Vulnerability Assessment
The aim of vulnerability analysis/assessment is to identify a prioritized set of threats that are relevant to a particular system for a specific set of users and applications under a specific set of conditions. The practice often yields one or more threat matrix(ces), each of which tabulates both general (top-level) and application/user specific (lower-level) threats.
In order to limit the workload of this homework, you are asked to complete the following threat matrix for your scanned network. Note that the threats posted by different users and applications used on these subnets might be quite different. Only two applications, Electronic Mail (Email) and Web Browsing, are to be considered in the vulnerability analysis of each subnet within the network you create (yes, you are making this up). Depending on the subnet, just check your users and the applications scanned on the virtual network. For the sake of simplicity, we assume that only the members will use the network you have created.
After performing the vulnerability analysis, you are asked to determine the security services that should be employed in order to protect the entire network. The service selection process should be conducted by identifying the security services that are necessary to countermand individual threats mentioned in the threat matrices, and then collate these services according to their types and deployment sites. The results of this process shall be a short list of basic security services (confidentiality, integrity, authentication, access control, non-repudiation and audit) to be employed on each subnet with respect to different user groups and applications. Again, to limit the workload, you are asked to select security services necessary to protect network. The list of security services that shall be deployed at the hosts, the servers and the gateway router of the network should be provided. Each service should be qualified by the place it shall be deployed and the application(s) it tries to protect.
This needs to be a fabricated network that you create. I also posted in detail about threat matrix in the Muddy Waters forum as well as some of the issues that you need to cover in this assignment. I’m reposting this here so that everyone will have to go looking for it.
Perhaps you may need additional direction on what a threat matrix is? Here’s a sample of one. It basically describes the probability of an event taking place along with the overall effect that it would have should the event take place. Obviously the higher the threat and the more damaging it is the higher this would be. You’d be creating this based upon some of the knowledge that you had in previous vulnerability exercises and network/operating system process analysis.
At this point you should fully understand the vulnerabilities for email and web browsing. Furthermore, you should understand what a subnet is. So, I need you to create a pseudo-network with pseudo-applications that your users are using and discuss possible vulnerabilities to those systems, applications and internal infrastructure. Following the completion of that creation, you should then act as the cyber subject matter expert. It will be on you to find the methods to secure vulnerabilities. So, the scans that you’ve done to this point and a lot of the things that have led up to you finding different ways by which an attacker can attack a network will be vital. You should be looking to plug these holes and keep your network safe. So, you’ll need to research and select processes that secure these threats and collate them for the different deployment sites. This doesn’t have to be a litany of different processes. But, it should cover the threats that you disclose based upon some of your findings this term. So, it in the last line it discusses services deployed to hosts, servers, routers and the gateway within the network. You should create a network and showcase how to protect it.
