AIS E12 CH08
AIS E12 CH08
Systems
CHAPTER 8
INFORMATION SYSTEM CONTROLS for SYSTEMS RELIABILITY
Part 1: Information Security
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
8.1
Explain why an organization would want to use all of the following information
security controls: firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, intrusion detection
systems, and a CIRT.
Using this combination of controls provides defense-in-depth. Firewalls and intrusion
prevention systems are preventive controls. Intrusion detection systems are used to
identify problems and incidents. The purpose of a Computer Incident Response Team
(CIRT) is to respond to and mediate problems and incidents. According to the time-based
model of security, information security is adequate if the firewalls and intrusion
prevention systems can delay attacks from succeeding longer than the time it takes the
intrusion detection system to identify that an attack is in progress and for the CIRT to
respond.
8.2
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having the person responsible for
information security report directly to the chief information officer (CIO), who has
overall responsibility for all aspects of the organizations information systems?
It is important for the person responsible for security (the CISO) to report to senior
management. Having the person responsible for information security report to a member
of the executive committee such as the CIO, formalizes information security as a top
management issue.
One potential disadvantage is that the CIO may not always react favorably to reports
indicating that shortcuts have been taken with regard to security, especially in situations
where following the recommendations for increased security spending could result in
failure to meet budgeted goals. Therefore, just as the effectiveness of the internal audit
function is improved by having it report to someone other than the CFO, the security
function may also be more effective if it reports to someone who does not have
responsibility for information systems operations.
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8.3
8.4
8.5
What are the limitations, if any, of relying on the results of penetration tests to
assess the overall level of security?
Penetration testing provides a rigorous way to test the effectiveness of an organizations
computer security by attempting to break into the organizations information system.
Internal audit and external security consulting team perform penetration tests in which
they try to compromise a companys system. Some outside consultants claim that they
can get into 90 percent or more of the companies they attack. This is not surprising, given
that it is impossible to achieve 100% security. Thus, one limitation of penetration testing
is that it almost always shows that there are ways to break into the system.
The more important analysis, however, is evaluating how difficult it was to break in and
the cost-effectiveness of alternative methods for increasing that level of difficulty.
Another limitation is that failure to break in may be due to lack of skill by the tester.
Finally, penetration testing typically focuses on unauthorized access by outsiders; thus, it
does not test for security breaches from internal sources.
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8.6
8.7
What is the relationship between COSO, COBIT, and the AICPAs Trust Services
frameworks?
COSO is a broad framework that describes the various components of internal control. It
does not, however, provide any details about IT controls.
COBIT is a framework for IT governance and control.
The AICPAs Trust Services framework is narrower in scope than COBIT, focusing only
on those IT controls (security, confidentiality, privacy, processing integrity, and
availability) that relate directly to systems reliability.
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Term
__d__ 1. Vulnerability
__s__ 2. Exploit
__b__ 3. Authentication
__m__ 4. Authorization
__o__ 7. router
__k__ 9. firewall
Definition
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features.
Solution: will vary for each student. Examples of what to expect (from a computer
running Windows 7 follow:
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1. The first section should identify the computer (not shown below) and the status of
security updates:
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3. Thenthereisasectionaboutothersysteminformation
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8.3
to perform:
The following table lists the actions that various employees are permitted
E
m
pl
oy
ee
Permitted actions
A
bl
e
Ba
ke
r
Ch
arl
ey
De
nis
e
Ell
en
Complete the following access control matrix so that it enables each employee to
perform those specific activities:
Employee
Custom
er
Master
file
In
ve
nt
or
y
M
ast
Pay
roll
Ma
ster
File
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Syste
m
Log
Files
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er
Fil
e
Able
Baker
1
2
Charley
Denise
0
3
Ellen
Usethefollowingcodes:
0=noaccess
1=readonlyaccess
2=readandmodifyrecords
3=read,modify,create,anddeleterecords
8.4
Which preventive, detective, and/or corrective controls would best mitigate
the following threats?
a. An employees laptop was stolen at the airport. The laptop contained personally
identifying information about the companys customers that could potentially be
used to commit identity theft.
Training on how to protect laptops while travelling to minimize the risk of theft.
b. A salesperson successfully logged into the payroll system by guessing the payroll
supervisors password.
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use of multiple character types, random characters, and require that passwords be
changed frequently.
Detective: Locking out accounts after 3-5 unsuccessful login attempts; since this
was a guessing attack, it may have taken more than a few attempts to login.
Preventive: Integrate physical and logical security. In this case, the system should
reject any user attempts remotely log into the system if that same user is already logged
in from a physical workstation.
Detective: Having the system notify appropriate security staff about such an
incident.
Preventive: Security awareness training is the best way to prevent such problems.
Employees should be taught that this is a common example of a sophisticated phishing
scam.
e. A companys programming staff wrote custom code for the shopping cart feature on
its web site. The code contained a buffer overflow vulnerability that could be
exploited when the customer typed in the ship-to address.
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Detective: Make sure programs are thoroughly tested before being put into use
Have internal auditors routinely test in-house developed software.
Preventive: Insist on secure code as part of the specifications for purchasing any
rd
3 party software.
Employ a patch management program so that any vendor provided fixes and
patches are immediately implemented.
g. Attackers broke into the companys information system through a wireless access
point located in one of its retail stores. The wireless access point had been purchased
and installed by the store manager without informing central IT or security.
Corrective: Sanction employees who violate policy and install rogue wireless
access points.
h. An employee picked up a USB drive in the parking lot and plugged it into their
laptop to see what was on it, which resulted in a keystroke logger being installed
on that laptop.
Anti-spyware software that automatically checks and cleans all detected spyware
on an employee's computer as part of the logon process.
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i. Once an attack on the companys website was discovered, it took more than 30
minutes to determine who to contact to initiate response actions.
Preventive: Document all members of the CIRT and their contact information.
Require strong authentication of all attempts to log into the system from a wireless
client.
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8.5
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the three types of
authentication credentials (something you know, something you have, and
something you are)?
Type of
Credential
Something
you know
Something
you have
Something
you are
(biometric)
Advantages
+ Easy to use
Disadvantages
+ Easy to forget or guess
+ Universal - no special
hardware required
+ Easy to use
+ Hard to copy/mimic
+ Cost
+ Requires special
hardware, so not universally
applicable
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8.6 a.
Apply the following data to evaluate the time-based model of security for the
XYZ Company. Does the XYZ Company satisfy the requirements of the time-based
model of security? Why?
Solution: XYZ Company is secure under their best case scenario but they do not
meet security requirements under their worst case scenario.
P = 25 Minutes
D = 5 Minutes (Best Case)
10 Minutes (Worst Case)
C = 6 Minutes (Best Case),
20 minutes (Worst Case)
Optio
n
P
(worst
case)
D
(worst
case)
C
(worst
case)
29
10
20
25
20
25
10
14
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8.7
Explain how the following items individually and collectively affect the
overall level of security provided by using a password as an authentication
credential.
Complexity (types of
characters allowed)
Number of
characters
Numeric
Number of
possible
passwords
L
e
n
g
t
h
10 (0-9)
104 = 10,000
26 (a-z)
268 =
2.088+E11
Alphabetic, case
sensitive
52 (a-z, AZ)
528 =
5.346+E13
Alphanumeric, case
sensitive
62 (0-9, a-z,
A-Z)
628 =
2.183+E14
Alphanumeric, case
sensitive,
1
2
6212 =
3.226+E21
Alphanumeric, case
sensitive, plus special
characters
95 (0-9, a-z,
A-Z, and
$, !, #, etc.)
958 =
6.634+E15
Alphanumeric, case
sensitive, plus special
characters
95 (0-9, a-z,
A-Z, and
$, !, #, etc.)
1
2
9512 =
5.404+E23
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c. Maximum password age (how often password must be changed) shorter means
more frequent changes which increases security
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d. Minimum password age (how long a password must be used before it can be
changed) this combined with history prevents someone from just keeping their same
password, because it prevents repeatedly changing passwords until the system allows use of
the same password once again.
f. Account lockout threshold (how many failed login attempts before the account is
locked) this is designed to stop guessing attacks. However, it needs to account for typos,
accidentally hitting the CAPS LOCK key, etc. to prevent locking out legitimate users. Its
effect also depends on the next variable, time frame.
g. Time frame during which account lockout threshold is applied (i.e., if lockout
threshold is five failed login attempts, time frame is whether those 5 failures must occur
within 15 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, etc.). Shorter time frames defeat attempts to guess.
h. Account lockout duration (how long the account remains locked after exceeding
the maximum allowable number of failed login attempts) longer lockouts defeat
attempts to guess. Too short a value on this parameter may enable an attacker to try to guess
x times, get locked out for only a few minutes, and then start guessing again.
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8.8
The chapter briefly discussed the following three common attacks against
applications
a. Buffer overflows
b. SQL injection
c. Cross-site scripting
Required
Research each of these three attacks and write a report that explains in detail
how each attack actually works and that describes suggested controls for reducing
the risks that these attacks will be successful.
Solution: Reports will vary from student to student; however, the reports should
contain at least some of the following basic facts gathered from the text, cgisecurity.net,
and Wikipedia:
a. Buffer overflows
Most programs are loaded into RAM when they run. Oftentimes a program may
need to temporarily pause and call another program to perform a specific function.
Information about the current state of the suspended program, such as the values of any
variables and the address in RAM of the instruction to execute next when resuming the
program, must be stored in RAM. The address to go to find the next instruction when the
subprogram has finished its task is written to an area of RAM called the stack. The other
information is written into an adjoining area of RAM called a buffer. A buffer overflow
occurs when too much data is sent to the buffer, so that the instruction address in the
stack is overwritten. The program will then return control to the address pointed to in the
stack. In a buffer overflow attack, the input is designed so that the instruction address in
the stack points back to a memory address in the buffer itself. Since the buffer has been
filled with data sent by the attacker, this location contains commands that enable the
attacker to take control of the system.
Note that buffer overflows can only occur if the programmer failed to include a
check on the amount of data being input. Thus, sound programming practices can prevent
buffer overflow attacks. Therefore, internal auditors should routinely test all applications
developed in-house to be sure that they are not vulnerable to buffer overflow attacks.
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b. SQL injection
Many web pages receive an input or a request from web users and then, to address
the input or the request, they create a Structured Query Language (SQL) query for the
database that is accessed by the webpage. For example, when a user logs into a webpage,
the user name and password will be used to query the database to determine if they are a
valid user. With SQL injection, a user inputs a specially crafted SQL command that is
passed to the database and executed, thereby bypassing the authentication controls and
effectively gaining access to the database. This can allow a hacker to not only steal data
from the database, but also modify and delete data or the entire database.
To prevent SQL injection attacks, the web server should be reprogrammed so that
user input is not directly used to create queries sent to the database.
c. Cross-site scripting
Cross site scripting (also known as XSS) occurs whenever a web application
sends user input back to the browser without scrubbing it. The problem is that if the input
is a script, the browser will execute it. The attack requires tricking a user into clicking on
a hyperlink to a trusted website that is vulnerable to cross site scripting. The hyperlink
will take the victim to that website, but it also contains a script. When the users browser
visits the trusted website, it sends the input (the embedded script in the hyperlink) back to
the browser. The browser then executes that script and sends information, often cookies
that may contain authentication credentials, back to the attacker.
The best protection is that web sites should never replay user input verbatim back
to the browser, but should always convert it to harmless HTML code first.
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8.9
Physical security is extremely important. Read the article 19 Ways to Build
Physical Security into a Data Center, which appeared in the CSO Magazine
November 2005. (You can find the article at
www.csoonline.com/read/110105/datacenter.html).
Which methods would you expect to find used by almost any major
corporation?
Solution:
Depending on the sensitivity and value of the data processed and stored at a data
center, all of the 19 methods could be used by a corporation. For example, IBM is
extremely concerned about the loss of data and trade secrets due to disasters and
corporate espionage and employs all 19 methods.
However, most corporations do not employ all 19 methods. Thus, the following
solution is an approximation of the methods that a typical corporation may employ and
the more extensive methods that a financial institution would choose.
The methods that any corporation would use can also be employed at financial
institutions, but are not checked to more clearly highlight the differences.
Method
Any
Corporatio
n
Extra methods
justified at a
Financial
Institution
4. Avoid windows
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Firewalls are one of the most fundamental and important security tools. You are
likely familiar with the software-based host firewall that you use on your laptop or desktop.
Such firewalls should also be installed on every computer in an organization. However,
organizations also need corporate-grade firewalls, which are usually, but not always,
dedicated special-purpose hardware devices. Conduct some research to identify three
different brands of such corporate-grade firewalls and write a report that addresses the
following points:
Cost
Specifics of the solution will differ depending upon the brand identified. The instructor
may wish to require students to turn in copies of their source materials. At a minimum, solution
should clearly demonstrate that students understand the different types of firewalls and have read
and understood the review of a products ease of configuration and ease of use.
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Design a checklist for assessing each of the 11 detailed information security control
objectives. The checklist should contain questions to which a Yes response represents a
control strength, a No response represents a control weakness, plus a possible N/A response.
Provide a brief reason for asking each question. Organize your checklist as follows:
Yes
No
N/A
Question
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CO
BI
T
C
on
tr
ol
O
bj
ec
ti
ve
Possible questions
DS5 Does the person responsible for information security report to the C-suite?
.1
Is information security a topic at meetings of the Board of Directors?
DS5 Does an information security plan exist?
.2
Do information security policies and procedures exist?
Are information security policies and procedures communicated
periodically to all employees?
DS5 Do all employees have unique user IDs?
.3
Are all employees required to use passwords?
Are there policies to ensure that passwords are sufficiently strong?
Are access rights assigned by employee role?
Are access rights approved by management?
DS5 Are there procedures for closing user accounts when an employee leaves the
.4
company?
Do employees who need administrative access have two accounts one that
is a limited account and the other with administrative rights?
Do employees routinely use only their limited user accounts when surfing
the Internet?
DS5 Are there periodic vulnerability assessments?
.5
Are there periodic penetration tests?
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Is logging enabled?
Are logs regularly reviewed?
DS5 Is there a computer incident response team (CIRT)?
.6
Does membership of the CIRT include all appropriate functions?
Is there a written incident response plan?
Has the plan been practiced this year?
DS5 Is documentation related to firewalls and IPS stored securely and with
.7
restricted access?
Are firewalls and other security devices protected with appropriate logical
and physical access controls?
DS5
.8
DS5
.9
DS5
.1
0
DS5
.1
1
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