4/3 Peer Review
Post 1 by Shilpa
a) What types of threats can impact operations of the infrastructure? What steps can be taken to protect systems in the infrastructure (server or desktop systems and beyond)?
Threats have more impact an operation of infrastructure. Some of the threats we see in workplaces are Avenue attacks is done to outbreak the government systems to gather the secret information. Here hacker may attack on the websites to gather credit card information and collect company's information. Attacking viruses and worms into system, the well-known type of malicious code is virus. The virus and worms are software application or program which will destroy the firm’s data and network. Worms in a computer is a self-copying program. Botnet attack is type of threat, occur by a common type of malware. The devices connected to the internet like computers, smart phones, mobiles, etc. The goal for this type of threat is to infect as many devices connected to the network. Phishing threat occurs by clicking abnormal mails or messages. By one click hacker can pull out information like name, address, phone number, bank details etc. which is related to the victim.
Some of the steps which help in protecting system infrastructure:
· Implementing a security audit in the firm: By performing the security audit in the firm we can identify hacking or stealing the data from the firm’s systems by this we can secure data in the firm.
· By creating and applying IT policies in the company, we can safeguard our infrastructure for identifying the threats from the hackers.
· By updating the antivirus in our systems, we will protect from the virus induced applications by the hackers into our systems to steal the entire data in the firm
· By updating workplaces and servers in the firms we will safeguard our data from the beaches. Workplaces and serves plays an important role in data transformation.
· By auditing the firm servers, we can verify and examine the suspicious applications enter our servers to hack the system.
b) How can threats from Internet-based activities, such as the use of e-mail and web browsing, be mitigated? What is the responsibility of the user community in mitigating such threats?
The threats from internet-based activities by web browsing and e-mail usage can be mitigated by conducting a risk assessment to find out vulnerabilities. By conducting a cyber security risk assessment, firm can uncover possible gaps in security controls. Once problem is identified, setup network access controls. The mitigation is based on both the activities of the user and the firm. Installation of firewalls and antivirus software in the system will mitigate the security problems. Firewall will protect the suspicious applications trying to enter our system. If any breach is occurred in the organization every employee, IT and non-IT should work to face the problem with the available sources this is called incident response. As we know that cybercrime rate is growing high to face the breaches in any situation, we must be ready with the incident response plan.
Every company is facing problems from the hackers as they are hacking the company’s data. So, to avoid from hacking every user must follow some steps to mitigate such threats. Backup the data in the firm. Secure your data by encrypting, by encrypting the data in the firm, every information in the firm will be secured from inside and outside of the firm. It will protect firm data. Educating the staff in the firm. Access controls will help us in detection of the threats in the systems of the firms. By observing it we can know where the exact threat is occurred. Know different types of threats from inside and outside of the firm, monitor the devices frequently are the responsibilities of the user in mitigating the threats.
References
Conklin, W. A., White, G., Cothren, C., Davis, R. L., & Williams, D. (2018). Principles of
Computer Security: CompTIA Security and Beyond, Fifth Edition (5th Edition). McGraw-
Hill Professional. https://slingshot.vitalsource.com/books/9781260026009
Berkeley. (2022). Report a security incident. Information Security Office.
https://security.berkeley.edu/quick-links/report-security-incident
Hong, J. (2012). The state of phishing attacks. Communications of the ACM, 55(1), 74-81.
Post 2 by Catharine
A security threat can range from any level of software, networks to applications. A cyber security threat can cause immense damage to an organization unless the IT team is vigilant in protecting and responding. With the development in technology, cybersecurity has become a prime concern for the organization. Threats can be categorized based on the avenues of attack, malicious code, computer systems and networks, advanced persistent threats, and tools. Critical infrastructure threats are network segmentation, web application attacks, DDoS attacks, and malware attacks. A successful attack in any of the mentioned categories, can impact the business financially, cause reputational damage, and have legal consequences. Additionally, network security protects the data and confidential information about the organization. A network security audit uncovers underlying network issues, security threats, and traces data breaches, allowing you to plug holes, restrict network access, and improve the firms' network surveillance (Taylor, 2020). To protect the infrastructure from external security risks it is recommended to install antivirus, firewall software, strong passwords, and regular backups.
Emails are used to communicate in organizations enabling them to be susceptible to cyber threats. Securing emails is crucial because the information present has confidential information relating to the company. Malware delivery through spam, phishing emails, malicious bots, and authentication attacks are some of the types of email threats. One can mitigate this risk by keeping client and user servers safe, installing security tools that can filter spam and emails with malware. Web browsing threats include viruses, malicious programs, DDoS attacks, phishing attacks, and so on. The proposed means to mitigate these threats are to install endpoint security solutions, use anti-APR spoofing tools, and adapt to web filters. "One of the most efficient ways to protect against cyber-attacks and all types of data breaches is to train your employees on cyber attack prevention and inform them of current cyber attacks" (Leaf, 2020).
References
Taylor. T. 2020. Network security audits 5 keys for successful audits. SecureLink. https://www.securelink.com/blog/five-keys-networksecurityaudit/#:~:text=Network%20security%20audits%20protect%20organizations,improve%20your%20company's%20network%20surveillance.
Leaf. 2020. 10 ways to prevent cyber attacks. Leaf. https://leaf-it.com/10-ways-prevent-cyber-attacks/