...terrorist attack, natural disaster, or emergency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is prepared to respond. DHS primary responsibilities are combatting terrorism, securing boarders, enforcing immigration laws, safeguarding cyberspace, and responding to natural disasters. Coordination with the federal response teams and partnerships with local, state, and private sectors, enhance the DHS response tactics in a national emergency. Department of Homeland Security Mission, Operations, and Responsibilities The Department of Homeland Security’s mission is to keep America safe, protected, and resilient from various elements that threaten the country. As identified by (dhs.gov, 2013) DHS has three key concepts that strategies are based upon security, resilience, and customs and exchange. The process that defines homeland security missions and incorporates the key concepts is the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). DHS missions are spread across the enterprise and do not only cover DHS. The delegated missions define in detail how to prevent, protect, respond, recover, secure, ensure resilience, and facilitate customs and exchange as noted by (dhs.gov, 2013). Department of Homeland Security operations encompass five core objectives. The objectives covered under DHS are prevention of terrorism and enhancing security; secure and manage our boarders; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard and secure cyberspace; ensure resilience to disasters stated in (dhs.gov...
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...CIS/240 Today Information is the lifeblood of all modern businesses. From Manufacturing, Customer Support, HR, Quality Assurance and Engineering, each department relies upon information in some form shape or fashion to accomplish their task. As a former Customer Support Engineer, I received calls from customers all over the globe. As I spoke to those customers, I would log a trouble call for a specific product for that customer. With the customer on the phone I would have information about their locations, the different types of systems installed, the number of drives, the type of power supplies, and software configurations. To this already stored information, I would add additional information to the database. Information such as what trouble the customer is experiencing today; is the customer's data currently available or unavailable, if unavailable how long has the customer been out of operation. This data is collected for every customer and stored. As this data grows daily, the use of enterprise storage solutions was implemented where it is backup to a secondary site for disaster recovery. As this is a 24/7 call center, all upgrades, hardware or software were first performed on a non-production side of a duplicated environment before upgrading the disaster recovery site, followed by the production site. The information gathered from the customer service department would flow throughout the organization as a whole, and allow departments that rely on the data to...
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...Best practices for Disaster Recovery. Research Assignment 9 Robert Montini (18738519) Mr. Troianos Research Assignment 9 Robert Montini (18738519) Mr. Troianos Best practices for securing SQL Server. Best Practices for Disaster Recovery. Bad things happen, but to a corporation, entity or country, a bad thing happening to its server is worse than bad. It’s a Disaster. The loss of crucial information, records and vital statistics can bring the death to whatever the data base is associated to. That is why Disaster Recovery is one of the most prioritized tasks a data base team may face. Given that the creating a data base is in itself the major goal, protecting that data base should a disaster befall it is as important. There are numerous ways to do this. This paper deals with the best practices of how to accomplish this. The first thing should be to make a backup plan. This should: 1. A computer where the backup will be stored 2. What programs that will be used to back up the database 3, The computers to be backed up 4. A schedule of when to backup new data to the data base 5. The offsite location where the data base recovery data will be stored The second practice is to document all the changes that are made to the database. These include service packs, hot fixes and QFEs that have been applied. This is crucial for getting a data base restored to its original state should a disaster occur. These steps should be implemented to help prevent or minimize the...
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...Securing and Protecting Information Jane Doe CGMT/400 March 9, 2015 John Doe Securing and Protecting Information As the most important asset within the organization it is necessary to provide measures that can effectively protect data from loss and unauthorized intrusions. Information security involves authenticating users with a high level of protocol and promoting accountability within the information infrastructure. This approach may involve use of the organization assets, identification, authentication, authorization and the use of third party security systems or devices to protect data from unauthorized access. Security Authentication Process The security authentication process is the first step in information security and assurance. This process involves “binding a specific ID to a specific computer connection” (University of Phoenix, 2011) in order to authenticate access to the information system. During this process the user provides a user ID and password to the computer system or remote server to verify his or her identity. Authentication is accomplished when the system or server matches the user ID to a specific password and grants the user remote access to system resources. Identification The identification process is an access control element designed to match a user to a specific process. The identification process is performed the first time a user ID is issued to a specific user. User IDs have unique values and can...
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...Considering the recent attack it is imperative for Gem Infosys to have a plan in place for incident-response / operational readiness in the event of an info security breach. This policy is to coincide with our current group and policies and procedures while expanding on how Gem Infosys will develop an incident-response team (interchangeably IRT), disaster recovery process (interchangeably DRP)and business-continuity plan (interchangeably BCP). The goal is for this to be considered a blueprint / foundation in the event Gem Infosys must deploy resources out in the event of an incident and even more importantly the steps and procedures so that down time is at a near zero time during such security risk. Even though “It takes the enterprise some time to assess the exact effects of the disaster” (Disaster Recovery: Best Practices, 2008). Gem Infosys’ is a small software company with a smaller computing environment currently consist of 10 pc’s, and 6 servers that range from file servers, web servers, and AD servers. At present there is a firewall protecting the network but from running an analysis of response time after the recent attack it took responders 6 hours to realize the breach, 24 hours to determine all the components that have been breached and an additional 24 hours to resolve the issue. This length of response time resulted in Gem Infosys networks being down for 48 complete hours (2 business days). This downtime resulted in great corporate loss and was quite costly...
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...Securing and Protecting Information CMGT 400 April 8, 2013 Securing and Protecting Information Authentication With the advances in technology, authentication has become part of our everyday lives, whether scanning your badge at work, signing for a credit card purchase, or logging into your Facebook/Twitter accounts. Authentication is the act of validating your identity while requesting access to software, purchases, or entry to a secured facility. There are four types of authentication; something you know, something you have, something you are, and something you can produce. When a service requests two or more types of authentication, it is called strong authentication, such as inserting an identification card and providing a password to access a computer workstation. “Something you know” refers to the use of passwords, passphrases, and codes or PINs. When creating a password, the user must make the decision to create a string of alphanumeric and special characters with differing cases. The longer and more complicated a password the user creates drastically reduces the risk of cracking or brute force attacks. The same password must also be something easily remembered by the user to dissuade it from being written down and stored onsite or left at the workstation. A solution to this is creating a passphrase, a common phrase or date abbreviated and linked together with special characters to create a personal passphrase difficult to crack but easy to remember. An example...
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...Emergency Planning and Security Preparedness Patricia Gutierrez SEC 493 July 15, 2013 David Bagnon Introduction The security of our nation is something that is very important to the country. Because of the horrible events that occurred in September 11, 2001, national security has had to bump up their security measures. But security is not only for terrorist attacks, it is also put in place to secure people from natural disasters, before and after the disaster. Technology has helped each agency to better plan certain for disasters or keeping control as to who comes into the country, thru air, water, or land. Homeland Security Homeland Security consists of many government agencies working on protecting the security of the United States of America. When people think of homeland security, the first thought for them is terrorist attacks but homeland security even protects when there is a natural disaster. Airport security is run by Transportation Security Administration. This department of Homeland Security was created in 2001 after the September 11 attacks. After the attacks, many things changed for passengers flying. There are more restrictions as to what can be brought on the plane. Liquid could not be more that certain amount of ounces, all shoes are checked. Passengers wearing jackets must remove them to get pat downs and now only passengers are allowed at the gates. There technology...
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...CIS 502 Critical Infrastructure Protection Click Link Below To Buy: http://hwaid.com/shop/cis-502-critical-infrastructure-protection/ Due Week 6 and worth 50 points Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) is an important cybersecurity initiative that requires careful planning and coordination in protecting our infrastructure. The following documents titled, “National Infrastructure Protection Plan”, and “Critical Infrastructure Protection”, may be used to complete the assignment. Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you: 1. Examine the Department of Homeland Security’s : a. mission b. operations c. responsibilities 2. Explain what Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) initiatives are, what are protected, and the methods used to protect our assets. 3. Describe the vulnerabilities IS professionals need to be concerned with when protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure. 4. Evaluate the effectiveness of IS professionals in regard to protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure. 5. Suggest three (3) methods to improve the protection of our critical infrastructure and justify each suggestion. 6. Use at least three (3) quality resources outside of the suggested resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: • Be typed, double spaced, using Times...
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...report found more security attacks in the U.S. in 2014 than in any previous year. What can be done to prevent the release of potentially sensitive information? There are several precautions that can make a big difference when it comes to security breaches. Three of the most important are keeping software up-to-date, securing your network and properly training your employees. Keep Software Up-to-date Earlier this year, thousands of Oregonians who used state websites to pay child support, file unemployment claims and renew their vehicle registration were left vulnerable to attackers who could intercept Social Security numbers and other sensitive information. This vulnerability was due to the use of outdated encryption protocols on the state of Oregon’s websites. One of the easiest ways to avoid security breaches is simply to keep all software and systems up-to-date. Using outdated encryption, last year’s virus protection software or an operating system from 1998 is a recipe for disaster. Secure Your Network During late 2014, the State Department revealed that hackers had breached its unclassified email system. While the government claims that no sensitive information was lost, we have to wonder: why wasn’t this “unclassified” network encrypted with the same strength as its other networks? Securing networks by password protecting them and encrypting them is another easy way to avoid data breaches. Hackers are far more likely to take advantage of “low hanging fruit” than...
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...review measures to reduce perceived risks to acceptable levels. These measures need to be uniform and continuous in domains such as Social/Personal, Computer/Network and Physical. 1. Information domains Understanding corporate security is about understanding what the key assets in the company are. Today, the key asset is often information. But information alone is not enough, knowledge of how to use valuable information is needed to provide a competitive edge. The value of information may depend on being secret and accurate. Information can take many forms, hence methods of securing information are various. Instead of dividing information into categories based on content, consider analysing threats to information (and hence its protection) on categories based on methods of processing / storing. Three "information domains" are defined: Physical: Traditionally information is "written down", stored somewhere (e.g. a box, safe, diskette, or computer). Classical security concentrates on physical protection: buildings, server rooms, access controls etc. Social/Personal: Successful organisations realise the value of their personnel, the knowledge they hold in their heads and the capabiliy to use that knowledge to corporate advantage. Logical or Network: Information is also stored on computers and accessed via networks. Documents can be stored "somewhere on the net" that users reference through URLs, UNCs or other abstract notions. The actual location...
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...Executive Order for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures. Two years later, the US tackled cyber security too with the National Strategy of Securing the Cyber Space, where it expanded the notion of critical infrastructures to include water and food management, public health, medical emergency responses, national defence, chemical and toxic substances management etc. This lead to international agencies such as NATO and the EU to also acknowledge the importance of such critical infrastructures and of partnerships for securing...
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...white pAper: cloud Securit y Securing the Cloud for the Enterprise A Joint White Paper from Symantec and VMware White Paper: Cloud Security Securing the Cloud for the Enterprise for A Joint White Paper from Symantec and VMware Contents Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.0 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Enterprise computing trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Transitions in the journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Evolving threat and compliance landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A security strategy for the cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.0 Key elements of cloud security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
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...Identity theft is a crime that can easily ruin one’s life and cause extreme suffering and loss. Criminals have been using other people’s identity since the beginning of time to commit crimes, achieve financial gain, and for many other illegal purposes. Since the rise in the popularity of the Internet, identity theft has also been on the rise. “Approximately 15 million United States residents have their identities used fraudulently each year with financial losses totaling upwards of $50 billion.” (Douglas, 2012) By securing someone else’s personally identifiable information (PII), a criminal with enough knowledge about the Internet could illegally gain access to medical records, bank accounts, and many other aspects of the unknowing victim’s life. This is why protecting one’s personally identifiable information is paramount in avoiding identity theft. There are many methods criminals can use to acquire PII but there are many ways one can protect their information as well. It is easier to protect PII by practicing several simple habits rather than forfeiting time, effort, and potentially large sums of money after one’s identity has been compromised. The United States Department of Justice suggests several easy tips to help avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. Individuals should be stingy about releasing their PII to anyone they do not know or trust. (Identity Theft And Identity Fraud, 2014) It is common to receive phone calls or emails that are offering the sale of...
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...Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of defending information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction. It is a general term that can be used regardless of the form the data may take (electronic, physical, etc...)[1] Two major aspects of information security are: • IT security: Sometimes referred to as computer security, Information Technology Security is information security applied to technology (most often some form of computer system). It is worthwhile to note that a computer does not necessarily mean a home desktop. A computer is any device with a processor and some memory (even a calculator). IT security specialists are almost always found in any major enterprise/establishment due to the nature and value of the data within larger businesses. They are responsible for keeping all of the technology within the company secure from malicious cyber attacks that often attempt to breach into critical private information or gain control of the internal systems. • Information assurance: The act of ensuring that data is not lost when critical issues arise. These issues include but are not limited to: natural disasters, computer/server malfunction, physical theft, or any other instance where data has the potential of being lost. Since most information is stored on computers in our modern era, information assurance is typically dealt with by IT security specialists. One of...
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...Securing and Protecting Information Authentication is a very common aspect of today's technology world. Anyone that uses a computer or mobile device has most likely used some form of it when logging into school accounts, shopping online, using social media, or accessing systems at work. What most individuals do not realize is that there are differing forms of authentication and ways it is used. Additionally, most people will not have any idea what is going on behind the scenes during authentication. He or she only knows that a login ID and password are required to gain access to the system. What is Authentication? The authentication process and other considerations affect the entire design and development for information systems. This and other preventative measures are used for securing data over a variety of systems. In order to learn about the authentication process, first it must be understood what security authentication is. The commonly accepted definition of security authentication is, according to “The business Of Authentication” (n.d.) “…the process of determining if a user or identity is who they claim to be. Authentication is accomplished using something the user knows (e.g. password), something the user has (e.g. security token) or something of the user (e.g. biometric) (para. 1). The important terms here are something the user has and something the user knows. In early authentication processes like automated teller machines (ATM), this idea was used...
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