Week 5: Case Study

WEEK 5

DeVry University 

Abstract

Good morning. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to analyze and recommend policies that mitigate two data-breach attack vectors as discussed in this briefing, for a large multi-national corporation ( the Company).Your cover is that you have just been hired as an Information Security Engineer (ISE). The Company has suffered multiple data breaches that have threatened trust in the Company. The Company’s reputation is at peril unless there is immediate action to resolve these breaches.This confidential data includes financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) for corporations and private citizens. CNBC reports that 15.4 million consumers were victims of identity theft or fraud in 2018 at an economic cost in excess of $16 billion dollars US.Two attack profiles have been identified:infiltration of the network through a vulnerable wireless connection within the organization; andan inside job where PII data was stolen as a result of weak access controls.Currently, the Company does not have policies that address these two vulnerabilities. Your mission is to develop a risk-management policy that addresses the two security breaches and describes how to mitigate these risks. Good luck! 

Week 5

A company’s reputation is critical to its success. Reputation is the basis to loyal customers and securing new customers. When a data breach occurs, personal and financial information is at risk. These are the basis to an individual’s life foundation.

This confidential data includes financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) for corporations and private citizens. CNBC reports that 15.4 million consumers were victims of identity theft or fraud in 2018 at an economic cost in excess of $16 billion dollars US.

Two attack profiles have been identified:

• infiltration of the network through a vulnerable wireless connection within the organization; and • an inside job where PII data was stolen as a result of weak access controls.

Currently, the Company does not have policies that address these two vulnerabilities. Your mission is to develop a risk-management policy that addresses the two security breaches and describes how to mitigate these risks.

It is my recommendation that the company first openly communicate. It is important to be open and sincere. It is important to take ownership of the breach and explain why it happened to as much extent as the company can. The next step is to educate staff on how to prevent this from happening again. A data capture to understand traffic. Review all packets for analysis on entry points. Once the network vulnerabilities are identified, record them.

To address the infiltration through the wireless connections you have to first identify the weak point. The following are all areas to access:

1. Non-secure administrator access

2. Weak encryption

3. Vast entry points – multiple devices (IoT)

The first fix could be to secure the administrator access. Limit it to very few individuals who need the access. Ensure that the wireless devices have the proper tools installed. Passwords should be difficult to master/guess. Short passwords leave room for weakness. Create strong password criteria for all staff to follow, including regular password changes. To strengthen the encryption, WPA2 protocols should be used. Ensure strong firmware, enable firewalls and utilize VPN.

References

Karasec, J. (n.d.). Security 101: Protecting Wi-Fi Networks. Retrieved from Trend Micro: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/security-101protecting-wi-fi-networks-against-hacking-and-eavesdropping