Organizational And Industrial Assignment Help
All four projects for this course will be completed from the vantage
point of a specific industry and an organization assigned to you by me
as your instructor. Here are the organizations/industries I have to
assign:
1. A research extensive public university in the higher education
sector.
2. A private hospital in the healthcare sector.
3. A public K-12 public school district in the education sector.
4. A private retail bank in the finance sector.
5. A local state municipality in the government sector.
6. A federal defense contractor in the public-private sector.
7. A national commercial retail superstore chain in the private
consumer goods sector.
Project 1: Security Models
Start Here
Security Models
[Music]
You have just taken a position as the chief information security officer
at your organization. John Williams, the chief technology officer and
your new boss, stops at your office door.
“I know you’re busy, but I’d like you to come by my office when you get
a chance.”
Excited about the prospect of something new, you grab a pen and
paper and walk to John’s office.
John says, “Thanks for coming over so quickly. I’ll get right to the point.
As the CISO, I’m sure that you’re aware of the recent Office of
Personnel Management breach, and the impact that this has had on
our industry.”
John continues, “I’m sure that you also realize the heavy burden on our
department to protect our organization’s assets and information. I
would like to make sure that a similar situation doesn’t happen here.
My first step toward preventive measures is to develop new policies
and procedures that better protect our data.”
John sits at his desk and begins typing while he says, “That brings me
to why I asked you here. While I begin my review of current policies
and procedures, I would like you to help me by drafting a custom
security plan that best fits our organization.”
John continues, “You should start by analyzing our security
weaknesses, or vulnerabilities, then continue with reviewing existing
security models and analyzing which attributes are best suited for our
organization. You will look at the pros and cons of each model, which
attributes are best suited for us, and the reasoning behind your
conclusions. You will need to submit your completed report to me with
a drafted security plan in two weeks.”
As a new employee, you realize that this is a great opportunity to show
your new boss how you can make a positive contribution to your
organization. You know you have enough time to complete your
analysis if you start right away.
[Music]
Most companies and agencies implement security models to protect
the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of information and
data. As security vulnerabilities and threats continue to evolve, security
systems need to adapt to effectively protect data and systems.
This is the first of four sequential projects for this course. In this
project, you will evaluate existing security models and their attributes
and ultimately recommend a custom security plan to your assigned
organization.
You will also evaluate the pros and cons of implementing particular
model attributes based on the type of organization and employees in
relation to CIA.
To complete the project, you will write a report on the importance of
security models in organizations like yours and identify the
vulnerabilities of the organization.
There are 14 steps in this project. Begin by reviewing the project
scenario and then proceed to Step 1.
Competencies
Your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below.
5.1: Define and appropriately use basic cybersecurity concepts
and terminology.
6.2: Create an information security program and strategy, and
maintain alignment of the two.
7.3: Evaluate enterprise cybersecurity policy.
9.2: Vulnerability Assessment: Rank the vulnerabilities of a
system from a disaster-management perspective.
Step 1: Review the Assigned Organization
All four projects for this course will be completed from the vantage
point of a specific industry and an organization assigned to you by the
instructor. If you do not know your assigned organization, contact your
instructor immediately. If you want to use another organization than the
one assigned you or one not listed, contact your instructor as well.
Familiarize yourself with the organization and breach your instructor
has assigned by reviewing the details
at https://www.databreaches.net/. The descriptions include an overview
and key information about the organization on the internet, as well as
information about a breach or attempted breach. For the purposes of
this course, you will assume this organization is your employer.
You may wish to briefly research your assigned organization to gather
additional information about the organization and its security posture.
Career Connections
The breach you have been assigned is a matter of historical fact. Your
scholarly research into this matter can and should inform your
approach to cybersecurity management. Your ability to fluently
converse on past cyber breaches is one way of demonstrating to
potential employers that you have the necessary knowledge, skills, and
abilities to be a valuable addition to their team. Take notes as you read
about this breach—feel free to search for other major breaches—and
pay attention to the mistakes that were made that and what actions
were taken afterward. As a part of the interview process, you might be
asked to apply this knowledge to a new situation.
You will use this information throughout the project as you work to
develop a security plan for your organization.
In the next step, you will compile a cybersecurity overview.
Step 2: Write a Cybersecurity Background Summary
In Step 1, you familiarized yourself with your assigned organization.
Now, it is time to write a cybersecurity overview. Write a three-page
background summary that includes a general overview of cybersecurity
and a section on enterprise cybersecurity.
Include the following items in the general overview of cybersecurity:
Compare and contrast cybersecurity and computer security.
Discuss data flows across networks. As part of this discussion, it
may help to review the following topics: binary digits, nontextual
data , ASCII, hexadecimal, computer networks, network devices
and cables, and network protocols.
Discuss basic cybersecurity concepts and vulnerabilities,
including flaws that can exist in software. As part of this
discussion, it may help to review the following topics: systems,
utilities, and application software, software, interaction of
software, and creating a program.
Discuss common cybersecurity attacks. Helpful topics
include protocols, web sessions, and security issues, servers and
firewalls, a closer look at the World Wide Web and web markup
language, cyberattacks, and attack vectors.
Discuss penetration testing.
Discuss how to employ network forensic analysis tools (NFAT) to
identify software communications vulnerabilities.
Include the following items in the enterprise cybersecurity section:
List and discuss the major concepts of enterprise cybersecurity,
including confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA)
Discuss the principles that underlie the development of an
enterprise cybersecurity policy framework and implementation
plan.
List the major types of cybersecurity threats that a modern
enterprise might face.
You will attach this cybersecurity background summary to the security
assessment in a later project step.
Submit the cybersecurity background summary for feedback.
Step 3: Analyze Security Weaknesses
After writing the cybersecurity background summary, you are ready to
analyze the security weaknesses of your assigned organization. When
analyzing cybersecurity weaknesses, there are several areas to
consider.
Analyze the organization’s security from the following perspectives:
1. a technology perspective
2. a people perspective
3. a policy perspective
You will include this information in the security assessment. In the next
step, you will consider risk factors.
Step 4: Compile a Risk Summary
Now that you have looked at security weaknesses, it’s time to identify
areas that should be improved or strengthened, including potential
risks associated with maintaining the current security posture. Discuss
how you would employ network analysis tools to identify software
communications vulnerabilities. Make sure to include the following
information:
1. Classify risks according to relevant criteria.
2. Explain system and application security threats and
vulnerabilities.
3. Prioritize risks from internal and external sources.
4. Assess the cybersecurity threats faced by your entity.
You will include this information in the security assessment, which you
will compile in the next step.
Step 5: Submit a Security Weakness Assessment
From the information that you gathered in the previous steps, develop
a two-page summary of your organization’s security weaknesses.
Identify threats, risks, and vulnerabilities to achieve a holistic view of
risk across the entity.
Consider areas that should be improved from a technology
perspective, a people perspective, and a policy perspective. Also note
potential risks associated with maintaining the current security posture.
You will reference this security assessment later when you make your
business case and final recommendation.
Submit the security assessment for feedback.
Step 6: Begin a Security Models Summary
Confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA triad), as well as
authentication and nonrepudiation, are fundamental security concepts
that must be considered when assessing and developing security
options. Cybersecurity models have been developed to address some
or all of these security concepts.