Module 02 The Need for Security
A(n)______________ is an act against an asset that could result in a loss.
attack
Suppose an act of theft performed by a hacker was accompanied by defacement actions to delay discovery. The first act is obviously in the category of "theft" but the second act is another category-in this case it is a "force of nature".
False
The application of computing and network resources to try every possible combination of options of a password is called a dictionary attack.
False
A virus or worm can have a payload that installs a(n) __________ door or trap door components in a system, which allows the attacker to access the system at will with special privileges.
back
A(n) __________ is an application error that occurs when more data is sent to a program that it is designed to handle.
buffer overflow
Human error or failure often can be prevented with training, ongoing awareness activities, and _____.
controls
__________ occurs when a application running on a Web server inserts commands into a user's browser session and causes information to be sent to a hostile server.
cross-site scripting (XSS)
__________ is the premeditated, politically motivated attacks against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data that result in violence against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.
cyberterrorism
The process of maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data managed by a DBMS is known as ________ security.
database
When information gatherers employ techniques in a commercial setting that cross the threshold of what is legal or ethical, they are conducting industrial ______________.
espionage
A momentary low voltage is called a(n)_____________________.
fault
Some information gathering techniques are quite legal-for example, using a Web browser to perform market research. These legal techniques are called, collectively, competitive ____________________.
intelligence
Script _______________ are hackers of limited skill who use expertly written software to attack a system.
kiddies
The average amount of time until the next hardware failure is known as _____.
mean time to failure (MTTF)
Hackers can be generalized into two skilled groups: expert and ______
novice
A table of hash values and their corresponding plaintext values used to look up password values if an attacker is able to steal a system's encrypted password file is known as a(n) _____.
rainbow table
The _______ data file contains the hashed representation of the user's password.
SAM (Security Account Management)
Web hosting services are usually arranged with an agreement defining minimum service levels known as a(n)_____
SLA
List at least 6 of the general categories of threats:
Theft; Forces of nature; human errors or failure; sabotage or vandalism; espionage or trespass; information extortion
A mail bomb is a form of DoS attack.
True
Microsoft acknowledged that if you type a res://URL (a Microsoft-devised type of URL) longer than _________ characters in Internet Explorer 4.0, the browser will crash.
256
Describe viruses and worms:
A computer virus consists of segments of code that perform malicious actions. This code behaves very much like a virus pathogen attacking animals and plants, using the cell's own replication machinery to propagate and attack. The code attaches itself to the existing program and takes control of that program's access to the targeted computer. The virus-controlled target program then carries out the virus's plan by replicating itself into additional targeted systems. A worm is a malicious program that replicates itself constantly without requiring another program to provide a safe environment for replication. Worms can continue replicating themselves until they completely fill available resources, such as memory, hard drive space, and network bandwidth.
Describe the capabilities of a sniffer:
A sniffer is a program or device that can monitor data traveling over a network. Sniffers can be used both for legitimate network management functions and for stealing information from a network. Unauthorized sniffers can be extremely dangerous to a network's security because they are virtually impossible to detect and can be inserted almost anywhere. This makes them a favorite weapon in the hacker's arsenal. Sniffers often work on TCP/IP networks, where they're sometimes called packet sniffers. Sniffers add risk to the network because many systems and users send information on local network in clear text. A sniffer program shows all the data going by, including passwords, the data inside the files, and screens full of sensitive data from applications.
Which of the following functions does information security perform for an organization?
All of the above
"Shoulder spying" is used in public or semi-public settings when individuals gather information they are not authorized to have by looking over another individual's shoulder or viewing the information from a distance.
False
A device (or a software program on a computer) that can monitor data traveling on a network is known as a socket sniffer.
False
A worm requires that another program is running before it can begin functioning.
False
An advance-fee fraud attack involves the interception of cryptographic elements to determine keys and encryption algorithms.
False
Attacks conducted by scripts are usually unpredictable.
False
Compared to Web site defacement, vandalism within a network is less malicious in intent and more public.
False
Computer assets are the focus of information security and are the information that has value to the organization, as well as the systems that store, process, and transmit the information.
False
DoS attacks cannot be launched against routers.
False
Information security's primary mission is to ensure that systems and their contents retain their confidentiality at any cost.
False
Media are items of fact collected by organization and include raw numbers, facts, and words.
False
Once a(n) back door has infected a computer, it can redistribute itself to all e-mail addresses found on the infected system.
False
One form of e-mail attack that is also DoS attack is called a mail spoof, in which an attacker overwhelms the receiver with excessive quantities of e-mail.
False
Packet munchkins use automated exploits to engage in distributed denial-of-service attacks.
False
The macro virus infects the key operating system files located in a computer's start-up sector.
False
The primary mission of information security is to ensure that systems and their content retain their confidentiality.
False
The term phreaker is now commonly associated with an individual who cracks or removes software protection that is designed to prevent unauthorized duplication.
False
Two watchdog organizations that investigate allegations of software abuse are the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and National Security Agency (NSA).
False
When electronic information is stolen, the crime is readily apparent.
False
When voltage levels lag (experience a momentary increase), the extra voltage can severely damage or destroy equipment.
False
With the removal of copyright protection mechanisms, software can be easily and legally distributed and installed
False
Which of the following is an example of a Trojan horse program?
Happy99.exe
__________ is unsolicited commercial e-mail.
Spam
__________ is a technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers, wherein the intruder sends messages with a source IP address that has been forged to indicate that the messages are coming from a trusted host.
Spoofing
_____ is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge.
Spyware
The _____ hijacking attack uses IP spoofing to enable an attacker to impersonate another entity on the network.
TCP
________ are malware programs that hide their true nature and reveal their designed behavior only when activated.
Trojan horses
A number of technical mechanisms-digital watermarks and embedded code, copyright codes, and even the intentional placement of bad sectors on software media-have been used to deter or prevent the theft of software intellectual property.
True
A sniffer program can reveal data transmitted on a network segment, including passwords, the embedded and attached files-such as work-processing documents-and sensitive data transmitted to or from applications.
True
A worm may be able to deposit copies of itself onto all Web servers that the infected system can reach, so that users who subsequently visit those sites become infected.
True
A(n) polymorphic threat is one that over time changes the way it appears to antivirus software programs, making it undetectable by techniques that look for preconfigured signatures.
True
As an organization grows, it must often use more robust technology to replace the security technologies it may have outgrown.
True
Cyberterrorists hack systems to conduct terrorist activities via network or Internet pathways.
True
Expert hackers are extremely talented individuals who usually devote lots of time and energy to attempting to break into other people's information systems:
True
Forces of nature, sometimes called acts of God, can present some of the most dangerous threats because they usually occur very little warning and are beyond the control of people.
True
Hackers are "persons who access systems and information without authorization and often illegally."
True
Intellectual property is defined as "the creation, ownership, and control of ideas as well as the representation of those ideas."
True
Media as a subset of information assets are the systems and networks that store, process and transmit information.
True
Much human error or failure can be prevented with effective training and ongoing awareness activities.
True
Organizations can use dictionaries to regulate password selection during the reset process and this guard against easy-to-guess passwords.
True
Software code known as a(n) cookie can allow an attacker to track a victim's activity on Web sites.
True
Technical mechanisms like digital watermarks and embedded code, copyright codes, and even the intentional placement of bad sectors on software media have been used to deter or prevent the theft of software intellectual property.
True
The information security function in an organization safeguards its technology assets.
True
The malicious code attack includes the execution of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and active Web scripts with the intent to destroy or steal information.
True
With the removal of copyright protection mechanisms, software can be easily distributed and installed.
True
________ are compromised systems that are directed remotely (usually by a transmitted command) by the attacker or participate in an attack.
Zombies
The __________ fraud is a social engineering attack that involves convincing the victim to participate in a seeming money-making venture while getting the victim to pay fees or bribes or to refund uncleared international payments.
advance-fee
A long-term interruption (outage) is electrical power availability is known as a(n)_________.
blackout
A short-term decrease in electrical power availability is known as a(n)___________.
brownout
Attempting to reverse-calculate a password is called __________.
cracking
In a __________ attack, the attacker sends a large number of connection or information requests to disrupt a target from a small number of sources.
denial-of-service
A ______ is an attack in which a coordinated stream of requests is launched against a target from many locations at the same time.
distributed denial-of-service
Human error or failure often can be prevented with training, ongoing awareness activities, and ___________.
education
ESD is the acronym for __________ discharge
electrostatic
The expert hacker sometimes is called a(n)__________________ hacker.
elite
A short-term interruption in electrical power availability is known as a _____.
fault
One form of online vandalism is _________ operations, which interfere with or disrupt systems to protest the operations, policies, or actions of an organization or government agency.
hacktivist
As frustrating as viruses and worms are, perhaps more time and money is spent on resolving virus__________.
hoaxes
When information gatherers employ techniques that cross a legal or ethical threshold, they are conducting_________.
industrial espionage
A computer virus consists of segments of code that perform __________ actions.
malicious
In the ________ attack, an attacker monitors (or sniffs) packets from the network, modifies them, and inserts them back into the network.
man-in-the-middle
The average amount of time between hardware failures, calculated as the total amount of operation time for a specified number of units divided by the total number of failures, is known as __________.
mean time between failure (MTBF)
The redirection of legitimate user Web traffic to illegitimate Web sites with the intent to collect personal information is known as ___________.
pharming
A(n) __________ hacks the public telephone network to make free calls or disrupt services.
phreaker
Duplication of software-based intellectual property is more commonly known as software ___________________.
piracy
"4-1-9" fraud is an example of a ________ attack.
social engineering
In the context of information security, __________ is the process of using social skills to convince people to reveal access credentials or other valuable information to the attackers.
social engineering
A(n) __________ is a potential risk to an information asset.
threat
Acts of _______ can lead to unauthorized real or virtual actions that enable information gatherers to enter premises or systems they have not been authorized to enter.
trespass
__________ is the percentage of time a particular service is available.
up time
A(n) __________________ is a potential weakness in an asset or its defensive control(s).
vulnerability
A(n) __________ is a malicious program that replicates itself constantly without requiring another program environment.
worm
