Portfolio on My Portfolio

Cyber Security Portfolio Index

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 20:19:48 -0700

Google Cybersecurity Professional Course

Security Audit: Conduct a security audit
Incident Report: Use the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to respond to a security incident
Linux Commands: Use Linux commands to manage file permissions
SQL Queries: Apply filters to SQL queries
Vulnerability Assessment: Conduct a vulnerability assessment based on NIST SP-800-30
Incident Handler’s Journal: Documenting of incident responses
File handling in Python: Using Python to maintain a security related file (allow-list_

How-to articles

Wazuh XDR and SIEM

Algorithm for File Update in Python

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:16:50 -0700

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Project description

This project describes an activity of updating a text file, based on the necessity of the business.

It is designed for a process to maintain allow-list-based access control list. In order to restrict access of unauthorized users, businesses are required to review the list and remove access privileges on a need-to basis. With a given list of IP addresses, the program will remove them from the allow-list and write IP addresses back to the text file.

Incident Handler's Journal

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:48:13 -0700

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Entry 1: Analyzing ransomeware incident
Entry 2: Analyzing phishing email
Entry 3: Following up with playbook
Entry 4: Review on incident final report
Entry 5: Using Splunk to analyze malicious logins
Entry 6: Using Chronicle to analyze phishing attempts

Entry 1

Date: 07/19/2023

Description

Ransomeware damaged a clinic.

A small U.S. health care clinic experienced a security incident on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. which severely disrupted their business operations.

Vulnerability Assessment

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:21:06 -0700

NIST SP 800-30 Rev.1

Guide to assessing risk

NIST SP 800-30 is a publication that provides guidance on performing risk assessments. It outlines strategies for identifying, analyzing, and remediating risks. Organizations use NIST SP 800-30 to gain insights into the potential likelihood and severity of risks—helping them make informed decisions about allocating resources, implementing controls, and prioritizing remediation efforts.

SQL Queries

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:05:51 -0700

Scenario

You are a security professional at a large organization. Part of your job is to investigate security issues to help keep the system secure. You recently discovered some potential security issues that involve login attempts and employee machines.

Your task is to examine the organization’s data in their employees and log_in_attempts tables. You’ll need to use SQL filters to retrieve records from different datasets and investigate the potential security issues.

Linux Commands

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:05:44 -0700

Scenario

You are a security professional at a large organization. You mainly work with their research team. Part of your job is to ensure users on this team are authorized with the appropriate permissions. This helps keep the system secure.

Your task is to examine existing permissions on the file system. You’ll need to determine if the permissions match the authorization that should be given. If they do not match, you’ll need to modify the permissions to authorize the appropriate users and remove any unauthorized access.

Incident Report

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:00:53 -0700

Project Setup

Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

You are a cybersecurity analyst working for a multimedia company that offers web design services, graphic design, and social media marketing solutions to small businesses. Your organization recently experienced a DDoS attack, which compromised the internal network for two hours until it was resolved.

During the attack, your organization’s network services suddenly stopped responding due to an incoming flood of ICMP packets. Normal internal network traffic could not access any network resources. The incident management team responded by blocking incoming ICMP packets, stopping all non-critical network services offline, and restoring critical network services.

Security Audit

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 20:21:09 -0700

Project Setup

Summary

Perform an audit of Botium Toys’ cybersecurity program. The audit needs to align current business practices with industry standards and best practices. The audit is meant to provide mitigation recommendations for vulnerabilities found that are classified as “high risk,” and present an overall strategy for improving the security posture of the organization. The audit team needs to document their findings, provide remediation plans and efforts, and communicate with stakeholders.

Vulnerability Assessment Report

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:13:34 -0700

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System Description

The server hardware consists of a powerful CPU processor and 128GB of memory. It runs on the latest version of Linux operating system and hosts a MySQL database management system. It is configured with a stable network connection using IPv4 addresses and interacts with other servers on the network. Security measures include SSL/TLS encrypted connections.

Scope

The scope of this vulnerability assessment relates to the current access controls of the system. The assessment will cover a period of three months, from June 20XX to August 20XX. NIST SP 800-30 Rev. 1 is used to guide the risk analysis of the information system.

Apply Filters to SQL Queries

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:39:54 -0700

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Project description

This project is for investigating security issues to help keep the system secure. Based on findings that some potential security issues involve login attempts and employee machines. We use SQL filters to retrieve records from different datasets and investigate potential security issues.

In order to list all after-hours failed logins, which are suspicious in this case, we performed a SQL query as follows. Since hour regular hour ends at 18:00:00, we set the condition accordingly.

File Permissions in Linux

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:10:51 -0700

Project description

This project repairs file permissions to its appropriate status.

Check file and directory details

After performing the command, ls -la in the /home/researcher2/projects/ directory, we found the following status.

Describe the permissions string

In the /home/researcher2/projects directory, there are five files with the following names and permissions:

project_k.txt: -rw-rw-rw-
- User = read, write
- Group = read, write
- Other = read, write
project_m.txt: -rw-r-----
- User = read, write
- Group = read
- Other = none
project_r.txt: -rw-rw-r--

Incident Report Analysis

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:55:20 -0700

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Incident report analysis

Instructions

As you continue through this course, you may use this template to record your findings after completing an activity or to take notes on what you’ve learned about a specific tool or concept. You can also use this chart as a way to practice applying the NIST framework to different situations you encounter.

Summary

The organization recently experienced a DDoS attack, which compromised the internal network for two hours until it was resolved.

Stakeholder Memorandum

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 21:04:23 -0700

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Stakeholder memorandum

TO: IT Manager, Stakeholders
FROM: Kazuhiro Funakoshi
DATE: 07/13/2023
SUBJECT: Internal IT Audit Findings and Recommendations

Dear Colleagues,

Please review the following information regarding the Botium Toys internal audit scope, goals, critical findings, summary and recommendations.

Scope

The following systems are in scope: accounting, endpoint detection, firewalls, intrusion detection system, security information and event management (SIEM) tool.
Ensure current user permissions, controls, procedures, and protocols in place align with necessary compliance requirements.

Compliance Checklist

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 21:00:47 -0700

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[ ] The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - North American Electric Reliability Corporation (FERC-NERC)

The FERC-NERC regulation applies to organizations that work with electricity or that are involved with the U.S. and North American power grid. Organizations have an obligation to prepare for, mitigate, and report any potential security incident that can negatively affect the power grid. Organizations are legally required to adhere to the Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability Standards (CIP) defined by the FERC.

Controls Assessment

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 20:52:21 -0700

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Controls Assessment

Current assets

Assets managed by the IT Department include:

On-premises equipment for in-office business needs
Employee equipment: end-user devices (desktops/laptops, smartphones), remote workstations, headsets, cables, keyboards, mice, docking stations, surveillance cameras, etc.
Management of systems, software, and services: accounting, telecommunication, database, security, ecommerce, and inventory management
Internet access
Internal network
Vendor access management
Data center hosting services
Data retention and storage
Badge readers
Legacy system maintenance: end-of-life systems that require human monitoring

Administrative Controls

Least Priviledge: Needs to be implemented; High
Preventative; reduces risk by making sure vendors and non-authorized staff only have access to the assets/data they need to do their jobs
Disaster recovery plans: Needs to be implemented; Medium
Corrective; business continuity to ensure systems are able to run in the event of an incident/there is limited to no loss of productivity downtime/impact to system components, including: computer room environment (air conditioning, power supply, etc.); hardware (servers, employee equipment); connectivity (internal network, wireless); applications (email, electronic data); data and restoration
Password policies: Needs to be implemented; Medium
Preventative; establish password strength rules to improve security/reduce likelihood of account compromise through brute force or dictionary attack techniques
Access control policies: Needs to be implemented; High
Preventative; increase confidentiality and integrity of data
Account management policies: Needs to be implemented; High
Preventative; reduce attack surface and limit overall impact from disgruntled/former employees
Separation of duties: Needs to be implemented; High
Preventative; ensure no one has so much access that they can abuse the system for personal gain

Technical Controls

Firewall: Preventative; firewalls are already in place to filter unwanted/malicious traffic from entering internal network
Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Detective; allows IT team to identify possible intrusions (e.g., anomalous traffic) quickly
Encryption: Needs to be implemented; Medium
Deterrent; makes confidential information/data more secure (e.g., website payment transactions)
Backups: Needs to be implemented; Medium
Corrective; supports ongoing productivity in the case of an event; aligns to the disaster recovery plan
Password management system: Needs to be implemented; Medium
Corrective; password recovery, reset, lock out notifications
Antivirus (AV) software: Needs to be implemented; High
Corrective; detect and quarantine known threats
Manual monitoring, maintenance, and intervention: Needs to be implemented; Medium
Preventative/corrective; required for legacy systems to identify and mitigate potential threats, risks, and vulnerabilities

Physical Controls

Time-controlled safe: Needs to be implemented; Low
Deterrent; reduce attack surface/impact of physical threats
Adequate lighting: Needs to be implemented; Low
Deterrent; limit “hiding” places to deter threats
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance: Needs to be implemented; High
Preventative/detective; can reduce risk of certain events; can be used after event for investigation
Locking cabinets (for network gear): Needs to be implemented; High
Preventative; increase integrity by preventing unauthorized personnel/individuals from physically accessing/modifying network infrastructure gear
Signage indicating alarm service provider: Needs to be implemented; Low
Deterrent; makes the likelihood of a successful attack seem low
Locks: Needs to be implemented; Low
Preventative; physical and digital assets are more secure
Fire detection and prevention (fire alarm, sprinkler system, etc.): Needs to be implemented; High
Detective/Preventative; detect fire in the toy store’s physical location to prevent damage to inventory, servers, etc.

Portfolio on My Portfolio

Cyber Security Portfolio Index

Google Cybersecurity Professional Course

How-to articles

Algorithm for File Update in Python

Project description

Incident Handler's Journal

Entry 1

Description

Vulnerability Assessment

NIST SP 800-30 Rev.1

Guide to assessing risk

SQL Queries

Scenario

Linux Commands

Scenario

Incident Report

Project Setup

Security Audit

Project Setup

Summary

Vulnerability Assessment Report

System Description

Scope

Apply Filters to SQL Queries

Project description

Retrieve after hours failed login attempts

File Permissions in Linux

Project description

Check file and directory details

Describe the permissions string

Incident Report Analysis

Incident report analysis

Instructions

Summary

Stakeholder Memorandum

Stakeholder memorandum

Scope

Compliance Checklist

[ ] The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - North American Electric Reliability Corporation (FERC-NERC)

Controls Assessment

Controls Assessment

Current assets

Administrative Controls

Technical Controls

Physical Controls