Application of Bayesian network in risk assessment for website deployment scenarios

Abstract—The rapid development of web-based systems in the digital transformation era has led to a dramatic increase in the number and the severity of cyber-attacks. Current attack prevention solutions such as system monitoring, security testing and assessment are installed after the system has been deployed, thus requiring more cost and manpower. In that context, the need to assess cyber security risks before the deployment of web-based systems becomes increasingly urgent. This paper introduces a cyber security risk assessment mechanism for web-based systems before deployment. We use the Bayesian network to analyze and quantify the cyber security risks posed by threats to the deployment components of a website. First, the deployment components of potential website deployment scenarios are considered assets, so that their properties are mapped to specific vulnerabilities or threats. Next, the vulnerabilities or threats of each deployment component will be assessed according to the considered risk criteria in specific steps of a deployment process. The risk assessment results for deployment components are aggregated into the risk assessment results for their composed deployment scenario. Based on these results, administrators can compare and choose the least risky deployment scenario. Tóm tắt—Sự phát triển mạnh mẽ của các hệ thống trên nền tảng web trong công cuộc chuyển đổi số kéo theo sự gia tăng nhanh chóng về số lượng và mức độ nguy hiểm của các cuộc tấn công mạng. Các giải pháp phòng chống tấn công hiện nay như theo dõi hoạt động hệ thống, kiểm tra và đánh giá an toàn thông tin mạng được thực hiện khi hệ thống đã được triển khai, do đó đòi hỏi chi phí và nhân lực thực hiện lớn. Trong bối cảnh đó, nhu cầu đánh giá rủi ro an toàn thông tin mạng cho các hệ thống website trước khi triển khai thực tế trở nên cấp thiết. Bài báo này giới thiệu một cơ chế đánh giá rủi ro an toàn thông tin mạng cho các hệ thống website trước khi triển khai thực tế. Chúng tôi sử dụng mạng Bayes để phân tích và định lượng rủi ro về an toàn thông tin do các nguồn đe dọa khác nhau gây ra trên các thành phần triển khai của một website. Đầu tiên, các thành phần triển khai của các kịch bản triển khai website tiềm năng được mô hình hoá dưới dạng các tài sản, sao cho các thuộc tính của chúng đều được ánh xạ với các điểm yếu hoặc nguy cơ cụ thể. Tiếp đó, các điểm yếu, nguy cơ của từng thành phần triển khai sẽ được đánh giá theo các tiêu chí rủi ro đang xét tại mỗi thời điểm cụ thể trong quy trình triển khai. Kết quả đánh giá của các thành phần triển khai được tập hợp lại thành kết quả đánh giá hệ thống trong một kịch bản cụ thể. Căn cứ vào kết quả đánh giá rủi ro, người quản trị có thể so sánh các kịch bản triển khai tiềm năng với nhau để lựa chọn kịch bản triển khai ít rủi ro nhất.

Physical Layer Components Security Risks in Optical Fiber Infrastructures

Optical fiber communications are essential for all types of long- and short-distance transmissions. The aim of this paper is to analyze the previously presented security risks and, based on measurements, provide the risk level evaluation. The major risk is the possibility of inserting a splitter into the optical distribution network and capturing a portion of the entire spectrum, i.e., all channels in the optical fiber. Another significant security risk is crosstalk on multiplexers in networks with wavelength division multiplexing. The paper covers the macrobend attenuation evaluation of fiber and back-reflection measurements. Based on the measurements, risks were evaluated for both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint networks and, lastly, the paper covers crosstalk measurements of an optomechanical switch. Finally, all individual risks are evaluated according to the severity, and a proposal for risk minimization is provided.

Auditor Evaluation and Reporting on Cybersecurity Risks

Tremendous improvements in information networking capabilities have brought with them increased security risks resulting from the deterioration of the ability of a physical layer of computer security to protect an organization's information system. As a result, audit committees have had to deal with new security issues as well as the need to understand the cyber perpetrator and ensure the proper training of employees to consider cybersecurity risks. Standard setters including the Institute of Internal Auditors and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have issued guidance about lines of defense and reporting on an entity's cybersecurity risk management program and controls, respectively. Each of these topics is considered along with how cybersecurity guidance from COBIT, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Center for Internet Security can be mapped into five cyber infrastructure domains to provide an approach to evaluate a system of cybersecurity.

Security Awareness in the Internet of Everything

Our societal infrastructure is transforming into a connected cyber-physical system of systems, providing numerous opportunities and new capabilities, yet also posing new and reinforced risks that require explicit consideration. This chapter addresses risks specifically related to cyber-security. One contributing factor, often neglected, is the level of security education of the users. Another factor, often overlooked, concerns security-awareness of the engineers developing cyber-physical systems. Authors present results of interviews with developers and surveys showing that increase in security-awareness and understanding of security risks, evaluated as low, are the first steps to mitigate the risks. Authors also conducted practical evaluation investigating system connectivity and vulnerabilities in complex multi-step attack scenarios. This chapter advocates that security awareness of users and developers is the foundation to deployment of interconnected system of systems, and provides recommendations for steps forward highlighting the roles of people, organizations and authorities.

Medical Device Security

Implantable medical devices (IMDs) are miniaturized computer systems used to monitor and treat various medical conditions. Examples of IMDs include insulin pumps, artificial pacemakers, neuro-stimulators, and implantable cardiac defibrillators. These devices have adopted wireless communication to help facilitate the care they provide for patients by allowing easier transferal of data or remote control of machine operations. However, with such adoption has come exposure to various security risks and issues that must be addressed due to the close relation of patient health and IMD performance. With patient lives on the line, these security risks pose increasingly real problems. This chapter hopes to provide an overview of these security risks, their proposed solutions, and the limitations on IMD systems which make solving these issues nontrivial. Later, the chapter will analyze the security issues and the history of vulnerabilities in pacemakers to illustrate the theoretical topics by considering a specific device.

Three Approaches To Risk Management In The Cloud

Since companies have increasingly used cloud services for their businesses, security risks are important issues for their business success. The paper presents the understanding of cloud computing and risk management in the cloud. For managing cloud risks, three risk management approaches are introduced.. This paper will give some inferences that companies choose the best cloud network to enhance their businesses and use the appropriate risk management approach to mitigate their risks within the cloud environment.

A Hybrid Asset-Based IT Risk Management Framework

Information security has become one of the most important responsibilities of all organizations due to increasing cyber threats. Attackers take advantage of systems vulnerabilities; therefore, system administrators should be aware of potential threats to take necessary actions to protect their organizations and stakeholders. At this point, a risk assessment is needed to discover possible threats for vulnerable systems of the organization and to implement strategies for the business goals. This study proposes a hybrid risk management framework using both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze risk within organizations and reduce them with practical countermeasures. Based on this framework, case studies have been carried out considering three hypothetical companies identifying possible information security risks, and these risks have been reduced to an acceptable level by applying the proposed risk analysis methodology.

Information Technology (IT) Users in Tertiary Education Institutions in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: Case of Security Awareness

Information Technology (IT) expansion exposes organisations in developing countries to IT security risks. Zimbabwe’s tertiary education institutions (TEIs) are not spared. Every year, cyber-attacks increase and become more sophisticated, resulting in losses of personal and financial data for individuals, organisations and governments. As the world is interconnected, small and big organisations share the same internet platform. Therefore, IT security risks that affect one, affect all. When IT users are unaware of the risks and uninformed of ways to protect their IT systems, they remain vulnerable. Like other organisations in Zimbabwe, TEIs are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The study that directed this article employed a quantitative methodological approach in the collection of the data and its analysis. A sample of 261 respondents was selected from the population of IT users in TEIs in Bulawayo. The results indicated that IT security awareness of IT users in TEIs in Bulawayo is low. This is evidenced by the low IT drivers’ contribution towards building IT users’ security awareness, and inadequate implementation and utilisation of IT security awareness tools. The prevailing phenomenon exposes TEIs in Bulawayo to a high risk of cyber-attacks. The results indicated a positive and significant correlation between IT security drivers’ contribution and IT security awareness tools utilisation in TEIs in Bulawayo. The implication is that an increase in IT security drivers’ contribution and IT security awareness tools utilisation will lead to increased IT security awareness. The study recommends that IT drivers double their contribution towards building IT security awareness through adequate implementation and utilisation of IT security awareness tools. This will safeguard the information that tertiary education institutions generate.