Csec-610

As information systems in airports continue to grow in both size and complexity, so too do the risks associated with security vulnerabilities and threats. Since the terrorist attacks on September 2001, airport security has substantially increased in day to day operations to address modern threats that the transportation infrastructure faces. Terrorist attacks however are only a portion of the security threats that an international airport faces. Advanced systems used in airports from customer ticketing and check-in, immigration and customs to air traffic control are all depended on daily to maintain operations involving vast numbers of customers travelling throughout the world. These systems must be secured from a number of threats. First and foremost, an international airport must be prepared for threats to its physical infrastructure including natural disasters as well as the danger of deliberate attacks. Risks involved with untrustworthy employees or consultants should be appropriately mitigated through necessary systems permissions and auditing. External threats of cyber attacks either through the airport’s website booking system or other vulnerable gaps within the information systems must be adequately addressed. Operations within an airport that are vital to human safety must take a high priority with regards to security investment. ...

The objective of this exercise was to use Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to identify improper configurations and missing security updates that could lead to vulnerabilities. The system this was tested on is a dedicated server located at Core Networks (http://www.corenetworks.com). The server is used to host small business websites, from freelance web development work. Up until recently a shared hosting plan was used at a company called Wiredtree, however the need for more server resources meant it was time to move to a dedicated server. ...

Outsourcing has become very common in recent years, especially in the field of Information Technology. So that companies can focus more on their core business, it makes sense to outsource many of their IT services and work to external organizations. In addition to this, quite often outsourcing can provide a cheaper means of labor if sent off shore, which enables the company to reduce costs and remain competitive. ...

There has been a lot of buzz around the web in recent years regarding information assurance and cybersecurity especially with an increasing trend in cyber attacks and intrusions. UMUC just recently started several cybersecurity degree and certificate programs in the fall of 2010. Over the next few weeks articles will be posted here related to cybersecurity, starting with answering the basic question of what the terms cyberspace and cybersecurity mean. ...

The objective of this exercise was to use the various password cracking tools available in the Cain and Abel software application and to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of each technique. The following user accounts were created for testing purposes. The first user account had a relatively easy to break password and the two that followed had slightly more complex password structures. Username Password Character set ictest1 testing Lowercase letters ictest2 break1ng Lowercase letters and numbers ictest3 Bre@k1ng Lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers and symbols ...

The last decade has seen a noticeable shift of commercial application development from in-house computer software to the web browser in the form of web applications. Many company web sites today have evolved from small collections of informational pages to a combination of massive database driven applications for sales, marketing, finance, extranets and customer relationship management systems. ...

The U.S. Commerce Department has been handed the authority from the Whitehouse to create an Internet ID for Americans as one of the latest efforts in Cybersecurity policy. The idea is that everyone would have one secure login to access many services online to increase security and privacy and reduce the need to remember numerous passwords. ...