Security In Networks

CSC 477E

Threats in Networks
 Security services
• Confidentiality
• Integrity
• Availability
• Authentication
• Access control
• Non-repudiation
 Security services
• Confidentiality
– Requires information in a computer system only be
accessible for reading by authorized parties
• Integrity
– Assets can be modified by authorized parties only
• Availability
– Assets be available to authorized parties
• Authenticity
– Requires that a computer system be able to verify the
identity of a user
 Security Threats
• Passive attacks – eavesdropping on or monitoring of
transmissions
– Release of message contents
– Traffic analysis
• Active attacks – modification of the data stream or
creation of a false stream
– Masquerade
– Replay
– Modification of message
– Denial of service
 Security threats
Information Information
source destination

a) Normal flow

b) Interruption c) Interception

d) Modification e) Fabrication
 Types of Threats
• Interruption
– An asset of the system is destroyed of becomes
unavailable or unusable
– Attack on availability
– Destruction of hardware
– Cutting of a communication line
– Disabling the file management system
• Interception
– An unauthorized party gains access to an asset
– Attack on confidentiality
– Wiretapping to capture data in a network
– Illicit copying of files or programs
• Modification
– An unauthorized party not only gains access but
tampers with an asset
– Attack on integrity
– Changing values in a data file
– Altering a program so that it performs differently
– Modifying the content of messages being
transmitted in a network
• Fabrication
– An unauthorized party inserts counterfeit objects
into the system
– Attack on authenticity
– Insertion of spurious messages in a network
– Addition of records to a file
 Computer System Assets
• Hardware
– Threats include accidental and deliberate damage
• Software
– Threats include deletion, alteration, damage
– Backups of the most recent versions can maintain
high availability
 Computer System Assets
• Data
– Involves files
– Security concerns for availability, secrecy, and
integrity
– Statistical analysis can lead to determination of
individual information which threatens privacy
 Computer System Assets
• Communication Lines and Networks – Passive
Attacks
– Release of message contents for a telephone
conversion, an electronic mail message, and a
transferred file are subject to these threats
– Traffic analysis
• encryption masks the contents of what is transferred so
even if obtained by someone, they would be unable to
extract information
 Computer System Assets
• Communication Lines and Networks –
Active Attacks
– Masquerade takes place when one entity
pretends to be a different entity
– Replay involves the passive capture of a
data unit and its subsequent retransmission
to produce an unauthorized effect
 Computer System Assets
• Communication Lines and Networks – Active
Attacks
– Modification of messages means that some
portion of a legitimate message is altered, or that
messages are delayed or reordered, to produce an
unauthorized effect
– Denial of service prevents or inhibits the normal
use or management of communications facilities
• Disable network or overload it with messages
 Protection
• No protection
– Sensitive procedures are run at separate times
• Isolation
– Each process operates separately from other
processes with no sharing or communication
 Protection
• Share all or share nothing
– Owner of an object declares it public or private
• Share via access limitation
– Operating system checks the permissibility of each
access by a specific user to a specific object
– Operating system acts as the guard
 Protection
• Share via dynamic capabilities
– Dynamic creation of sharing rights for objects
• Limit use of an object
– Limit not only access to an object but also the use
to which that object may be put
 Protection of Memory
• Security
• Ensure correct function of various processes
that are active
 Intrusion Techniques
• Objective of intruder is the gain access to the
system or to increase the range of privileges
accessible on a system
• Protected information that an intruder
acquires is a password
Techniques for Learning Passwords
• Try default password used with standard
accounts shipped with computer
• Exhaustively try all short passwords
• Try words in dictionary or a list of likely
passwords
• Collect information about users and use these
items as passwords
Techniques for Learning Passwords
• Try user’s phone numbers, social security
numbers, and room numbers
• Try all legitimate license plate numbers for this
state
• Use a Trojan horse to bypass restrictions on
access
• Tap the line between a remote user and the
host system
 ID Provides Security
• Determines whether the user is authorized to gain
access to a system
• Determines the privileges accorded to the user
– Guest or anonymous accounts have mover limited
privileges than others
• ID is used for discretionary access control
– A user may grant permission to files to others by ID
 Password Selection Strategies
• Computer generated passwords
– Users have difficulty remembering them
– Need to write it down
– Have history of poor acceptance
 Password Selection Strategies
• Reactive password checking strategy
– System periodically runs its own password cracker
to find guessable passwords
– System cancels passwords that are guessed and
notifies user
– Consumes resources to do this
– Hacker can use this on their own machine with a
copy of the password file
 Password Selection Strategies
• Proactive password checker
– The system checks at the time of selection if the
password is allowable
– With guidance from the system users can select
memorable passwords that are difficult to guess
• Access Control – User Oriented/Data oriented
• Access Matrix
• Access Control List
• Capability Tickets
 User-Oriented Access Control
• Log on
– Requires both a user identifier (ID) and a
password
– System only allows users to log on if the ID is
known to the system and password associated
with the ID is correct
– Users can reveal their password to others either
intentionally or accidentally
– Hackers are skillful at guessing passwords
– ID/password file can be obtained
 Data-Oriented Access Control
• Associated with each user, there can be a user
profile that specifies permissible operations
and file accesses
• Operating system enforces these rules
• Database management system controls access
to specific records or portions of records
 Access Matrix
• Subject
– An entity capable of accessing objects
• Object
– Anything to which access is controlled
• Access rights
– The way in which an object is accessed by a
subject
Access Matrix
 Access Control List
• Matrix decomposed by columns
• For each object, an access control list gives
users and their permitted access rights
Access Control List
 Capability Tickets
• Decomposition of access matrix by rows
• Specifies authorized object and operations for
a user
Capability Tickets