Brokers, Cyberterrorists)

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15
Q

What are Script Kiddies?

A

Individuals who want to perform attacks, yet lack technical knowledge to carry them out. They download freely available automated attack software & use it to attack

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16
Q

What are Hacktivists?

A

Individuals strongly motivated by ideology (for the sake of their principles or beliefs);
Often involved breaking into a website & changing its contents as means of a political statement

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17
Q

What are State Actors?

A

Launches cyberattacks on their foes (instead of an army walking in); directed towards businesses in foreign countries with the goal of causing financial harm or damage to the enterprise’s reputation;deadliest of any threat actors

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18
Q

Which type of threat actor is the deadliest?

A

State Actors

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19
Q

What is APT, what does it stand for, & who does it?

A

A class of attacks that use innovative attack tools to infect & silently extract data over an extended period of time;

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)

Most commonly associated w/ state actors

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20
Q

What are Insiders?

A

Employers, contractors, & business partners can pose an insider threat of manipulating data from the position of a trusted employee; harder to recognize because they come from within the enterprise

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21
Q

What are the “Other” threat actors?

A

1) Competitors
2) Criminal Syndicates
3) Shadow IT
4) Brokers
5) Cyberterrorists

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22
Q

What are Competitors?

A

Launch attacks against an opponent’s system to steal classified information; may steal new product research or a list of current customers to gain a competitive advantage

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23
Q

What are Criminal Syndicates?

A

Move from traditional criminal activities to more rewarding and less risky online attacks

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24
Q

What are Shadow ITs?

A

Employees become frustrated with the slow pace of acquiring technology, so they purchase and install their own equipment or resources in violation of company policies;

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25
Q

What are the 3 focuses of Insiders?

A

1) Intellectual Property (IP)
2) Sabotage
3) Espionage

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26
Q

What are Brokers?

A

Sell their knowledge of a weakness to other attackers or governments; sell weaknesses to the highest bidder

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27
Q

What are Cyberterrorists?

A

Attack a nation’s network & computer infrastructure to cause disruption & panic among citizens

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28
Q

Define Vulnerability

A

The state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed

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29
Q

What are the 5 categories of Vulnerabilities?

A

1) Platforms
2) Configurations
3) Third parties
4) Patches
5) Zero-day vulnerability

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30
Q

What is a Legacy platform?

A

For a variety of reasons (limited hardware capacity, an application that only operates on a specific OS version, or neglect), an OS may not be updated, thus depriving it of these security fixes; just asking to be attacked; think Windows XP

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31
Q

What is an On-premises platform?

A

Software & technology located within the physical confines of an enterprise

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32
Q

What are Cloud platforms?

A

Servers, storage, & the supporting networking infrastructure are shared by multiple enterprises over a remote network connection that has been contracted for a specific period of time

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33
Q

What are the 3 types of platforms?

A

1) Legacy platform
2) On-premises platform
3) Cloud platform

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34
Q

What is a Weak Configuration?

A

Features & security settings that are not properly configured to repel attacks

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35
Q

What are 7 types of weak configurations?

A

1) Default setting
2) Open port & services
3) Unsecured root accounts
4) Open permission
5) Unsecured protocols
6) Weak encryption
7) Errors

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36
Q

What are Default Settings as a weak configuration?

A

Predetermined by the vendor for usability & ease of use (not for security) so the user can immediately begin using the product; ex: a router comes with a default password that is widely known

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37
Q

What are Open Ports & Services as a weak configuration?

A

Devices & services are often configured to allow the most access so that the user can close ports that are specific to that organization; ex: a firewall comes with FTP ports 20 & 21 open

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38
Q

What are Unsecured Root Accounts?

A

Can give a user unfettered access to all resources; ex: a misconfigured cloud storage repository cloud give any user access to all data

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39
Q

What are Open Permissions as a weak configuration?

A

User access over files that should be restricted; ex: a user could be given Read, Write, and Execute privileges when she should have only Read privileges

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40
Q

What are Unsecured Protocols as a weak configuration?

A

Aka insecure protocols; this configuration uses protocols for telecommunications that do not provide adequate protections; ex: an employee could use devices that run services with unsecure protocols such as Telnet or SNMPv1

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41
Q

What is Weak Encryption as a weak configuration?

A

Users choosing a known vulnerable encryption mechanism; ex: a user could select an encryption scheme that has a known weakness or a key value that is too short

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42
Q

What are Errors as a weak configuration?

A

Human mistakes in selecting one setting over another without considering the security implications; ex: an employee could use deprecated settings instead of current configurations

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43
Q

What are Third Parties?

A

External entities used by almost all businesses;
One of the major risks of a third-party system integration involves the principle of the “weakest link”

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44
Q

What is Outsourced Code Development as it relates to Third Parties?

A

Contracting with third parties to assist the organization in the development & writing of a software program or app

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45
Q

What is Data Storage as it relates to Third Parties?

A

Third-party facilities used for storing important data

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46
Q

What is Vendor Management as it relates to Third Parties?

A

Process organizations use to monitor & manage the interactions with all of their external third parties

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47
Q

What is System Integration as it relates to Third Parties?

A

Connectivity between the organization & the third party

48
Q

What is Lack of Vendor Support as it related to Third Parties?

A

A lack of expertise to handle system integration

48
Q

What is a Security Patch?

A

An officially released software security update intended to repair a vulnerability; important because they can create vulnerabilities

49
Q

What are the 3 vulnerabilities that Patches can create?

A

1) Difficulty patching firmware
2) Few patches for application software
3) Delays in patching OSs

50
Q

Explain Difficulty Patching Firmware.

A

Firmware, or software that is embedded into hardware, provides low-level controls & instructions for the hardware; updating firmware to address a vulnerability can often be difficult & requires specialized steps; furthermore, some firmware cannot be patched

51
Q

Explain Few Patches for Application Software?

A

Outside of the major application software, patches for applications are uncommon; in most cases, no automated process can identify which computers have installed the application, alert users to a patch, or to distribute the patch

52
Q

Explain Delays in Patching OSs.

A

Modern operation systems – such as Red Hat Linux, Apple macOS, Ubuntu Linux, & Microsoft Windows – frequently distribute patches; however, they can create new problems, such a preventing a custom application from running correctly; many organizations use test patches when they are released to ensure that they do not adversely affect any customized applications  organizational delays installing a patch from the developer’s online update service until the patch is thoroughly tested

53
Q

Define Zero Day vulnerabilities.

A

A vulnerability that is exploited by attackers before anyone else even knows it exists; this type of vulnerability is called a zero day because it provides zero days of warning; considered extremely serious

54
Q

What are Attack Vectors?

A

Pathway or avenue used by a threat actor to penetrate a system

55
Q

What are the categories of Attack Vectors?

A

1) Email
2) Wireless
3) Removeable Media
4) Direct Access
5) Social Media
6) Supply Chain
7) Cloud

56
Q

How is Email an Attack Vector?

A

Almost 94% of all malware is delivered through email to an unsuspecting user; goal – to trick the user to open an attachment that contains malware or click a hyperlink that takes the user to a fictitious website

57
Q

How is Wireless an Attack Vector?

A

Because wireless data transmissions “float” through the airwaves, they can be intercepted & read or altered by a threat actor if the transmission is not properly protected

58
Q

How is Removeable Media an Attack Vector?

A

Common attack vector (ex: USB flash drive); threat actors have been known to infect USB drives with malware & leave them scattered in a parking lot or cafeteria; once inserted, the USB flash drive will infect the computer

59
Q

How is Direct Access an Attack Vector?

A

Occurs when a threat actor can gain direct physical access to the computer; can insert a USB flash drive with an alternative operating system & reboot the computer under the alternate OS to bypass the security on the computer

60
Q

How is Social Media an Attack Vector?

A

Ex: an attacker may read social media posts to determine when an employee will be on vacation & then call the organization’s help desk pretending to be that employee to ask for “emergency” access to an account

61
Q

How is Supply Chain an Attack Vector?

A

Network that moves a product from the supplier to the customer & is made up of vendors that supply raw material, manufacturers who convert the material into products, warehouses that store products, distribution centers that deliver them to the retailers, & retailers who bring the product to the consumer; also serve as third-party vulnerabilities

62
Q

How is Cloud an Attack Vector?

A

Taking advantage of the complexity of remote cloud servers & storage devices to find security weaknesses

63
Q

What is Social Engineering?

A

Means of eliciting information (gathering data) by relying on the weaknesses of individuals; also used as influence campaigns to sway attention & sympathy in a particular direction; rely on psychological principles; one of the most successful types of attack; does not even exploit technology vulnerabilities; each successful attack has serious ramifications

64
Q

What is an Influence Campaign? What are the 2 types?

A

Uses social engineering to sway attention & sympathy in a particular direction

Types:
Social Media Influence Compaign - exclusively used on social media & other sources
Hybrid Warfare Influence Campaign - used on social media & other sources

65
Q

Explain Psychological Principles for Social Engineering Attacks.

A

To affect others mentally & emotionally rather than physically; factors that make social engineering highly effective; ex: CEO calling organization’s help desk to reset a password; variety of techniques to gain trust – provide a reason, project confidence, use evasion & diversion, make them laugh

66
Q

What are Social Engineering Effectiveness (7) for Psychological Principles?

A

1) Authority
2) Intimidation
3) Consensus
4) Scarcity
5) Urgency
6) Familiarity
7) Trust

67
Q

What is Authority as a Psychological Principle?

A

To impersonate an authority figure or falsely cite their authority; ex: “I’m the CEO calling”

68
Q

What is Intimidation as a Psychological Principle?

A

To frighten & coerce by threat; ex: “if you don’t reset my password, I will call your supervisor”

69
Q

What is Consensus as a Psychological Principle?

A

To influence by what others do; ex: “I called last week, & your colleage reset by password”

69
Q

What is Scarcity as a Psychological Principle?

A

To refer to something in short supply; ex: “I can’t waste time here”

70
Q

What is Urgency as a Psychological Principle?

A

To demand immediatie action; ex: “My meeting with the board starts in five minutes”

70
Q

What is Familiarity as a Psychological Principle?

A

To give the impression the victim is well known & well received; ex: “I remember reading a good evaluation on you”

70
Q

What is Trust as a Psychological Principle?

A

To inspire confidence; ex: “You know who I am”

71
Q

What is Prepending related to Psychological Principles?

A

Influencing the subject before the event occurs; ex: “the best film you will see this year!”; by starting with the desired outcome, the statement influences the listener to think that way

72
Q

What are the 4 techniques Attackers use to gain trust?

A

1) Provide a reason - adds a reason with their request
2) Project confidence - acts like they belong
3) Use evasion & diversion - evades a question
4) Make them laugh - uses humor

73
Q

Social engineering psychological approaches/techniques involve (7):

A

1) Impersonation
2) Phishing
3) Redirection
4) Spam
5) Spim
6) Hoaxes
7) Watering Hole Attack

74
Q

What is Redirection as a psychological approach?

A

User makes a typing error when entering a uniform resource location (URL) address in a web browser, such as typing goggle.com (a misspelling) or google.net (incorrect domain) instead of the correct google.com; in past, error message like HTTP Error 404 Not Found; when an attacker directs a user to a fake lookalike site filled with ads for which the attacker receives money for traffic generated to the site

75
Q

What is Impersonation as a psychological approach?

A

Aka identity fraud – masquerading as a real or fictitious character & then playing the role of that person with a victim; goal can be to obtain private information (pretexting)

76
Q

What is Phishing as a psychological approach?

A

Sending an email message or displaying a web announcement that falsely claims to be from a legitimate enterprise in an attempt to trick the user into surrendering private information or taking action; one of the largest & most consequential cyber treats

77
Q

What is an Invoice Scam?

A

Fictitious overdue invoice that demands immediate payment; type of Phishing

78
Q

What are 4 types of Phishing?

A

1) Spear Phishing
2) Whaling
3) Vishing
4) Smishing

79
Q

What is Spear Phishing?

A

Targets specific users; emails are customized to the recipients, including their names & personal information

80
Q

What is Whaling?

A

Attacks wealthy individuals or senior executives instead of going after “smaller fish”

81
Q

What is Vishing?

A

Using phone calls instead of emails; attack calls victim, who upon answering, hears a recorded message that pretends to be from the user’s bank stating that her credit card has experience fraudulent activity or that her bank account has had unusual activity

82
Q

What is Smishing?

A

Variation of vishing using SMS text messages & callback recorded phone messages; pretends to be from their bank

83
Q

What is Typo Squatting as a form of Redirection?

A

Today’s user is often directed to a fake lookalike site filled w/ ads for which the attacker receives money for traffic generated to the site;purchasing the domain names of sites that are spelled similarly to actual sites

84
Q

What is Pharming as a form of Redirection?

A

Attempts to exploit how a URL such as www.cengage.com is converted into its corresponding IP address

85
Q

What is Spam as a psychological approach?

A

Unsolicited email that is sent to a large # of recipients; users receive so many spam messages because sending spam is lucrative (costs spammers very little to send millions of spam email messages); botnets; spammers make a large profit; image spam – uses graphical images of text in order to circumvent text-based filters; image spam cannot be filtered based on the textual content of the message because it appears as an image instead of text; nonsense text

86
Q

What is Spim as a psychological approach?

A

Spam delivered through instant messaging (IM) instead of email; for threat actors, spim can have even more impact than spam; immediacy of instant messages makes users more likely to reflexively click embedded links in a spim; may bypass some antimalware defenses

87
Q

What are Hoaxes as a psychological approach?

A

False warning, often contained in an email message claiming to come from the IT department; ex: “deadly virus” – erase specific files or change security configurations & then forward the message to others

88
Q

What is a Watering Hole Attack as a psychological approach?

A

Directed toward a smaller group of specific individuals, such as the major executives working for a manufacturing company – they tend to visit a common website; attacker targets the common website that’s frequented & infects it with malware that will make its way onto the group’s computers

89
Q

Explain Physical Procedures for Social Engineering Attacks.

A

Attacks that rely on physical acts; these attacks take advantage of user actions that can result in compromised security

90
Q

What are the 3 most common Physical Procedures for Social Engineering Attacks?

A

1) Dumpster Diving
2) Tailgating
3) Shoulder Surfing

91
Q

What is Dumpster Diving as a physical procedure?

A

Involves digging through trash receptables to find information that can be useful in an attack

Ex: calendars, inexpensive computer hardware, memos, organizational charts, phone directories, policy manuals, system manuals, electronic variations

92
Q

What is Tailgating as a physical procedure?

A

Cannot control how many people enter the building when access is allowed; once an authorized person opens the door, one or more individuals can follow behind & also enter

93
Q

What is Shoulder Surfing as a physical procedure?

A

To watch an individual entering the security code on a keypad; can be used in any setting that allows an attacker to casually observe someone entering secret information, such as the security codes on a door keypad; attackers are also using webcams & smartphone cameras to “shoulder surf” users of ATM machines to record keypad entries

94
Q

What are 2 classifications of negative impacts form a successful attack?

A

1) Data impacts
2) Effects on the organization

95
Q

What are Data Impacts as a successful attack?

A

Goal of attack focuses on data as the primary target

96
Q

What are Effects on the Enterprise as a successful attack?

A

Successful attack can also have grave consequences for an enterprise; attack may make systems inaccessible (availability loss); results in lost productivity, which can affect the normal tasks for general income (financial loss)

97
Q

What are the 4 consequences of a data attack?

A

1) Data loss
2) Data exfiltration
3) Data breach
4) Identity theft

98
Q

What is Data Loss as a consequence of a data attack?

A

Destroying data so that it cannot be recovered; ex: maliciously erasing patient data used for cancer research

99
Q

What is Data Exfiltration as a consequence of a data attack?

A

Stealing data to distribute it to other parties; ex: taking a list of current customers & selling it to a competitor

100
Q

What is Data Breach as a consequence of a data attack?

A

Stealing data to disclose it in an unauthorized fashion; ex: stealing credit card numbers to sell to other threat actors

101
Q

What is Identity Theft as a consequence of a data attack?

A

Taking personally identifiable information to impersonate someone; ex: stealing a SSN to secure a bank loan in the victim’s name

102
Q

Define Attributes of Threat Actors (blue).

A

Characteristic features of the different groups of threat actors can vary widely

103
Q

Define Level of Capability/Sophistication of Threat Actors (blue).

A

High level of power & complexity by threat actors

104
Q

Define Resources & Funding of Threat Actors (blue).

A

Financial capabilities of threat actors

105
Q

Define Internal of Threat Actors (blue).

A

Threat actors that work within the enterprise

106
Q

Define External of Threat Actors (blue).

A

Threat actors that work outside of the enterprise

107
Q

Define Intent/Motivation of Threat Actors (blue).

A

Reason for the attacks by threat actors

108
Q

Define Hacker of Threat Actors (blue).

A

A person who uses advanced computer skills to attack computers

109
Q

Define Firmware related to Patches (blue).

A

Software that is embedded into hardware

110
Q

Define Pretexting r/t Impersonation.

A

Using impersonation to obtain private information

111
Q

Define Invoice Scam r/t Phishing.

A

Fictitious overdue invoice that demands immediate payment

IT & Data Assurance I (IST293) (15 decks)

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