Lecture 01
Lecture 01
Lecture 01
Fundamentals
TCS2151
Course assessment
Lecture 1
Introduction to Cybersecurity
Introduction to Cybersecurity
• Computer security - Network security - Information security - Cybersecurity. •
All of these terms are used to describe the protection of information assets. •
Why have there been so many changes in the way we refer to security?
• Safeguarding information has been a priority for as long as people have
needed to keep information secure and private.
• But as time and technology move forward, so do the demands of security.
• The objective of information security is threefold, involving the critical
components of confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Introduction to Cybersecurity
• All three components are
concerned with the protection of
information.
• Confidentiality means protection
from unauthorized access.
• Integrity means protection from
unauthorized modification
• Availability means protection from
disruptions in access.
Introduction to Cybersecurity
• New trends in mobility and connectivity present a broader range of challenges than
ever before as new attacks continue to develop along with emerging technologies.
• Cybersecurity professionals must be informed and flexible to identify and manage
potential new threats, such as advanced persistent threats (APTs), effectively.
• APTs are attacks by an adversary who possesses sophisticated levels of expertise and
significant resources, which allow the attacker to create opportunities to achieve its
objectives using multiple attack vectors.
• In order to successfully protect their systems and information, cybersecurity
professionals must demonstrate a high degree of situational awareness.
Situational awareness
• This type of awareness takes time to cultivate, because it usually develops through
experience within a specific organization.
• Each organization has its own distinct culture. Therefore, it is critical for cybersecurity
professionals to have an awareness of the environment in which they operate.
• Central to this awareness is an understanding of key business and technology
factors that affect information security.
• Numerous factors, both internal and external, can directly impact an organization
and its security needs, including:
• Business plans and business environment
• Available information technology, security process or systems in particular
Situational awareness
• Both of these factors tend to be situational in nature.
• Business environment in particular tends to drive risk decisions. For example, a small
start-up company may be much more tolerant of risk than a large, well-established
corporation.
• With respect to technology, there are many factors that can impact security, such as:
• Platforms and tools used
• Network connectivity (internal, third-party, public)
• Level of IT complexity
• Operational support for security
• User community and capabilities
• New or emerging security tools
Situational awareness
• When evaluating business plans and the general business environment, consider
drivers, such as:
• Nature of business
• Risk tolerance
• Security profile
• Industry trends for security
• Mergers, acquisitions and partnerships
• Consider type, frequency and resulting level of integration
• Outsourcing services or providers
• Although business and technology drivers cannot all be predicted with certainty,
they should be anticipated reasonably and handled as efficiently as possible.
Cybersecurity objectives
• In their cybersecurity frameworks, both the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) and the European Union Agency for Network and Information
Security (ENISA) have identified five key functions necessary for the protection of
digital asset:
• Identify: Use organizational understanding to minimize risk to systems, assets, data and
capabilities.
• Protect: Design safeguards to limit the impact of potential events on critical services and
infrastructure.
• Detect: Implement activities to identify the occurrence of a cybersecurity event. •
Respond: Take appropriate action after learning of a security event.
• Recover: Plan for resilience and the timely repair of compromised capabilities and services.
Cybersecurity objectives
• To better understand
cybersecurity and the protection of
cyber assets, it is helpful to
consider three key
concepts that are used to guide
security policies:
• Confidentiality
• Integrity
• Availability
Cybersecurity objectives
• Confidentiality is the protection of information from unauthorized access or disclosure.
• Different types of information require different levels of confidentiality, and the need for
confidentiality can change over time.
Cybersecurity objectives
• The impacts, potential consequences and methods of control of
confidentiality, integrity and availability are:
Contextualizing Cybersecurity
Contextualizing Cybersecurity
• Risk management is the process by which an organization manages risk to
acceptable levels.
• Risk management requires the development and implementation of internal controls
to manage and mitigate risk throughout the organization, including financial and
investment risk, physical risk and cyber risk.
• Incident Response
• Incident categories
• Disaster recovery and business continuity plans
• Steps of incident response
• Forensics and preservation of evidence