ICE-4103: Information, Network

and Software Security

Introduction to Security

Dr. Mosabber Uddin Ahmed

 Syllabus
Course Contents:
Information and Network: Network Security Concepts, Security Attacks, Services and Mechanisms;
Classical Encryption techniques: Symmetric Cipher Model, Substitution and Permutation Ciphers,
Steganography; Block Ciphers and Data Encryption Standard: Design principles and modes of operation;
Public-key cryptography: Introduction to number theory, RSA and Diffie-Hellman; Message Digest:
Requirements for cryptographic hash functions,MD5 ,SHA, Message authentication codes, digital
signatures; Key Management and Distribution: Symmetric Key Distribution using Symmetric Encryption,
Symmetric Key Distribution using asymmetric Encryption, public key distribution, public key
certificates, x.509 certificates; Network and Internet Security: Transport Layer Security, Wireless LAN
security, e-mail security

Software: Security principles, concept of computer security, security services and policies Security risks:
Database security, operating systems security, secure coding Countermeasures: methodologies and tools
for identifying and eliminating security vulnerabilities, techniques to prove the absence of vulnerabilities,
and ways to avoid security holes in new software. Secure software design: essential guidelines for
building secure software, information security standards
 Texts
• Cryptography and Network Security Principles
and Practice, William Stallings, Prentice Hall,
Fifth edition
• Cryptography and Network Security, Behrouz
A. Forouzan and Debdeep Mukhopadhyay,
McGraw Hill, Second Edition
 References

• Network Security: Private communication in a

public world, Kaufman, C, Perlman, R and
Speciner, M., Prentice Hall, 2002.

• Applied Cryptography, Schneier, B., John

Wiley, 1996
Concepts
These three concepts form what is often referred
to as the CIA triad (Figure 1.1).

• Confidentiality (covers both data

confidentiality and privacy): preserving
authorized restrictions on information access
and disclosure, including means for protecting
personal privacy and proprietary information.
A loss of confidentiality is the unauthorized
disclosure of information.
• Integrity (covers both data and system
integrity): Guarding against improper
information modification or destruction, and
includes ensuring information non-repudiation
and authenticity. A loss of integrity is the
unauthorized modification or destruction of
information.

• Availability: Ensuring timely and reliable access

to and use of information. A loss of availability
is the disruption of access to or use of
information or an information system.
 Although the use of the CIA triad to define
security objectives is well established, some in
the security field feel that additional concepts
are needed to present a complete picture. Two
of the most commonly mentioned are:
• Authenticity: The property of being genuine
and being able to be verified and trusted;
confidence in the validity of a transmission, a
message, or message originator.
• Accountability: The security goal that generates
the requirement for actions of an entity to be
traced uniquely to that entity.
 Low Impact
• The loss could be expected to have a limited adverse effect on
organizational operations, organizational assets, or
individuals.
• A limited adverse effect means that, for example, the loss of
confidentiality, integrity, or availability might
– (i) cause a degradation in mission capability to an extent
and duration that the organization is able to perform its
primary functions, but the effectiveness of the functions is
noticeably reduced;
– (ii) result in minor damage to organizational assets;
– (iii) result in minor financial loss; or
– (iv) result in minor harm to individuals.
 Moderate Impact
• The loss could be expected to have a serious adverse effect on
organizational operations, organizational assets, or
individuals.
• A serious adverse effect means that, for example, the loss
might
– (i) cause a significant degradation in mission capability to
an extent and duration that the organization is able to
perform its primary functions, but the effectiveness of the
functions is significantly reduced;
– (ii) result in significant damage to organizational assets;
– (iii) result in significant financial loss; or
– (iv) result in significant harm to individuals that does not
involve loss of life or serious, life-threatening injuries.
 High Impact
• The loss could be expected to have a severe or catastrophic
adverse effect on organizational operations, organizational
assets, or individuals.
• A severe or catastrophic adverse effect means that, for
example, the loss might
– (i) cause a severe degradation in or loss of mission
capability to an extent and duration that the organization
is not able to perform one or more of its primary
functions;
– (ii) result in major damage to organizational assets;
– (iii) result in major financial loss; or
– (iv) result in severe or catastrophic harm to individuals
involving loss of life or serious life threatening injuries.
Examples of Security Requirements
• confidentiality – student grades
• integrity – patient information
• availability – authentication service
• authenticity – admission ticket
• non-repudiation – stock sell order
 Computer Security Challenges
1. not simple – easy to get it wrong
2. must consider potential attacks
3. procedures used counter-intuitive
4. involve algorithms and secret info
5. must decide where to deploy mechanisms
6. battle of wits between attacker / admin
7. not perceived on benefit until fails
8. requires regular monitoring
a process, not an event
9. too often an after-thought
10. regarded as impediment to using system
Security Attacks
 Handling Attacks
– Passive attacks – focus on Prevention
• Easy to stop
• Hard to detect
– Active attacks – focus on Detection and Recovery
• Hard to stop
• Easy to detect
 Security Service
– enhance security of data processing systems and
information transfers of an organization
– intended to counter security attacks
– using one or more security mechanisms
– often replicates functions normally associated
with physical documents
• which, for example, have signatures, dates; need
protection from disclosure, tampering, or destruction;
be notarized or witnessed; be recorded or licensed
Security Services
Model for Network Security
 Model for Network Security
• using this model requires us to:
1. design a suitable algorithm for the security
transformation
2. generate the secret information (keys) used by
the algorithm
3. develop methods to distribute and share the
secret information
4. specify a protocol enabling the principals to use
the transformation and secret information for a
security service
Model for Network Access Security
 Model for Network Access Security
➢ using this model requires us to:
1. select appropriate gatekeeper functions to
identify users
2. implement security controls to ensure
only authorised users access designated
information or resources
➢ note that model does not include:
1. monitoring of system for successful
penetration
2. monitoring of authorized users for misuse
3. audit logging for forensic uses, etc.