Why Computer Security

The past decade has seen an explosion in the concern for

the security of information

Malicious codes (viruses, worms, etc.) caused over $28

billion in economic losses in 2003, and will grow to over
$75 billion by 2007
Full-time information security professionals will rise
almost 14% per year around the world, going past 2.1
million in 2008
Internet attacks are increasing in frequency, severity
and sophistication
 Why Computer Security (cont’d)

Denial of service (DoS) attacks

• Cost $1.2 billion in 2000

• 1999 CSI/FBI survey 32% of respondents detected

DoS attacks directed to their systems

• Thousands of attacks per week in 2001

• Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, Microsoft, White House, etc.,

attacked
Virus and worms faster and powerful

• Melissa, Nimda, Code Red, Code Red II, Slammer …

• Cause over $28 billion in economic losses in 2003,

• growing to over $75 billion in economic losses by

2007.

• Code Red (2001): 13 hours infected >360K machines -

$2.4 billion loss

• Slammer (2003): 10 minutes infected > 75K machines

- $1 billion loss
 Course Objective
 Introduce the concepts of computer network security
covering security architecture and services.
 Describe security encryption algorithms and standards
such a s DES.
 Provide the knowledge about Public key Cryptographic
Principles and Algorithms.
 Explain the features of network security applications.

 Gain expertise in electronic mail security systems.

 Course Contents
UNIT-I: Introduction:

The OSI Security Architecture, Security Attacks,

Security Services, mechanisms, A model for network
security, standards, symmetric encryption principles,
Symmetric Block Encryption Algorithms,
Data Encryption Standards, Strength of DES,
Triple DES, Advanced Encryption Standard.
UNIT-II: Public-Key Cryptography and Message Authentication:

Public key Cryptographic Principles, Public Key Cryptographic

Algorithms (RSA, DiffieHellman), Approaches to Message

Authentication, Secure Hash Functions (SHA-512),

Message Authentication Codes, Digital Signatures.

Overview of Kerberos (Key Exchange), Overview Intrusion

Detection.
UNIT-III: Cloud Security:

Security Concerns, Risk Issues, and Legal Aspects.

Cloud Computing: Security, Assessing Your Risk Tolerance in
Cloud Computing, Legal and Regulatory Issues,
Securing the Cloud Architecture: Security Requirements for
the Architecture, Cloud Security Architecture, Planning Key
Strategies for Secure Operation.
Securing the Cloud Data Security : Overview of Data Security
in Cloud Computing, Sensitive Data Categorization. Cloud Data
Storage, Cloud Lock-in
UNIT-IV: Electronic Mail Security:

Password Management, Virus and threats,

Virus Countermeasures, Firewalls,

The Need for Firewalls, Firewall Characteristics,

Types of Firewalls.
Introduction to Cloud Security.
Text Books:

1. William Stallings, Network Security Essentials Applications

and Standards, Fifth edition, Prentice Hall, 2011

2. Behrouz A. Forouzan, Cryptography and Network Security,

Mc Graw Hill,2007.

3. Vic (J.R.) Winkler, Securing The Cloud: Cloud Computing

Security Techniques and Tactics ,(Syngress/Elsevier) - 978-
1-59749-592-9
OSI Security Architecture
• ITU-T (International Telecommunication
Union, Telecommunication Standardization
Sector) X.800 Security Architecture for OSI
• It provides a systematic way of defining and
providing security requirements
• It provides a useful, if abstract, overview of
concepts we are going to study
• Computers today are far from “survival mode”
• Performance is abundant and the cost is very cheap
• As a result, computers now ubiquitous at every facet
of society

• Internet
• Computers are all connected and interdependent
• This codependency magnifies the effects of any
failures
The Definition of Computer Security
• Security is a state of well-being of information
and infrastructures in which the possibility of
successful yet undetected theft, tampering, and
disruption of information and services is kept
low or tolerable
• Security rests on confidentiality, authenticity,
integrity, and availability
 Security Threats and Attacks
• A threat is a potential violation of security.
• Flaws in design, implementation, and operation.
• An attack is any action that violates security.
• Active adversary
• An attack has an implicit concept of “intent”
• Router mis-configuration or server crash can also
cause loss of availability, but they are not attacks
 What is a virus?
A computer virus is a small program written to alter the way a computer operates,
without the permission or knowledge of the user.

•It must execute itself. It will often place its own code in the path of execution
of another program.
•It must replicate itself. For example, it may replace other executable files with
a copy of the virus infected file. Viruses can infect desktop computers and
network servers alike.

What is a Trojan horse?

Trojan horses are impostors--files that claim to be something desirable but, in fact, are
malicious. A very important distinction from true viruses is that they do not replicate
themselves, as viruses do.

Trojans contain malicious code, that, when triggered, cause loss, or even theft, of data. In
order for a Trojan horse to spread, you must, in effect, invite these programs onto your
computers.
for example, by opening an email attachment.
What is a worm?

Worms are programs that replicate themselves from system to system without the use of a
host file. This is in contrast to viruses, which requires the spreading of an infected host file.

Worms generally exist inside of other files, often Word or Excel documents.

The entire document will travel from computer to computer, so the entire document should
be considered the worm.